Medical Bulletin 11/September/2023

Here are the top medical news of the day:

Novel insights into weight gain

Disrupted connections between memory and appetite regulating brain circuits are directly proportional to body mass index (BMI), notably in patients who suffer from disordered or overeating that can lead to obesity, such as binge eating disorder (BED), according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The research notes that individuals who are obese have impaired connections between the dorsolateral hippocampus (dlHPC) and the lateral hypothalamus (LH), which may impact their ability to control or regulate emotional responses when anticipating rewarding meals or treats.

Researchers monitored brain activity as patients anticipated and then received a sweet treat (a chocolate milkshake). They found that both the dlHPC and the LH activated simultaneously when participants anticipated receiving the rewarding meal. These researchers confirmed using stimulation techniques that this specific zone of the hippocampus, the dlHPC, and LH exhibited extremely strong connectivity, as well.

Reference: Daniel A. N. Barbosa, Sandra Gattas, Juliana S. Salgado, Fiene Marie Kuijper, Allan R. Wang, Yuhao Huang, Bina Kakusa, Christoph Leuze, Artur Luczak, Paul Rapp, Robert C. Malenka, Dora Hermes, Kai J. Miller, Boris D. Heifets, Cara Bohon, Jennifer A. McNab, Casey H. Halpern. An orexigenic subnetwork within the human hippocampus. Nature, 2023; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06459-w

Preterm babies have improved eyesight when given certain fatty acids

Preterm babies given a supplement with a combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have better visual function by the age of two and a half. This has been shown by a study at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe, covers 178 extremely preterm babies at the neonatal units of the university hospitals in Gothenburg, Lund, and Stockholm between 2016 and 2019. Extremely preterm babies are those born before the 28th week of pregnancy.

Around half of the children were given preventive oral nutritional supplements containing the omega-6 fatty acid AA (arachidonic acid) and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Neither AA nor DHA are included in the supplements that are currently routinely given to extremely preterm babies immediately after birth.

Reference: Pia Lundgren, Lena Jacobson, Lotta Gränse, Anna-Lena Hård, Karin Sävman, Ingrid Hansen-Pupp, David Ley, Anders K. Nilsson, Aldina Pivodic, Lois E. Smith, Ann Hellström. Visual outcome at 2.5 years of age in ω-3 and ω-6 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplemented preterm infants: a follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, 2023; DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100696

The right combo to get most health benefits from fruit smoothies

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, suggest that blending certain ingredients in smoothies can influence whether your body is getting a nutritional boost. The study used smoothies to test how various levels of polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme in many fruits and vegetables, affects the levels of flavanols in food to be absorbed by the body. Flavanols are a group of bioactive compounds that are good for your heart and cognitive health and are naturally found in apples, pears, blueberries, blackberries, grapes and cocoa -- common smoothie ingredients.

Slice an apple or peel a banana and the fruit will quickly turn brown. That happens because of polyphenol oxidase, or PPO, an enzyme naturally present in those foods. The browning occurs when the food containing that enzyme is exposed to air, cut or bruised. The researchers wanted to know whether consuming freshly prepared smoothies made with different PPO-containing fruits impacted the amount of flavanols available to the body.

Reference: Javier I. Ottaviani, Jodi L. Ensunsa, Reedmond Y. Fong, Jennifer Kimball, Valentina Medici, Gunter G. C. Kuhnle, Alan Crozier, Hagen Schroeter, Catherine Kwik-Uribe. Impact of polyphenol oxidase on the bioavailability of flavan-3-ols in fruit smoothies: a controlled, single blinded, cross-over study. Food & Function, 2023; DOI: 10.1039/D3FO01599H