This Week In Wellness

TWIW 188: Purple vegetables are anti-diabetic

This Week In Wellness a new review from the University of Turku, Finland has shown that red, purple and blue pigments in fruits, vegetables, and tubers called anthocyanins may be able to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by modulating energy metabolism, inflammation and the gut microbiome. 
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230215100419.htm
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c05879

TWIW 187: Walking reduces dementia risk

This Week In Wellness walking and moderate to vigorous physical exercise have been shown to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment or dementia according to a study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association. 
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/01/230125085831.htm
https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.12908

TWIW 186: Gratitude reduces stress, improves heart health

This Week In Wellness researchers from Irish universities have shown that practising gratitude can help to “buffer” stress, both reducing the heart's reaction to stress and also improving its recovery. 
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230126/Gratitude-has-a-unique-stress-buffering-effect-research-shows.aspx
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167876022002707?via%3Dihub
https://www.researchgate.nehttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167876022002707?via%3Dihubt/publication/44581429_Gratitude_and_well-being_A_review_and_theoretical_integration
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927423/

TWIW 185: No safe amount of alcohol says Canada

This Week In Wellness new guidelines from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) suggest that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption and that having more than 2 drinks a week is considered “risky”. This follows a statement from the World Health organisation in the Journal Lancet in January that also stated there was no safe level of alcohol consumption. 
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-01-19/canada-guidelines-say-no-safe-limit-of-alcohol/101868992
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/20/australia-unlikely-to-follow-canada-in-slashing-alcohol-consumption-guidelines  

TWIW 184: Mediterranean diet lowers risk of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes

This Week In Wellness researchers from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai found that pregnant women who consumed a mediterranean diet were 28% less likely to get pre eclampsia, and 37% less likely to suffer from gestational diabetes, both of which can cause complications for both mum and baby. 
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20221222/Adherence-to-Mediterranean-diet-associated-with-lower-risk-of-preeclampsia-during-pregnancy.aspx
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2799855

TWIW 183: Protein consumption may reduce hip fracture risk

This Week In Wellness a study out of the University of Leeds has shown that for women, consuming just an extra 25 grams of protein a day was associated with a 14% reduction in their risk of hip fracture. 
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221128100852.htm
https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(22)00393-4/fulltext

TWIW 182: Intermittent fasting may reverse type 2 diabetes

This Week In Wellness a new study from China has shown that intermittent fasting for 3 months may be able to reverse type 2 diabetes in up to half of all individuals. 
It is estimated that over half a billion people worldwide suffer from diabetes, with 95% of those suffering from the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes. 
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/type-2-diabetes-intermittent-fasting-could-reverse-the-condition#Intermittent-fastingand-T2D-reversal
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1210/clinem/dgac661/6888005
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/type-2-diabetes-intermittent-fasting-could-reverse-the-condition#Intermittent-fastingand-T2D-reversal
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32445735/

TWIW 181: Aspartame linked to generational anxiety

This Week In Wellness research out of Florida State University College of Medicine has linked the popular artificial sweetener Aspartame to anxiety in mice. In fact not only did it produce anxiety in the mice that consumed it, it also extended to their offspring for 2 generations. 
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221208174226.htm
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2213120119

TWIW 180: 75% of toddler foods fail sugar guidelines

This Week In Wellness research by the Obesity Policy Coalition has found that over ¾ of the tested ready made foods for toddlers exceeded the World Health Organisations proposed guidelines for sugar consumption in a result that Health Minister Mark Butler described as "shocking".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-08/toddler-food-products-failing-sugar-guidelines-research/101749342

TWIW 179: Is “protein hunger” driving obesity

This Week In Wellness a new study looking at almost 10,000 Australians has suggested that so called “protein hunger” driven by increased consumption of overly processed and refined foods may play a key role in over-eating and obesity. 
https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-find-that-protein-hunger-drives-overeating-obesity/#:~:text=A%20new%20study%20provides%20additional,body's%20strong%20appetite%20for%20protein.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.23578

TWIW 178: Mindfulness as good as meds for anxiety

This Week In Wellness a study published in JAMA Psychiatry has shown that a mindfulness-based stress reduction program was as effective as the popular antidepressant drug escitalopram in treating people with anxiety disorders. 
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221109124354.htm
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2798510

TWIW 177: Melatonin more effective than Covid antivirals but not promoted

This Week In Wellness a review published in the Biomolecules journal has suggested that melatonin may be more effective in reducing long covid symptoms and COVID-19 inflammatory markers than commonly used antivirals. The authors have suggested that the reason it has not been promoted more as a solution is due to its easy availability and the fact that it cannot be patented by pharmaceutical manufacturers. 
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20221109/Melatonin-could-be-a-potential-therapy-for-long-COVID-symptoms.aspx.
https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/12/11/1646.