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    Category Health/Medical

    How Physical Exercise Prevents Dementia

    July 21, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Numerous studies have shown that physical exercise seems beneficial in the prevention of cognitive impairment and dementia in old age. Gerontologists and sports physicians at Goethe University Frankfurt have examined the effects of regular exercise on brain metabolism and memory of 60 participants aged between 65 and 85 in a randomised controlled trial. Their conclusion: regular physical exercise not only enhances fitness but also has a positive impact on brain metabolism.

    As the researchers report in the current issue of the medical journal Translational Psychiatry, they thoroughly examined all the participants in the SMART study (Sport an...

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    Experts: 1 in 3 cases of Dementia Preventable

    July 20, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    One in three cases of dementia could be prevented by addressing nine lifestyle factors, according to a report from the first Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care. Credit: Keck Medicine of USC

    One in three cases of dementia could be prevented by addressing nine lifestyle factors, according to a report from the first Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care. Credit: Keck Medicine of USC

    Managing lifestyle factors such as hearing loss, smoking, hypertension and depression could prevent 1/3 of the world’s dementia cases, according to a report by the first Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention and Care. Presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2017 and published in The Lancet, the report also highlights the beneficial effects of nonpharmacologic interventions such as social contact and exercise for people with dementia.

    “There’s been a great deal of focus on developing medicines to prevent dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease,” says com...

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    Genetic influence on Aging into the 90s but not beyond

    July 18, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    The role of FoxO3 in longevity may involve upregulation of target genes involved in stress resistance, metabolism, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. Effective control of FoxO3 in response to environmental stimuli is likely critical to prevent ageing and age-related diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. The diagram shows how the well-known longevity-associated intervention of caloric restriction helps to maintain the redox state of the cell by cycling calories through the mitochondria so as to restore NAD+. Caloric restriction results in activation of sirtuins, leading to activation of FoxOs, improved autophagy, amino acid recycling via inhibition of mTOR activity, and other mechanisms leading to a healthy ageing phenotype. On the other hand, excess calories, particularly from carbohydrates, increase the NADH/NAD+ ratio and leads to lipogenesis, overproduction of ROS by mitochondria, poor autophagy and activation of mTOR as a result of an excess of protein intake. AKT1 is a term derived from the ‘Ak' mouse strain that develops spontaneous thymic lymphomas (AKT1 is also known as protein kinase B). CAD = Coronary artery disease; HNF4a = hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α; GCN1l1 = general control of amino acid synthesis 1-like 1; O-GlcNAc = O-linked N-acetylglucosamine; OXPHOS = oxidative phosphorylation; PPARγC1α = peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α; TCA = tricarboxylic acid.

    The role of FoxO3 in longevity may involve upregulation of target genes involved in stress resistance, metabolism, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. Effective control of FoxO3 in response to environmental stimuli is likely critical to prevent ageing and age-related diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. The diagram shows how the well-known longevity-associated intervention of caloric restriction helps to maintain the redox state of the cell by cycling calories through the mitochondria so as to restore NAD+. Caloric restriction results in activation of sirtuins, leading to activation of FoxOs, improved autophagy, amino acid recycling via inhibition of mTOR activity, and other mechanisms leading to a healthy ageing phenotype...

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    Omega-3 fatty acids fight Inflammation via Cannabinoids

    July 18, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Image result for Omega-3 fatty acids via cannabinoids immune cells

    Naturally occurring omega-3–derived endocannabinoid epoxides are formed via enzymatic oxidation of omega-3 endocannabinoids by cytP450s. The epoxides are anti-inflammatory and vasodilatory and reciprocally modulate platelet aggregation

    A new study in animal tissue reveals the cascade of chemical reactions that convert omega-3 fatty acids into cannabinoids that have anti-inflammatory benefits – but without the psychotropic high. Foods such as meat, eggs, fish and nuts contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which the body converts into endocannabinoids – cannabinoids that the body produces naturally, said Aditi Das, a University of Illinois professor of comparative biosciences and biochemistry...

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