Here are the top medical news for the day:Some supplements benefit cardiovascular health while others do not: StudyAntioxidant supplementation has long been thought to play a role in heart health. That's because these nutrients work to reduce oxidative stress, a known contributor to many cardiovascular diseases. Heart-healthy diets like the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approach to...
Antioxidant supplementation has long been thought to play a role in heart health. That's because these nutrients work to reduce oxidative stress, a known contributor to many cardiovascular diseases. Heart-healthy diets like the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) feature foods that are naturally rich in antioxidants. However, results from studies of antioxidant supplements have been inconsistent-one reason why this approach hasn't yet been widely adopted in preventative cardiology.
Healthy diets are rich in antioxidants like amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C, but exactly how beneficial these micronutrients are for cardiovascular health has long been controversial. Now a new meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provides some clarity.
Reference:
Simin Liu, et al,Micronutrient Supplementation to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, DOI
10.1016/j.jacc.2022.09.048
Outcomes for bypass surgery may improve using Seaweed molecules
Bypass surgery is performed to restore blood flow to areas of the heart when vessels become blocked. Vessels harvested from the patient are the gold standard for grafts, but limited availability often requires the use of artificial vessels.
In addition to heart bypass surgery, grafts are used in medical procedures to treat vascular diseases and restore blood flow to vital organs and tissues, including the brain and legs.
Reference:
Dr. Evelyn Yim et al, JOURNAL Bioactive Materials
Balancing emotions through music
It's known that music has the potential to change emotional states and can distract listeners from negative thoughts and pain. It has also been proven to help improve memory, performance, and mood. Researchers at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have recently developed an app that creates custom playlists to help listeners care for their emotions through music.
"As humanity's universal language, music can significantly impact a person's physical and emotional state," said Law. "For example, music can help people to manage pain. We developed this app as an accessible first aid strategy for balancing emotions."
Reference:
Man Hei Law et al,MEETING 183rd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America
SOBA blood test can detect Alzheimer's before symptoms emerge: Study
A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has developed a laboratory test that can measure levels of amyloid beta oligomers in blood samples. As they report in a paper published the week of Dec. 5 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, their test - known by the acronym SOBA - could detect oligomers in the blood of patients with Alzheimer's disease, but not in most members of a control group who showed no signs of cognitive impairment at the time the blood samples were taken.
Research has shown that the seeds of Alzheimer's are planted years - even decades - earlier, long before the cognitive impairments surface that make a diagnosis possible. Those seeds are amyloid beta proteins that misfold and clump together, forming small aggregates called oligomers. Over time, through a process scientists are still trying to understand, those "toxic" oligomers of amyloid beta are thought to develop into Alzheimer's.
Reference:
"SOBA: Development and Testing of a Soluble Oligomer Binding Assay for Detection of Amyloidogenic Toxic Oligomers," PNAS manuscript #2022-13157R
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2213157119
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