Eats « Weekly Gravy

A special calorie-burning type of body fat appears to help protect against an array of chronic ailments, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, a new study suggests. Brown fat generates heat by drawing glucose from the bloodstream, as opposed to energy-storing white fat, explained senior researcher Dr. Paul Cohen. He’s an assistant professor and senior attending physician at the Rockefeller University Hospital in New York City. That sort of a tissue sounds like a godsend. However, brown fat has been long thought to have little impact on human health because your stores of brown fat diminish as you age. But research now shows that adults who have active brown fat tissues in their bodies are far less likely than their peers to suffer from a range of chronic illnesses. What’s more, this protective effect holds even if the person carries excess weight, researchers reported recently in the journal Nature Medicine. “When we grouped our subjects based on their body mass index, we saw that even obese people with brown fat show protection from these conditions,” Cohen said. “For example, it’s well known that type 2 diabetes is more common in overweight and obese individuals, but what we saw was that even obese individuals who have brown fat have a significantly lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes than obese individuals without brown… read on > read on >

Gut microbes may play a significant role in the eating disorder anorexia, a new British study says. Researchers from the University of Oxford reviewed available evidence suggesting that in people with anorexia gut microbes could affect affect appetite, weight, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and compulsive behavior. The findings appear online Jan. 12 in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry. “Anorexia nervosa is a very common psychiatric disorder and can be incredibly debilitating or even fatal, but is unfortunately still quite challenging to treat,” said study co-author Ana Ghenciulescu, from Oxford’s Corpus Christi College. “Moreover, there has been a great deal of recent excitement about the idea that gut microbes affect many aspects of our health, including our mental health — and that this relationship goes both ways,” she said in a journal news release. People with anorexia restrict their eating and become dangerously thin. However, they may believe they are fat. In anorexia, microbial communities seem to be less diverse and more abundant in “harmful” species,” noted co-author Phil Burnet, an associate professor in Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry. For example, it’s been found that anorexia patients may have more bacteria that consume the protective mucus layer of the gut. This makes the gut “leaky” and contributes to chronic inflammation, which is linked with mental health symptoms. Other microbes found in anorexia patients may… read on > read on >

Americans battling hypertension may have one less thing to worry about: Blood pressure drugs do not affect outcomes of people hospitalized with COVID-19, a new study finds. Researchers looked at whether two types of medications used to treat high blood pressure — ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) — could either lessen complications or lead to more severe COVID symptoms. “At the start of the pandemic, patients were worried about perceived harm based on limited and incomplete information and, unfortunately, some insisted on stopping their medications,” said study first author Dr. Jordana Cohen, an assistant professor in the university’s Perelman School of Medicine. “However, stopping these medications unnecessarily can increase the risk for severe complications, including heart attack and stroke,” “Now, we have high-quality evidence to support our recommendation that patients continue to take these medications as prescribed,” Cohen said in a university news release.”Our trial results importantly show that these medications can be safely continued for patients hospitalized with COVID-19,” said researchers from the University of Pennsylvania. The study involved 152 patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 and already using one of the blood pressure drugs. The researchers randomly assigned the patients to either continue their medications or stop using them. The investigators found no difference in outcomes between the two groups. More than 49 million Americans take high blood pressure medications, and… read on > read on >

FRIDAY, Jan. 8, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — As one of the trendiest foods in the produce aisle, microgreens are known for adding a splash of color to a dish, a spicy kick to a salad – and a chunk of change to a grocery bill. Known for a variety of flavors, textures and aromas, microgreens originated as a product of the California restaurant scene in the 1980s. Smaller than baby greens, they are harvested just one to two weeks after germination – typically later than sprouts, which don’t have leaves. They usually are 1 to 3 inches tall and often are sold with the stems attached. Most microgreens are rich in concentrated vitamins and antioxidants. A 2012 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry looked at 25 commercially available microgreens and found they contained nutrient levels up to 40 times higher than more mature leaves. Other research also has shown microgreens contain a wider variety of antioxidants and micronutrients called polyphenols. Nutrient content aside, microgreens are not a replacement for leafy and other greens in one’s diet, said Christopher Gardner, director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center in California. Instead, they serve a better purpose as a way to add variety to a regular salad or other healthy meal. According to the federal dietary guidelines, an adult consuming… read on > read on >

Food as medicine: New research suggests that a healthy Mediterranean diet might lower the risk of prostate cancer progressing to a more advanced state. The relative lack of saturated fat in these diets might be a major reason why. The Mediterranean diet is “known for its lower consumption of saturated fats,” said Dr. Phillip Vigneri, a prostate cancer specialist unconnected to the new study. He heads the department of radiation medicine at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City. For example, “it has been known for some time that while Japan has a similar incidence of prostate cancer, it has a lower metastatic rate and mortality,” Vigneri pointed out. And while it’s not possible to prove clear cause and effect, “this difference is usually attributed to a [Japanese] diet that is lower in fat,” he said. The new study involved 410 prostate cancer patients and was led by Dr. Justin Gregg, assistant professor of urology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston. Because most prostate cancer cases are low-risk and have favorable outcomes, many men do not need immediate treatment and opt for “active surveillance.” That was the case for the participants in this study. The Houston team found that those who stuck to meals rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals and fish — hallmarks of a Mediterranean diet —… read on > read on >