HIV Drugs Can Eliminate Alzheimer’s Disease – Study

A new research has found that an HIV enzyme plays a crucial role in driving Alzheimer’s- related brain pathology by altering the APP gene.

The findings warrant “immediate clinical evaluation of HIV antiretroviral therapies in people with Alzheimer’s disease,” according to the authors of the study.

The new study published in the journal ‘Nature’, offers unprecedented revelations into the APP gene, which provides instructions for making a protein called amyloid precursor protein.

This protein is found in many tissues and organs, including the brain. Mutations in this gene have been implicated in Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behaviour. Dementia is not a specific disease.

It’s an overall term that describes a group of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases.

Read More

Childhood Trauma Raises Risk Of Psychotic Experiences

Scientists in the United Kingdom (UK) said they have found a link between trauma in childhood and psychotic experiences at the age of 18.

According to a new study published in ‘JAMA Psychiatry,’ between 25 and 60 per cent of the young people who reported psychotic experiences, presenting five per cent of the sample, would not have developed these if they had not been exposed to trauma such as bullying, domestic violence or emotional neglect as a child.

Researchers used Bristol’s Children of the 90s longitudinal data to examine 4,433 participants who had clinical interviews and attended clinics at the age of 18. PHD student in the Centre for Academic Mental Health at the University of Bristol, Jazz Croft said, “The findings support that routine screening for psychotic experiences in children or young people exposed to trauma, particularly those exposed to frequent occurrences, should be considered as a way of preventing later mental health problems.”

According to him, understanding how trauma leads to psychotic experiences could lead to the development of more novel treatments for psychosis.

Trauma is a type of damage to the mind that occurs as a result of a distressing event. It is often the result of an overwhelming amount of stress that exceeds one’s ability to cope, or integrate the emotions involved with that experience. .

Read More

Why Sweetened Drinks Could Be Dangerous To Health - Researchers

Researchers have raised the alarm over the negative impact of sweetened drinks to health, saying they pose a greater diabetes risk than other sugary foods containing fructose, a naturally occurring sugar. According to findings of a new study review published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), fruits and other foods containing fructose seem to have no harmful effect on blood glucose levels, while sweetened drinks and some other foods that add excess energy to diets may have harmful effects.

Researchers analysed  the results of 155 studies which suggested fruit and fruit juice – when these foods do not provide excess calories – may have beneficial effects on blood glucose and insulin control, especially in people with diabetes, a medical condition that impairs the body’s ability to process blood glucose, otherwise known as blood sugar.

Normally, the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) releases insulin to help the body store and use the sugar and fat from the food the consumed food. Diabetes is when the pancreas does not produce any insulin called Type 1 diabetes or when the body is unable to effectively use the insulin it produces called Type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes causes high levels of blood sugar during pregnancy.

The leader of the study, Dr. John Sievenpiper, who is a researcher in the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre of St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada, said these findings may help guide recommendations on important food sources of fructose in the prevention and management of diabetes.

Fructose, or fruit sugar found in honey, trees, vine fruits, flowers, berries, and most root vegetables, is a simple ketonic monosaccharide found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose.

Read More

Eating Protein Cuts Age-Related Illnesses

British researchers said eating more protein may reduce seniors’ risk of disability and help them remain independent longer. According to the findings published recently in the ‘Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,’ dietary protein slows the age-related loss of muscle mass, helping to preserve the ability of senior citizens to do everyday tasks. Good sources of protein include meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, lentils and other beans, nuts and tofu. Tofu, also known as bean curd, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. Proteins, which are important component of every cell in the body, are essential nutrients for the human body.

Hair and nails are mostly made of protein and the body uses protein to build and repair tissues. Similarly, proteins are used to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. Principal author of the study, Nuno Mendonca, of Newcastle University, said: “Our findings support current thinking about increasing the recommended daily intake of protein to maintain active and healthy ageing.”

The researchers analysed data from more than 700 people in two United Kingdom (UK) cities who turned 85 in 2006. More than one-quarter (28 per cent) had protein intakes below the recommended dietary allowance. Following over five years of follow-up, the participants who ate more protein at the study’s start were less likely to become disabled than those who ate less protein, the study found. Older adults should eat about one gram of protein for every 2.2 pounds of body weight, Mendonca said, the Newsmaxhealth reported. That means someone weighing 160 pounds would require about 58 grams of protein a day. A 3.5-ounce serving of chicken contains about 31 grams of protein, he said.

Read More