Medical Bulletin 28/07/2023

Low fiber intake during pregnancy may delay development in infants’ brains

Maternal malnutrition remains a problem for women worldwide, undernutrition during pregnancy is one of the factors linked to an increased risk of diseases in children as they grow older.

Animal studies have shown that a low-fiber diet during pregnancy impairs brain nerve function in offspring. Now, in the first human cohort study on the relation of maternal nutritional imbalance and infants’ brain development, researchers in Japan have investigated if the same effects can be found in humans.

Most pregnant women in Japan consume far less dietary fiber than what is the recommended intake, said authors of the study published in Frontiers in Nutrition. These results provided reinforcing evidence that undernutrition during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental delay in children.

Reference: Low fiber intake during pregnancy may delay development in infants’ brains; Frontiers in Nutrition, DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1203669.

Older women at risk for Alzheimer’s disease may benefit from yoga

Researchers at UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, using a type of MRI that measures activity in regions and subregions of the brain, found that Kundalini yoga, which combines movement and meditation and focuses on breathing, mantra recitation and mental visualization, increased connectivity in an area of the brain that can be impacted by stress and is associated with memory decline. Results appear early online in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Kundalini yoga, a form of yoga that focuses on breathing, meditation, and mental visualization, appeared beneficial for older women who had risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and concerns about episodes of memory decline, according to a UCLA Health study.

The study included 22 participants who were part of a larger randomized controlled trial studying yoga’s effects on Alzheimer’s risk.

Reference: Older women at risk for Alzheimer’s disease may benefit from yoga; Journal of Alzheimer s Disease, DOI: 10.3233/JAD-221159.

Identification of genetic drivers for esophageal cancer creates new opportunity for screening, treatment

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a highly lethal cancer, with a five-year survival rate of less than 20 percent. Although a precursor lesion to EAC, called Barrett's esophagus (BE), is present in roughly seven percent of middle-aged adults, less than one percent of BE patients will progress to EAC, making it difficult to determine which individuals are at risk of developing this deadly cancer.

Their results, published in Gastroenterology, highlight that nine percent of EAC patients harbor mutations in cancer-predisposing genes, shedding light on the causes of progression to the disease and new possibilities for screening and treatment.

Reference: Identification of genetic drivers for esophageal cancer creates new opportunity for screening, treatment; Gastroenterology, DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2023.07.015