Polyphenol pills counter inflammation in women on hormonal contraceptives: RCT

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), April 7, 2022

Supplements containing a mixture of polyphenols may counter increases in pro-inflammatory markers in women of childbearing age using combined hormonal contraceptives, says a new study. The supplements, formulated with resveratrol, catechin, quercetin, chlorogenic acid and cyanidin, were also found to prevent the increases in markers of systemic oxidative stress like F2-isoprostane. “The increase in biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress observed in the present study were possibly caused by the use of hormonal contraceptives, as verified in the [control group], and this change was not observed in the group that used polyphenols,” wrote researchers from the Institute of Cardiology and the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. “Therefore, the results of this polyphenol supplementation showed that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects observed in the studied population is due to the reduction in plasma levels of PGE2, supporting the conceptual hypothesis, by its action on the inflammatory cascade, probably by COX inhibition.”

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The power of kindness in improving brain health

Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas, April 11, 2022

Kindness is powerful and does not just affect the recipient's feelings—kindness can also impact an entire family's brain health. A cross-disciplinary team of researchers and clinicians from Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas sought to understand whether an online kindness training program improves preschooler's prosocial behaviors and their parents' resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Omega-3 supplementation could offer MCI benefits: Pilot study

University of California-Los Angeles, April 10, 2022

Supplementation with a drink containing 2000 mg of omega-3 and mixed botanicals could have ‘significant’ immune and biochemical effects in people that have minor cognitive impairment (MCI), new research suggests. The pilot study, published in The FASEB Journal, investigated the immune and pro- and anti-inflammatory effects of nutritional supplementation with a drink (Smartfish) that combines high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA with a mixture of vitamins and botanicals including resveratrol vitamin D3, “thus targeting several facets of AD [Alzheimer’s disease] pathogenesis.”

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Magic mushroom compound increases brain connectivity in people with depression after use

by Imperial College London, April 11, 2022

Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms, helps to "open up" depressed people's brains, even after use, enabling brain regions to talk more freely to one another. These are the findings of a new analysis of brain scans from close to 60 people receiving treatment for depression, led by Imperial College London's Centre for Psychedelic Research. The team behind the study believes it may have untangled how psilocybin exerts its therapeutic effects on the brain.

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Regular cycling helps patients with 'accelerated aging' disease

McMaster University, April 11, 2022

A study led by McMaster University researchers has found that regular cycling can greatly improve mobility in patients with myotonic dystrophy (MD), a genetic disease that causes muscle degeneration. Senior author Mark Tarnopolsky said that cycling for 35 minutes three times a week for 12 weeks led to a 32 percent increase in overall fitness in people with MD. Patients who took part in the study also saw a 1.6-kilogram increase in their muscle massand a two percent reduction of body fat. They were also able to walk an extra 47 meters in six minutes, when tested by researchers at the end of the 12-week trial.