One of the greatest challenges for nutritional therapists is finding ways in which to help and encourage people to change their behaviours. The science behind a healthy lifestyle is clearly not enough, if it were as simple as making people aware of facts the current obesity crisis would be simple to solve. World Resources Institute’s Better Buying Lab have written an in depth article into how language and descriptors have been successfully used to motivate people to try a more plant based diet, much of what they have highlighted can be harnessed and used to aid us in nutritional therapy clinics.

#Rheumatoid #arthritis is a long-term autoimmune condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the #joints. A combination of genetic and environmental factors are suspected to be the cause for rheumatoid arthritis (#RA) including hormonal changes, exposure to dust and other allergens as well as some bacterial and viral infections. A team of researchers from Keele University, Haywood Academic Rheumatology Centre and Quadram Institute Bioscience have been studying the link between taking #antibiotics and going on to develop RA.

When compared with participants who drank less than one glass of either sugar or artificially sweetened soft drinks per month, those consuming two or more glasses a day had a higher risk of all-cause mortality. Participants were given questionnaires at the start of the process to gain knowledge of their general lifestyles, and asked to

University College London (#UCL) have led a study into the mood boosting effects of #chocolate. For some time, it has been known to include #orosensory properties, #psychoactive ingredients, and an activation of #neural #reward pathways, but there has been limited high quality research to prove this. #Flavonoids have also been shown to have a positive effect on mood and are found in far higher quantities in dark chocolate than milk, yet no previous study has investigated this association. This research aimed to examine the relationship between chocolate consumption and symptoms of depression with  data from 13,626 adults in the United States.

The University of Massachusetts have conducted new research into the impact of #frying oil consumption on inflammatory bowel disease (#IBD) and #colon #cancer, using animal models. The study was published in Cancer Prevention Research (23^rd August 2019) and showed that feeding frying oil to mice exaggerated colonic inflammation, enhanced tumour growth and worsened gut permeability which spread bacteria into the bloodstream. With an estimated 300,000 people living with colonic inflammation in the UK this research is vital in highlighting ways in which we can prevent the disease from advancing.

FOCUS Speaks with Nathan S. Bryan, PhD, On Common Aetiologies of Inadequate Nitric Oxide Production, and the Problems It Causes

Nathan S. Bryan, PhD, is an international leader in molecular medicine and nitric oxide biochemistry. Specifically, Dr. Bryan was the first to describe nitrite and nitrate as indispensable nutrients required for optimal cardiovascular health. He was the first to demonstrate and discover an endocrine function of nitric oxide via the formation of S-nitrosoglutathione and inorganic nitrite.

Dr. Bryan has been involved in nitric oxide research for the past 18 years, and he has made many seminal discoveries in the field. Many of these discoveries and findings have transformed the development of new therapeutic agents for the treatment and prevention of human disease.

The Microalgae-Sourced Carotenoid That Delivers Broad Spectrum Antiaging Benefits

Pronounced “as-ta-ZAN-thin,” this word can be a mouthful at first. Even more of a mouthful is astaxanthin’s primary natural source, Haematococcus pluvialis, the microalgae that produces it as a protective antioxidant in response to light or other environmental stressors. Bright red in colour, this antioxidant bioaccumulates in organisms that eat it, and it is responsible for the pink to reddish hue of krill, shrimp, salmon, and even flamingos.

Astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant, with studies showing it provides significantly greater antioxidant protection than the carotenoids beta carotene, lycopene, and lutein as well as alpha-tocopherol, and thus it is considered one of the best agents for protecting cellular membranes.[1]^,[2],[3] Natural astaxanthin has been shown to be 20 times more potent than synthetic astaxanthin in eliminating free radicals.[4] Astaxanthin is not produced by mammals, so it must be obtained from the diet.[5]

Todd A. Born is a naturopathic physician, certified nutrition specialist (CNS), and co-owner and medical director of Born Integrative Medicine Specialists, PLLC. His roles at Allergy Research Group include Product Manager, Head of New Product Development, Scientific Advisor, and Editor-in-Chief of their science-based FOCUS Newsletter. Dr. Born is also Lead Advisor and President of the International Society for Naturopathic Medicine, as well as a medical wellness advisor for the International Medical Wellness Association.

A review of the evidence behind botanicals and nutraceuticals for the treatment of mood disorders

There is a global reliance on rice, maize and wheat as a food source, together they comprise nearly 50% of total calorie consumption.  Without these crops’ food shortages and some issues of malnutrition would be even wider spread. Despite the obvious positives there are many issues associated with this over reliance.

Bile acids are critical for the digestion and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins in the small intestine. Recent studies suggest bile acids have further functions as pleotropic signalling metabolites able to interact with germline-encoded host receptors and microbiota to regulate an array of #metabolic and #inflammatory pathways. Researchers from The Scripps Research Institute Florida and Osaka University Japan have recently published a piece discussing the interplay between bile acids, the microbiota and the mucosal immune system. They focus on how this interplay can regulate intestinal homeostasis and inflammation. The dynamic three-dimensional interplay between #bile acids, the microbiome and the mucosal immune system represents an important new frontier in the field of Mucosal Immunology.