Sunday 30 August 2015

High protein foods boost cardiovascular health, as much as quitting smoking or getting exercise



Eating foods rich in amino acids could be as good for your heart as stopping smoking or getting more exercise -- according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).


A new study published today reveals that people who eat high levels of certain amino acids found in meat and plant-based protein have lower blood pressure and arterial stiffness.
And the magnitude of the association is similar to those previously reported for lifestyle risk factors including salt intake, physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking.

Researchers investigated the effect of seven amino acids on cardiovascular health among almost 2,000 women with a healthy BMI. Data came from TwinsUK -- the biggest UK adult twin registry of 12,000 twins which is used to study the genetic and environmental causes of age related disease.
They studied their diet and compared it to clinical measures of blood pressure and blood vessel thickness and stiffness.

They found strong evidence that those who consumed the highest amounts of amino acids had lower measures of blood pressure and arterial stiffness.
But they found that the food source was important -- with a higher intake of amino acids from plant-based sources associated with lower blood pressure, and a higher intake from animal sources associated with lower levels of arterial stiffness.

Lead researcher Dr Amy Jennings, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said: "This research shows a protective effect of several amino acids on cardiovascular health.
"Increasing intake from protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, dairy produce, beans, lentils, broccoli and spinach could be an important and readily achievable way to reduce people's risk of cardiovascular disease.
"Results from previous studies have provided evidence that increased dietary protein may be associated with lower blood pressure. We wanted to know whether protein from animal sources or plant-based sources was more beneficial -- so we drilled down and looked at the different amino acids found in both meat and vegetables.

"We studied seven amino acids -- arginine, cysteine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, leucine, and tyrosine. Glutamic acid, leucine, and tyrosine are found in animal sources, and a higher intake was associated with lower levels of arterial stiffness.
"All seven amino acids, and particularly those from plant-based sources, were associated with lower blood pressure.

"The really surprising thing that we found is that amino acid intake has as much of an effect on blood pressure as established lifestyle risk factors such as salt intake, physical activity and alcohol consumption. For arterial stiffness, the association was similar to the magnitude of change previously associated with not smoking.
High blood pressure is one of the most potent risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. A reduction in blood pressure leads to a reduction in mortality caused by stroke or coronary heart disease -- so changing your diet to include more meat, fish, dairy produce and pulses could help both prevent and treat the condition.

"Beneficial daily amounts equate to a 75g portion of steak, a 100g salmon fillet or a 500ml glass of skimmed milk," she added.

Prof Tim Spector from the department of Twin Research at King's college London said: "The finding that eating certain meat and plant proteins are linked to healthier blood pressure is an exciting finding. We need to understand the mechanism to see if it is direct or via our gut microbes."
Story Source

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of East Anglia. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference

A. Jennings, A. MacGregor, A. Welch, P. Chowienczyk, T. Spector, A. Cassidy. Amino Acid Intake Is Inversely Associated with Arterial Stiffness and Central Blood Pressure in Women. Journal of Nutrition, 2015; DOI: 10.3945/%u200Bjn.115.214700

Thursday 13 August 2015

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increase in MRSA infection

Recent study finds low vitamin D status is associated with MRSA infection


A recent study published by the journal Springer found that vitamin D deficiency is independently associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterial infection that typically occurs in hospitals or health care settings. Infections range in severity from only affecting the skin or soft tissue to life threatening infections of the internal organs. MRSA is resistant to several strains of antibiotics, making it difficult to treat.
In recent years, vitamin D has gained attention for its pathological processes in a number of infections. Past research has determined vitamin D increases the production of antimicrobial peptides, the body’s naturally occurring antibiotics. Despite these findings, few studies have been conducted to investigate the association between vitamin D deficiency and MRSA infections.

In the current study, researchers aimed to determine if vitamin D deficiency is significantly associated with MRSA infections. A total of 6,405 patients who had their vitamin D levels tested at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (AVAMC) between January 2007 and August 2010 were included in the study. The patient’s vitamin D levels were cross referenced with a prospectively generated database of MRSA infections from October 2005 through December 2010.
Was vitamin D deficiency associated with the incidence of MRSA infections? Here is what the researchers found:

A total of 6.3% of patients experienced MRSA infections, ranging from 1 to 5 times, during the study duration.

* Vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with MRSA infected patients (p < 0.0001).
* The mean vitamin D levels of MRSA infected individuals was 21.1 ng/mL (52.75 nmol/L) compared to 24 ng/mL (60 nmol/L) in non-MRSA patients (p < 0.001)
* Those who experienced a MRSA infection within 150 days of their initial vitamin D testing had a mean vitamin D status of 19.6 ng/ml (49 nmol/L). This was considered to be significantly lower than the vitamin D status of non-MRSA infected patients (p = 0.0025).
* In a subgroup analysis of MRSA infected patients who experienced an infection within 150 days of their vitamin D testing, vitamin D deficiency ( < 20ng/ml; 50nmol/L) was determined as an independent risk factor for infection (OR: 2.25).

The researchers concluded:
“Our findings suggest that an independent association exists between vitamin D deficiency and MRSA infection in this cohort of patients.”

The researchers call for interventional studies in order to help determine if a causal relationship exists between vitamin D status and MRSA infections.
Sources:

Thomason, J. et al. Association between vitamin D deficiency and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection. Springer, 2015.

Vitamin D council

Wednesday 12 August 2015

Sun light reduces blood pressure, improves mood and cardiovascular health plus suppresses multiple sclerosis symptoms.

The health benefits of sunlight are not just vitamin D, but those related to the release of nitric oxide, and the production of beta-endorphin,.


In addition to the benefits of vitamin D, several human skin diseases, like psoriasis, vitiligo, atopic dermatitis and localized scleroderma, can be treated with solar radiation (heliotherapy) or artificial UV radiation (phototherapy). UV exposure can suppress the clinical symptoms of multiple sclerosis independently of vitamin D synthesis. Furthermore, UV generates nitric oxide (NO), which may reduce blood pressure and generally improve cardiovascular health. UVA-induced NO may also have antimicrobial effects and furthermore, act as a neurotransmitter. UV exposure may also improve mood through the release of endorphins, regulation of circadian rhythms which are all important components of life-long health and well-being  (Asta Juzenienea, Johan Moanab. Beneficial effects of UV radiation other than via vitamin D production,  Dermato-Endocrinology, Volume 4, Issue 2, 2012)
beta-endorphin
UV-exposer increases levels of a molecule called beta-endorphin, which acts similarly to morphine and heroin in the body. Endorphins circulating in the blood are able to carry feel-good messages to the brain.
This endorphin production may also explain why people are more generally drawn to sunny spots and often go to the beach on vacation.
Nitric oxide
Normal human keratinocytes secrete nitric oxide (NO) in response to UVA and UVB radiation, and In humans, NO is a powerful vasodilator with a short half-life of a few seconds in the blood. Long-known pharmaceuticals such as nitroglycerine and amyl nitrite were found to be precursors to nitric oxide more than a century after their first use in medicine.

Importantly Low levels of nitric oxide production such as synthesised by sun exposure are important in protecting organs such as the liver from ischemic damage (Nitric oxide produced by ultraviolet-irradiated keratinocytes stimulates melanogenesis.  J Clin Invest. 1997 Feb 15; 99(4): 635–642).  

Tuesday 11 August 2015

Fish oil reduces both the risk of progression to psychotic disorder and psychiatric morbidity