Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/tCxpIO3okw4

The red pigment in tomatoes, lycopene, seems to heal “sick” sperm, the cause of infertility in up to 50% of couples. Britain’s University of Sheffield researchers announce this phenomenon after a double blind study of 60 volunteers.  

Half of them received lycopene in the form of LactoLycopene, a commercially available supplement that improves gi lycopene absorption.  After 12 weeks, the sperm from the lycopene users were healthier and more robust.  

Lots more testing must be done in men with known infertility to see if the same phenomenon  occurs.  Meanwhile, men known to have sperm issues can eat cooked tomatoes or buy the LactoLycopene online from the British source.

Elizabeth A. Williams, Madeleine Parker, Aisling Robinson, Sophie Pitt, Allan A. Pacey. A randomized placebo-controlled trial to investigate the effect of lactolycopene on semen quality in healthy males. European Journal of Nutrition, 2019; DOI: 10.1007/s00394-019-02091-5

#Sperm #infertility, lycopene #LactoLycopene

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/tCxpIO3okw4

The red pigment in tomatoes, lycopene, seems to heal “sick” sperm, the cause of infertility in up to 50% of couples. Britain’s University of Sheffield researchers announce this phenomenon after a double blind study of 60 volunteers.  

Half of them received lycopene in the form of LactoLycopene, a commercially available supplement that improves gi lycopene absorption.  After 12 weeks, the sperm from the lycopene users were healthier and more robust.  

Lots more testing must be done in men with known infertility to see if the same phenomenon  occurs.  Meanwhile, men known to have sperm issues can eat cooked tomatoes or buy the LactoLycopene online from the British source.

Elizabeth A. Williams, Madeleine Parker, Aisling Robinson, Sophie Pitt, Allan A. Pacey. A randomized placebo-controlled trial to investigate the effect of lactolycopene on semen quality in healthy males. European Journal of Nutrition, 2019; DOI: 10.1007/s00394-019-02091-5

#Sperm #infertility, lycopene #LactoLycopene

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/-vMbpu34c_M

Syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia cases have spiked.  The CDC warns that the big 3 sexually transmitted diseases have reached an all time high.

In one year, between 2017 and 2018, syphilis cases increased 35% overall to 115,000 cases, the highest number in 27 years.  Worse, there was a 40% jump in newborn syphilis.

Gonorrhea increased 5% to more than a half million cases, the most in 27 years.  Chlamydia only increased 3%, but there were 1.7 million cases, the largest number ever reported in a single year.

The reasons: poverty, lack of access to health care, decreased condom use, and public health program cuts.  The solution: vote in politicians who care about us and will redirect dollars to the nation’s health.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/2019/2018-STD-surveillance-report-press-release.html

#STDs #syphilis gonorrhea #chlamydia

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/-vMbpu34c_M

Syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia cases have spiked.  The CDC warns that the big 3 sexually transmitted diseases have reached an all time high.

In one year, between 2017 and 2018, syphilis cases increased 35% overall to 115,000 cases, the highest number in 27 years.  Worse, there was a 40% jump in newborn syphilis.

Gonorrhea increased 5% to more than a half million cases, the most in 27 years.  Chlamydia only increased 3%, but there were 1.7 million cases, the largest number ever reported in a single year.

The reasons: poverty, lack of access to health care, decreased condom use, and public health program cuts.  The solution: vote in politicians who care about us and will redirect dollars to the nation’s health.

https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/2019/2018-STD-surveillance-report-press-release.html

#STDs #syphilis gonorrhea #chlamydia

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/U5Y1T5rCICY

Pulling that all-nighter test cramming or finishing your PowerPoint will drive you to those chips, cookies, and donuts.  Neurologists at Northwestern University studied 29 subjects and their food choices after only 4 hours of sleep versus a complete night’s rest.

The studies showed that sleep-deprived persons craved energy dense foods chock full of carbs and fats.  Blood tests showed they had higher levels of the endocannabinoid 2-OG, and MRI imaging showed reduced connectivity to the brain’s smell center.  This combination leads to a desire for strongly sweet flavored foods yet a reduced sense of feeling full after eating.

If you are low on sleep, realize your brain’s faulty willpower and avoid those convenience stores.

Surabhi Bhutani, James D Howard, Rachel Reynolds, Phyllis C Zee, Jay Gottfried, Thorsten Kahnt. Olfactory connectivity mediates sleep-dependent food choices in humans. eLife, 2019; 8 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.49053

#Carbs #fats #sleep

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/U5Y1T5rCICY

Pulling that all-nighter test cramming or finishing your PowerPoint will drive you to those chips, cookies, and donuts.  Neurologists at Northwestern University studied 29 subjects and their food choices after only 4 hours of sleep versus a complete night’s rest.

The studies showed that sleep-deprived persons craved energy dense foods chock full of carbs and fats.  Blood tests showed they had higher levels of the endocannabinoid 2-OG, and MRI imaging showed reduced connectivity to the brain’s smell center.  This combination leads to a desire for strongly sweet flavored foods yet a reduced sense of feeling full after eating.

If you are low on sleep, realize your brain’s faulty willpower and avoid those convenience stores.

Surabhi Bhutani, James D Howard, Rachel Reynolds, Phyllis C Zee, Jay Gottfried, Thorsten Kahnt. Olfactory connectivity mediates sleep-dependent food choices in humans. eLife, 2019; 8 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.49053

#Carbs #fats #sleep

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/nuu9aGWbPPo

Endurance running with a resistance band connecting your shoes can increase your running efficiency by over 9%.  Mechanical engineers at UC-Santa Barbara clocked runners with and without latex surgical tubing connecting their feet.

The tubing stores kinetic energy as the legs move past one another, and that energy helps power the next cycle.  The result: shorter, quicker steps jacking up the average stride from 90 steps/min to 100.  

The tubing also reduces the effort to bounce on the feet, and these band-powered runners feel light and fast.  Their average running efficiency increased about 6%. 

Buy the surgical tubing online and cut it to 25% of leg length.  Then give it a try.

Cole S. Simpson, Cara G. Welker, Scott D. Uhlrich, Sean M. Sketch, Rachel W. Jackson, Scott L. Delp, Steve H. Collins, Jessica C. Selinger, Elliot W. Hawkes. Connecting the legs with a spring improves human running economy. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2019; 222 (17): jeb202895 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.202895

#Running #resistanceband

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/nuu9aGWbPPo

Endurance running with a resistance band connecting your shoes can increase your running efficiency by over 9%.  Mechanical engineers at UC-Santa Barbara clocked runners with and without latex surgical tubing connecting their feet.

The tubing stores kinetic energy as the legs move past one another, and that energy helps power the next cycle.  The result: shorter, quicker steps jacking up the average stride from 90 steps/min to 100.  

The tubing also reduces the effort to bounce on the feet, and these band-powered runners feel light and fast.  Their average running efficiency increased about 6%. 

Buy the surgical tubing online and cut it to 25% of leg length.  Then give it a try.

Cole S. Simpson, Cara G. Welker, Scott D. Uhlrich, Sean M. Sketch, Rachel W. Jackson, Scott L. Delp, Steve H. Collins, Jessica C. Selinger, Elliot W. Hawkes. Connecting the legs with a spring improves human running economy. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2019; 222 (17): jeb202895 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.202895

#Running #resistanceband

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/EQbSPdBlgm4

The melted plastic your 3D printer lays out emits toxic volatile organic fumes that could damage your lungs or worse.  Georgia Institute of Technology engineers tested the emissions from 3D printer filaments on live cells in tissue culture.

The results showed the most dangerous filaments are the ABS styrene plastic ones in comparison to the PLA lactic acid type.  The ABS requires heating to higher temperatures giving off more fumes and the heat transforms the plastic to possibly more dangerous compounds. 

If you do use 3D printers at home, for safety’s sake, use an enclosure, ventilate the room well or use a garage, avoid breathing in the fumes, use the lowest filament temperature possible, and buy low emission filaments.

Qian Zhang, Michal Pardo, Yinon Rudich, Ifat Kaplan-Ashiri, Jenny P. S. Wong, Aika Y. Davis, Marilyn S. Black, Rodney J. Weber. Chemical Composition and Toxicity of Particles Emitted from a Consumer-Level 3D Printer Using Various Materials. Environmental Science & Technology, 2019; DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b04168

#3Dprinter #ABS #PLA #toxicfumes

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/EQbSPdBlgm4

The melted plastic your 3D printer lays out emits toxic volatile organic fumes that could damage your lungs or worse.  Georgia Institute of Technology engineers tested the emissions from 3D printer filaments on live cells in tissue culture.

The results showed the most dangerous filaments are the ABS styrene plastic ones in comparison to the PLA lactic acid type.  The ABS requires heating to higher temperatures giving off more fumes and the heat transforms the plastic to possibly more dangerous compounds. 

If you do use 3D printers at home, for safety’s sake, use an enclosure, ventilate the room well or use a garage, avoid breathing in the fumes, use the lowest filament temperature possible, and buy low emission filaments.

Qian Zhang, Michal Pardo, Yinon Rudich, Ifat Kaplan-Ashiri, Jenny P. S. Wong, Aika Y. Davis, Marilyn S. Black, Rodney J. Weber. Chemical Composition and Toxicity of Particles Emitted from a Consumer-Level 3D Printer Using Various Materials. Environmental Science & Technology, 2019; DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b04168

#3Dprinter #ABS #PLA #toxicfumes