Could a pure maple syrup extract be tapped for better brain health?

University of Toronto,  March, 12 2022 

As part of a two-day symposium at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, a group of international scientists shared promising results of 24 studies exploring the beneficial effects of natural products on the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease. For the first time at this symposium, real maple syrup was included among the healthful, functional foods that show promise in protecting brain cells against the kind of damage found in Alzheimer's disease. One study  found that an extract of maple syrup may help prevent the misfolding and clumping of two types of proteins found in brain cells - beta amyloid and tau peptide. When cellular proteins fold improperly and clump together, they accumulate and form the plaque that is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's and other brain diseases.

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Why Your Brain Likes Nature More Than Cities (rather fascinating)

University of Oregon, March 10, 2022

The authors examined the question: “What happens in your brain when you walk down the street?” and they conclude that urban environments are not pleasing to the human brain. The reason is the lack of fractals in modern architecture and spaces. Fractals are patterns that self-repeat at different scales, and they can be found all over nature in objects like trees, rivers, clouds, and coastlines. Because of this prevalence of natural fractals, the human brain has evolved to respond favorably to fractals, and to do so in the blink of an eye. The human brain only needs 50 milliseconds to detect the presence of fractals. “As soon as we look at nature, it triggers a cascade of automatic responses,” says physicist Richard Taylor of the University of Oregon. “Even before we’ve noticed what we’re looking at, we’re responding to it.”

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Blueberries, the well-known 'super fruit,' could help fight Alzheimer's 

University of Cincinnati Health Center, March 13, 2022 

The blueberry, already labeled a 'super fruit' for its power to potentially lower the risk of heart disease and cancer, also could be another weapon in the war against Alzheimer's disease. New researchfurther bolsters this idea, which is being tested by many teams. The fruit is loaded with healthful antioxidants, and these substances could help prevent the devastating effects of this increasingly common form of dementia, scientists report. "Our new findings corroborate those of previous animal studies and preliminary human studies, adding further support to the notion that blueberries can have a real benefit in improving memory and cognitive function in some older adults," says Robert Krikorian, Ph.D., leader of the research team. He adds that blueberries' beneficial effects could be due to flavonoids called anthocyanins, which have been shown to improve animals' cognition.

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Higher testosterone to estradiol ratio predicts lower risk of mortality during median of 23.7-months

University of Ferrara (Italy), March 11 2022. 

A study reported in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation found lower mortality during follow-up for men and women who had a higher ratio of testosterone to estradiol (T/E2). In males with severe carotid atherosclerosis, low T/E2 ratio is associated with systemic and plaque inflammation and is a powerful predictor of future cardiovascular events,. In females, the reverse regarding T/E2 ratio has been observed, with higher T/E2 ratio being associated with worse cardiovascular disease outcomes/events in postmenopausal women. The research team investigated the association between sex-specific T/E2 ratio and the vasoactive molecules thromboxane and nitric oxide, which impact blood flow. They additionally explored the ratio’s relationship to adverse long-term outcomes, and whether the relationship could be explained by sex hormone-dependent effects on platelet function. Men and women whose sex-specific T/E2 ratio was among the lowest 75% of participants had over three times the risk of dying from all causes during the 23.7-month median follow-up period compared to men and women whose ratios were among the highest 25%.