Stay Healthy this Winter!

Blood sugar control is so important 🙌

It’s still cold & flu season, and we know that diabetes makes people more susceptible to developing serious lung problems from common viruses.

A new study just published in Nature tells us WHY but also gives hope and actionable info.

The study found that elevated blood sugar levels disrupted immune cells in the lungs and prevented them from activating the immune response.

But the good news is….

Tight control of blood sugar levels prompted those immune cells to regain their function and mount a protective response.

This is more evidence that metabolic health affects overall health.

It’s also evidence that we are not powerless.

Reference

Nobs SP, Kolodziejczyk AA, Adler L, et al. Lung dendritic-cell metabolism underlies susceptibility to viral infection in diabetes. Nature. 2023;624(7992):645-652. [link]

New Study Shows HOW the Microbiome Protects Us!

How do good gut bacteria protect against harmful ones?

📢 New research alert!!

The gut microbiome consists of hundreds of different bacterial species and strains. One health benefit is that these bacteria can protect against the invasion of harmful bacteria.

But until now, there have been unanswered questions about how this works and whether some strains are more important than others.

A new study published in Science found that it was NOT any single bacterial strain that was protective but instead the combined effect of at least 50+ strains together.

Also, the WAY the collective bacterial communities protected against harmful invaders was by consuming nutrients those invaders might need.

The takeaway?

An optimal microbiome is a diverse microbiome.

Gut health is always something we look at as part of the bigger picture of our patient’s health.

Reference

Spragge F, Bakkeren E, Jahn MT, et al. Microbiome diversity protects against pathogens by nutrient blocking. Science. 2023;382(6676):eadj3502. [link]

[New Study] Couples & Blood Pressure

New research shows blood pressure in couples is often similar 😮

Most of us would think that blood pressure is an individual thing, but this was a fascinating study that showed it could be linked to your partner!

The study (published in the Journal of the American Heart Association) looked at blood pressure data from thousands of couples in the US, England, China, and India.

Overall, they found that if your partner has high blood pressure, you are more likely to have it too.

For example, wives whose husbands had high blood pressure were 9% more likely to also have high blood pressure in the US & England, 19% in India, and 26% in China.

The study didn’t look at WHY, but maybe it’s worth committing to some heart-healthy activities with your partner ❤️

Reference

Varghese JS, Lu P, Choi D, et al. Spousal Concordance of Hypertension Among Middle-Aged and Older Heterosexual Couples Around the World: Evidence From Studies of Aging in the United States, England, China, and India. J Am Heart Assoc. 2023;12(24):e030765. [link]

Got Acne? Top Nutrients Researched

📢 New Research Alert

Can nutritional supplements help people with acne?

Researchers asked that question in a review of 42 studies just published in JAMA Dermatology.

They found:

🔹 The highest quality studies showed potential benefits from vitamin D, green tea extract, and probiotics.

🔹 Other studies suggested benefits from vitamin B5, omega-3 fatty acids, and gamma linoleic acid.

🔹 Zinc was the most commonly studied nutrient, but it only showed benefit in half the studies. Higher doses were more helpful but were also associated with adverse effects.

This type of review is helpful because it allows us to take a birds-eye view of all of the research to date rather than just one individual study.

It’s limited by only looking at supplements rather than foods and dietary patterns, but it’s good evidence that nutrition can make a difference for skin health!

Like if you found this helpful ❤️

Reference

Shields A, Ly S, Wafae B, et al. Safety and Effectiveness of Oral Nutraceuticals for Treating Acne: A Systematic Review. JAMA Dermatol. Published online October 25, 2023. [link]

[New Study] How to Lower Blood Pressure

How almost anyone can lower their blood pressure in ONE WEEK👇

I’m not making this up!

This study was done at Northwestern University and recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

They found that 72% of all people could lower their blood pressure by 6-8 points—in one week…

Simply by reducing sodium in the diet 🧂

The participants were in their 50s, 60s, and 70s.

To get this result, they limited their sodium intake to 500 mg per day, which is lower than the 1500 mg max recommended by the American Heart Association.

The main culprits when it comes to high-sodium foods are processed, packaged, and fast foods, like:

▪️ 3 slices of bacon has 411 mg

▪️ 1 cup canned tomato soup has 471 mg

▪️ McDonald’s Big Mac has 1007 mg

But an apple only has 2 mg of sodium 🍏

Sodium is only one variable in the diet, but you can see how eating whole and fresh foods will win out over processed foods every time.

Drop me a 🍏 if you found this helpful ❤️

Reference

Gupta DK, Lewis CE, Varady KA, et al. Effect of Dietary Sodium on Blood Pressure: A Crossover Trial. JAMA. Published online November 11, 2023. [link]