Berries May Reduce Mortality (NEW Study!)

🫐🍓I’ve always loved berries, but this new research study cinches it!

Looking at a national sample of adults in the US, the research compared berry consumption with mortality rates over 8 years.

The results?

👉 People who were considered “berry consumers” had a 21% lower risk of all-cause mortality than “non-berry consumers.”

(PMID: 38184200)

Also, more specifically:

Cranberries supported ❤️ heart & metabolic health

Blueberries supported 🫁 respiratory health

Berries are a rich source of antioxidants and also contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals that support health.

Pro tip:

Frozen berries are equally nutritious and an excellent option when fresh berries aren’t in season!

Like this post ❤️and be sure to tap FOLLOW if you want to see more about natural and root-cause ways to optimize your health.

Reference

Zhang L, Muscat JE, Chinchilli VM, Kris-Etherton PM, Al-Shaar L, Richie JP. Consumption of Berries and Flavonoids in Relation to Mortality in NHANES, 1999-2014. J Nutr. Published online January 5, 2024. [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]

Nutrition for Brain Health

The Best Diet for Your Brain 🧠

If you’re heading into the new year thinking about healthier choices for your body and brain, consider this:

A new study spanning 12 years in people over the age of 65 in France found that those who followed a Mediterranean Diet had a lower risk of cognitive decline.

The unique thing about this study was that it didn’t just rely on the participants to report their eating habits.

Instead, the researchers measured markers in blood samples and in the gut microbiome that relate to the Mediterranean diet pattern—which means more accurate and reliable results!

The Mediterranean Diet emphasizes:

▪️ Fruits, vegetables, beans, & whole grains

▪️ Healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, & seeds

▪️ Protein from fish, poultry, beans, & eggs (only small amounts of red meat)

▪️ Some dairy products

▪️ Limited sugars

The Mediterranean Diet has not only been linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline but also better heart health and a lower risk of cancer.

📲Tag a friend in the comments who might want to hear this!

Reference

Tor-Roca A, Sánchez-Pla A, Korosi A, et al. A Mediterranean Diet-Based Metabolomic Score and Cognitive Decline in Older Adults: A Case-Control Analysis Nested within the Three-City Cohort Study [published online ahead of print, 2023 Oct 24]. Mol Nutr Food Res. 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]

40% of Female Teens Deficient in This Nutrient

💃 If you’re a nonpregnant woman or teen, listen up.

A study just published in JAMA found 40% of US females between the ages of 12 and 21 were deficient in iron 🩸

Why should you care?

Because screening for iron deficiency is not routine for this age group!

Guidelines in the US recommend screening for iron-deficient anemia every 5-10 years, but this recent study found that only 6% of the participants actually had anemia, compared with the 40% with iron deficiency.

⚠️ That means iron deficiency can exist WITHOUT anemia and can easily be missed by routine screenings.

What can we do?

The best way to test for iron deficiency is with a blood test for ferritin 🩸It’s a simple thing, but your provider needs to be proactive to order it and know how to interpret it.

In functional medicine, we aim for optimal levels on blood tests, which are not always the same as what’s considered “normal.” If ferritin levels are low, this can usually be corrected through dietary changes and supplementation.

Do you know what the most common symptom of iron deficiency is? Drop your guess in the comments and I’ll let you know.

↗️ Share to your stories to spread the word!

Reference

Weyand AC, Chaitoff A, Freed GL, Sholzberg M, Choi SW, McGann PT. Prevalence of Iron Deficiency and Iron-Deficiency Anemia in US Females Aged 12-21 Years, 2003-2020. JAMA. 2023;329(24):2191–2193. [link]