Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DfIic1_MMjH/

Affected: 2-pound clear plastic bags with pack dates 26-160, 26-173, 26-196, 26-224, or 26-258.

The affected was sold tat stores in 22 states.  Affected states: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

If you purchased these mung beans, stop using them immediately and discard them or return them for a full refund or credit. For questions, contact Natural Grocers at 1-303-226-1434 or [email protected]. 

References on my website.

#FDA #NaturalGrocers #MungBeans #FoodRecall #FoodSafety

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Can your brain process language and fabricate prediction when you’re unconscious? Answers come from neuroscientists at Baylor College of Medicine in studies published in the journal Nature.

The scientists studied patients undergoing epilepsy surgery and recorded electrical activity from hundreds of individual neurons in the hippocampus, a brain region critical for learning and memory. Using sophisticated probes, they monitored how brain cells respond to sounds and spoken stories while the patients were under general anesthesia.

The results show that the brain cells of the unconscious can not only respond to musical tones, but also demonstrate improvements in distinguishing them as the experiments progressed.  When the anesthetized subjects listen to short stories, patterns of brain activity reflect different categories of words, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives. The signals also contain information about words likely to come next, suggesting that the brain anticipates how the story will continue.

This neuronal activity as well as other study data does not prove that anesthetized patients consciously hear, understand, or remember the stories. The brain processes information without a person being aware of it.

These findings could help scientists understand how consciousness differs from the brain’s underlying information-processing abilities. They could also eventually help design brain-computer interfaces and speech prosthetics designed to assist communication following strokes or neurological injuries.

The references for this report are available on my website.

#BrainResearch #Consciousness #GeneralAnesthesia #Neuroscience #BrainComputerInterface

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The answer comes from clinical physiologists at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet. They followed 427 men and women born in 1958, tracking their physical performance from age 16 through age 63. 

Their data show that aerobic fitness and muscular endurance generally peaks between ages 26 and 36. By age 35, physical performance begins a gradual decline. By age 63, performance has fallen by approximately 30 to 48 percent. 

These effects are likely due to muscle cell deterioration, decline in cellular energy production, and nervous system exhaustion.

But there is some encouraging news.  Those who exercise can improve their physical capacity by roughly 5 to 10 percent. The studies also show that better fitness earlier in life is associated with less arterial stiffness by age 63. Exercise does not prevent every age-related change, but it does help preserve fitness and your arterial structures.

The bottom line: it’s never too late to improve your strength. Whether you’re 35, 55, or older, regular physical activity can still make a meaningful difference. 

The references for this report are available on my website.

#HealthyAging #Exercise #MuscleStrength #PhysicalFitness #KarolinskaInstitutet

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This possibility is even more likely if you are a bird. So report Penn State  biomedical physiologists reporting their studies of 12 guinea fowl in the journal Royal Society Proceedings B.

In the experiments, half of the birds carried small weights on one leg during development while the other half did not. At 16 weeks, researchers measured how much energy the birds used walking with and without extra weight.

Their data show that the birds unburdened with extra weights while growing up used 23% more energy when walking with an added load. Birds accustomed to the weights during development carried them as adults without using extra energy.

Assuming you can translate these results to humans, physical activity during childhood and adolescence would help make movement more energy-efficient later in life. That would encourage lifelong exercise. A key caveat: carrying leg weights is not the same as typical human childhood exercise.

If clinical studies with appropriate childhood exercise confirm this principle, terrific. If not, this study is strictly for the birds!

The references for this report are available on my website.

#ChildhoodExercise #PhysicalActivity #ExerciseScience #HealthyAging #HealthResearch

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Taiwanese researchers now report to the European Association for the Study of Diabetes that injections of the peptide CBL-514 significantly shrink deposits of body fat. The compound works by selectively causing fat cells to self-destruct.

In phase two clinical trials, participants receiving the CBL-514 experience an average reduction of about 12% in deep abdominal visceral fat four weeks after treatment. These fat deposits around the intestines are associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Destroying these fat cells could also prevent weight regain following discontinuation of the GLP-1 diet drugs.

The injections also reduce the size of fat layers beneath the skin. Nearly 70% of those receiving the CBL-514 lost at least 150 milliliter of skin fat.

The injections do have side effects including pain, swelling, and redness at injection sites.

These results are promising, but larger phase three trials are needed to establish the safety and effectiveness. Of CBL-514. 

The references for this report are available on my website.

#ObesityResearch #BellyFat #VisceralFat #WeightLoss #MedicalResearch

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/De4y7mcuN6a/

Japanese endocrinologists at Kyoto University publish this surprising effect they observed in mouse studies in the journal Diabetes.

When both diabetic and normal mice are fed olive oil 15 minutes before glucose, their initial blood sugar rise is significantly smaller than when they receive the carbohydrates first. The olive oil slows stomach emptying and activates the digestive hormones glucagon, GIP, and GLP-1 as well as nerve signals that control blood sugar regulation. 

If human studies confirm this effect, changing the order in which you consume foods could become another strategy for managing blood sugar. The references for this report are available on my website.

#BloodSugar #DiabetesResearch #OliveOil #Nutrition #HealthNews

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/De4yQMihPdL/

Hungarian social scientists studied smartphone habits in 225 adults ages 18 to 35. About one-third of the participants were classified as heavy-process users, spending much of their time phone scrolling and consuming content rather than communicating in the real world. Their study was published in the journal Acta Psychologica. 

Their data show that those who spend four to five hours a day consuming online content showed concerning deterioration in memory, attention, and sleep compared with occasional users. They find that this excessive phone use is associated with weak self-control and fear of missing out.

The researchers also identified the physical effects of prolonged phone use.  Gazing down at a screen contributes to forward-head posture, neck strain, and potential balance problems.

So how do you avoid falling prey to this seductive habit? Silence unnecessary notifications, set limits on social media browsing, avoid your phone before bedtime, and hold the screen closer to eye level.

The references for this report are available on my website.

#SmartphoneUse #BrainHealth #SleepHealth #DigitalWellness #HealthResearch

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/De4xFdkMwTH/

The calorie count listed on food labels doesn’t tell the entire story? Biodesign researchers at Arizona State University now publish in the journal PLOS One their mathematical model showing how the bacteria in your gastrointestinal system help determine how much energy your body actually absorbs from food. 

Their model, called DAMM standing for Digestion, Absorption, and Microbial Metabolism, tracks how digested foods interact with gut microbes. These bacteria  break down fiber and starch producing substances called short-chain fatty acids that the body can absorb and use for energy.

In a controlled study of 17 healthy adults, those eating a high-fiber diet absorbed approximately 116 fewer calories per day than those eating a typical marginally healthy Western diet. Those consuming the abundant fiber did not report feeling hungrier.

So, if you are trying to control your weight and who isn’t, consider a diet rich in fiber. It allows you to feel full while reducing the number of calories you consume on a daily basis.

The references for this report are available on my website.

#GutHealth #Nutrition #Fiber #Microbiome #HealthResearch

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Could the compound that gives vanilla its familiar flavor help heal wounds that refuse to heal? Biomedical nanoengineers at Australia’s Flinders University now publish a review article in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics cataloging the beneficial properties of vanillin, vanilla’s signature compound. They describe its potential antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. These characteristics are all useful for facilitating wound healing. 

The researchers propose vanillin-based advanced wound dressings and therapy for chronic wounds and skin ulcers. Studies have shown that vanillin-containing biomaterials can support an extracellular matrix, a structural framework surrounding cells that promotes effective wound closure. Vanillin’s chemical structure could also help engineer materials for medication delivery. Also advantageous is the fact that vanillin can be manufactured inexpensively in large quantities.

Chronic wounds in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients are treatment challenges when inflammation, bacterial contamination, and borderline oxygen availability interferes with healing. A readily-available material that addresses these problems could eventually offer new options for wound care.

The references for this report are available on my website.

#WoundHealing #Vanillin #MedicalResearch #ChronicWounds #HealthNews

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Imagine this! A tiny device injectable through a needle and powered wirelessly offers a new approach for managing chronic pain and movement disorders. All this without the batteries, connecting wires, or surgically implanted hardware used in current pain control systems.

This technology was developed by NYU bioengineers and Cleveland Clinic  gastroenterologists sited in Abu Dhabi. It delivers electrical signals near a targeted nerve, controllable wirelessly from outside the body.

The device, named SEED, is the size of a small seed and designed to be delivered through a standard needle. Once positioned in a blood vessel near a target nerve using ultrasound and CT imaging, it receives power from outside the body and delivers programmable electrical pulses.

The researchers tested the technology in laboratory experiments and in living animals, including a rat model. They show that the device can activate nerves and produce controlled responses. 

These are early engineering achievements, but they are not evidence that SEED can relieve chronic pain in human patients. That remains for future randomized and controlled clinical trials.

The references for this report are available on my website.

#ChronicPain #MedicalTechnology #NerveStimulation #NYUResearch #HealthInnovation