Medical Bulletin 23/October/2023

Overview

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Probiotics Shown to Significantly Lower Blood Pressure

A research team delved into the relationship between high-fructose intake and hypertension, discovering that high levels of fructose intake are a significant risk factor for elevated blood pressure. This is a concerning revelation, considering the prevalence of high-fructose foods in modern diets. Furthermore, the team explored the impact of two specific probiotic strains, Bifidobacterium lactis M8 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus M9, in reducing blood pressure. These probiotics, derived from human breast milk, were found to be highly effective in mitigating hypertension in a high-fructose-induced elevated blood pressure mouse model.

Over a 16-week intervention, Bifidobacterium lactis M8 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus M9 demonstrated a substantial reduction in blood pressure, with M8 lowering systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 16.92% and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 18.56%, and M9 reducing SBP by 15.39% and DBP by 20.62%.

The study didn't stop at observing the outcomes; it delved deep into the gut microbiome and serum metabolome to decipher the mechanisms behind probiotics' antihypertensive effects. It was revealed that specific changes in gut microbiota played a pivotal role in blood pressure regulation. Notably, increased levels of Lawsonia and Pyrolobus were linked to lower blood pressure, while decreased levels of Alistipes and Alloprevotella correlated with BP reduction.

Functionally, the study uncovered reduced pathways involved in "base excision repair" (BER) and "D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism" as contributing factors to blood pressure reduction.

Ref: Probiotics Bifidobacterium lactis M8 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus M9 prevent high blood pressure via modulating the gut microbiota composition and host metabolic products Yong Zhang et al, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00331-23

Do Common Contaminants Accelerate Weight Gain in Children?

A recent study has shown that prenatal exposure to a combination of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) was associated with altered childhood BMI growth trajectories, with certain EDCs contributing to increased risk for lower birth size and accelerated BMI gain.

The data from the INMA cohort, comprising 1,911 participants, provided a comprehensive picture of prenatal exposure to various EDCs, including persistent chemicals like hexachlorobenzene (HCB), 4-4'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The study also examined nonpersistent chemicals such as phthalate metabolites and phenols, assessing their impact through blood and spot urine concentrations.

In single exposure models, exposure to EDCs like HCB, DDE, PCBs, and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) was associated with a significantly increased risk of children belonging to BMI growth trajectories characterized by lower birth size followed by accelerated BMI gain. This translated to a 19% to 32% higher relative risk ratio for those exposed to DDE and PFNA, in comparison to children with average birth size and slower BMI gain.

Moreover, HCB and DDE exposure were found to elevate the probability of children belonging to a trajectory characterized by higher birth size and accelerated BMI gain.

Ref: Parisa Montazeri,Nuria Güil-Oumrait,Sandra Marquez,Lourdes Cirugeda,Andrea Beneito,Mònica Guxens,Aitana Lertxundi,Maria-Jose Lopez-Espinosa,Loreto Santa-Marina,Jordi Sunyer,Maribel Casas,and Martine Vrijheid 2023

Prenatal Exposure to Multiple Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Childhood BMI Trajectories in the INMA Cohort Study

Environmental Health Perspectives 131:10 CID: 107006 https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11103

Does Red Meat Increase the risk of Type 2 Diabetes?

In the ongoing quest to understand the relationship between dietary choices and health, a recent study adds weight to the importance of substituting red meat with alternative protein sources for the prevention of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).

The study, conducted with a vast cohort of 216,695 participants, sought to confirm the connection between red meat consumption and the incidence of T2D. The research involved the assessment of intakes of total, processed, and unprocessed red meat over 5,483,981 person-years of follow-up. The results are compelling.

Intakes of all types of red meat, including total, processed, and unprocessed, showed a positive and almost linear association with higher risks of T2D. For those in the highest quintiles of consumption, the hazard ratios (HR) were significant: 1.62 for total red meat, 1.51 for processed red meat, and 1.40 for unprocessed red meat.

The study then delved into the power of substitution. When one serving per day of nuts and legumes replaced total red meat, the risk of T2D was lowered by a substantial 30%. For processed red meat, substituting with these alternatives reduced the risk by an even more impressive 41%. Substituting dairy for total, processed, or unprocessed red meat also led to a significantly lower risk of T2D.

Ref: Xiao Gu, Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier, Frank M. Sacks, Frank B. Hu, Bernard Rosner, Walter C. Willett, Red meat intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in a prospective cohort study of United States females and males, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,2023, ISSN 0002-9165