A 2018 study published by the NIH looked at neuroprotection of the fasting mimicking diet (FMD) on MPTP-induced PD mice via gut microbiota and metabolites. During the study the mice were put on a diet of fasting 3 days followed by 4 days of refeeding for three 1-week cycles. This accelerated the retention of motor function and attenuated the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrathydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mice. The findings demonstrated that FMD can be a new means of preventing and treating PD through promoting a favorable gut microbiota composition and metabolites.
Metallothionein
Metallothionein (MT) is a family of cysteine-rich proteins localized in the membrane of the Golgi apparatus (an organelle in eukaryotic cells). MT can bind with most physiological and xenobiotic heavy metals and MT plays a role in protecting against metal toxicity and oxidative stress. MT also plays a part in transcription factor regulation, and so defects in MT function may lead to malignant transformation of cells and ultimately cancer. Metallothionein also has a part in controlling oxidative stress, metal storage, transportation, binding, and detoxification.
Source: Metallothionein – Wikipedia
www.walshinstitute.org/uploads/1/7/9/9/17997321/metallothionein-pp.pdf
Recommended MT-Promotion Formulation
Glutathione 200.0 mg
Alanine 16.8 mg
Asparagine 5.5 mg
Aspartic Acid 8.5 mg
Glutamic Acid 12.0 mg
Glutamine 4.4 mg
Glycine 11.6 mg
Isoleucine 4.0 mg
Lysine 35.7 mg
Methionine 6.3 mg
Proline 7.0 mg
Serine 27.4 mg
Threonine 8.6 mg
Valine 2.2 mg
Selenium** 200.0 mcg (as selenomethionine)
book: www.amazon.com/Nutrient-Power-Heal-Biochemistry-Brain-ebook/dp/B00J75IQUA
ApoE4 Information for Alzheimer’s, and Chronic Diseases Including PD
The Wiki page, Apoe4 offers a collection of resources and information that can help you prevent and address health problems related to APOE -ε4 allele. APOE, short for Apolipoprotein E, is both a protein and a gene. As a protein, ApoE is involved in the metabolism of fats (lipids) in the body and comes in different isoforms. In our modern environment, the ε4 allele of the gene confers a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other medical conditions. It is possible to be tested to see if you carry the E4 gene which would mean you are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, although many other factors also determine vulnerability to Alzheimer’s. E4 is also associated with other chronic diseases including dementia, brain disorders, high cholesterol, infectious diseases susceptibility, gallstones, and cardiovascular disease.
Source: ApoE4.Info Wiki
New Research on NIACIN vs NMN
A 2020 trial looks at the anti-aging effects of niacin. The key is to promote not only a longer life but a healthier life. As we age our NAD molecules decrease so that there is not enough fuel for Sirtuins enzymes that can help reverse DNA damage and signs of aging. One of the main reasons our NAD+ decreases is the enzyme CD38. CD38 is also involved in the degradation of the precursor to NAD, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). As we age our CD38 levels increase and NAD+ go down. The less we activate our Sirtuins the more CD38 we have, so NAMPT suppresses CD38 expression via SIRT1. We can break this vicious circle by taking niacin which can create NAD+ so Sirtuins will have the fuel they need. The study notes that increased NAD+ levels remarkably improved disease hallmarks and mitochondrial mass. This is interesting for treating high cholesterol cases and chronic disease.
Here are the links to the research papers referenced in the video: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti… www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3… www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3… www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1… www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti… www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NB… www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti… www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti…
Some notes about niacin safety depending on HDL/LDL cholesterol levels:
abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/11/15/niacin-statin-combo-offers-no-clinical-benefit-says-study/
pennstatehershey.adam.com/content.aspx?productid=107&pid=33&gid=000335#Possible%20Interactions
Big study showing the risk of high dose niacin + some cholesterol-lowering medication
www.cardiosmart.org/News-and-Events/2013/03/In-High-Doses-Niacin-Causes-More-Harm-than-Good#:~:text=After%20tracking%20patients%20for%20years,skin%20issues%2C%20and%20gastrointestinal%20problems.
High dose for treating cholesterol is normally 1-2 grams but may be as high as 12 grams
Review of Possible Use of a Keto Diet in PD Treatment
A review focused on the role of ketogenic diets in neurodegenerative diseases (including PD) was published in the MDPI journal Nutrient in 2019. The goal of the review was to assess the effectiveness of ketogenic diets as part of therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. In PD, dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra are affected by a degeneration process leading to motor and non-motor disturbances. The available results of research projects dealing with the use of the KD and ketone bodies in neurodegenerative diseases are fairly promising. At the same time, the majority of studies reviewed were employed in vitro or by using animal models. The number of studies with human participation is rather small, and those that exist feature relatively short therapy duration periods.
Source: Role of Ketogenic Diets in Neurodegenerative Diseases (Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease)
Interview with Dale E. Bredesen, md on Reversing Cognitive Decline
In 2015 Dale E. Bredesen md was interviewed by IMCJ about reversing cognitive decline. Dr. Bredesen is an expert in mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. About the monotherapeutic approach to degenerative diseases, the doctor said that a cocktail of therapies can be more successful. We now are recognizing multiple subtypes of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Bredesen sees the underlying molecular mechanistics of what we refer to as Alzheimer’s disease, as 3 subtypes, two of which are not illnesses. If you look at the molecular mechanistics, what you see is that this is actually a well-orchestrated, non-disease, strategic downsizing based on many different inputs and a mismatch of those with what is actually required to maintain those synapses and to continue with the remodeling that goes on throughout life. Bredesen approaches this with a systematic protocol of lifestyle and nutritional interventions which was published in 2014 in the journal Aging. Dr. Bredesen: “You need to look at a number of critical features such as things like metal homeostasis and proteostasis and insulin resistance, which have been the subject of a tremendous amount of research and, of course, specific inflammatory pathways.”
Fact Sheet: Dietary Supplements for Primary Mitochodrial Disorders
NIH publishes a fact sheet for health professionals on dietary supplements for primary mitochondrial disorders. The fact sheet summarizes published scientific trials, other studies, and reports on the use of dietary supplements to treat primary mitochondrial disorders. The most common ingredients in dietary supplements used in PMD therapy include vitamin C, vitamin E, and alpha-lipoic acid; electron donors and acceptors, such as CoQ10and riboflavin; compounds that can be used as alternative energy sources, such as creatine; and compounds that can conjugate or bind mitochondrial toxins, such as carnitine. A combination of these products is commonly called a mitochondrial cocktail. However, there are many combinations and dosages so the term is nonspecific and nondescriptive. Drug interaction needs to be taken into consideration as well as the level of evidence of efficiency, quality of ingredients, and dosage.
Source: Dietary Supplements for Primary Mitochondrial Disorders – Health Professional Fact Sheet
Review: The Role of Dietary Fat in Treatment of Brain Diseases
A review published in the Current Neuropharmacology journal in 2018 looked at the impact of dietary fats on brain function. It also examined gut-brain communication through microbiota; the impact of probiotics and prebiotics on brain functions; SCFA’s, microbiota, and neuroinflammation. It reviewed lipid sensing, satiety, and processing of hedonic food; the impact of diet on the hypo-thalamic control of reproduction; neuroprotective effects of N-3 PUFAs; dietary PUFAs, brain PUFAs and the role of PUFAs. The results of this review revealed that dietary fats are both friends and foes for brain functions. However, dietary manipulation for the treatment of brain disorders is not just a promise for the future, but a reality. In fact, the clinical relevance of the manipulation of dietary lipids, as for KDs, is well-known and currently in use for the treatment of brain diseases.
Source: Impact of Dietary Fats on Brain Functions
LGIT safe (see 305)
Use of Ayurveda Herb in PD Treatment
In 2018 the Deccan Chronicle published an article entitled: Kottayam: Neuroscientist Sees Ayurveda Cure. The article featured an interview with Dr. Ramachandran, director of the Center for Brain and Cognition in Tamil Nadu, India, and also a distinguished professor with the neuroscience program and department of psychology at the University of California, San Diago. Dr. Ramachandran was impressed by clinical trials conducted with regard to the ayurvedic drug “macuna pruriensis” which is a variety of bean rich L-dopa. Macuna pruriensis was shown in trials to be more effective than allopathic drug placebo and synthetic L- dopa used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Ramachandran is now planning to collaborate with other Indian doctors (including Dr. A.V. Sreenivasan of Chennai) in popularizing ayurvedic drugs that are effective and have fewer side effects. Dr. Ramachanran said that the disease (PD) must have been known to ancient Indian physicians who treated it with the ayurvedic herb.
2020 Clinical Trial: Mannitol for PD
The NIH Clinical Trial published information on a study provided by Arkadir David of the Hadassah Medical Organization. The study took 60 participants and ran a phase II single center, randomized, double blind and placebo controlled study assessing the safety, tolerability, and effects of progressively increased dose of oral mannitol in PD. The study began in November 2018 and will end in December 2020. There were 60 Participants of both genders and aged 40 to 75 years. The study assessed the safety of mannitol by the number of treatment-related adverse events and significant changes in vital signs. Tolerability was tested by the level of discomfort. Other changes in participants that were monitored included changes in constipation assessment; Montreal Cognitive Assessment; Brief Smell Identification; change in levodopa-equivalent dose units; change in non-motor symptoms of PD scale and the change in the ratio of total-to-proteinase K-resistant a-syn in red blood cells measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results of this study have not yet been posted.
Megadose Vitamin C – As An Antiviral Treatment
A study published by the NIH Clinical Trials looked at vitamin C infusion as a possible treatment for severe COVID-infected pneumonia. The study was sponsored by ZhiYong Peng of the Zhongnan Hospital. The study hypothesized that vitamin C infusion could improve the prognosis of SARI (Severe acute respiratory infection)patients. 12g vitamin C was infused in the experimental group twice a day for 7 days by the infusion pump with a speed of 12ml/h. Early clinical studies have shown that vitamin C can effectively prevent the cytokine surge caused by sepsis, and neutrophils accumulation in the lungs destroying alveolar capillaries. In addition, vitamin C can help to eliminate alveolar fluid by preventing the activation and accumulation of neutrophils, and reducing alveolar epithelial water channel damage. At the same time, vitamin C can prevent the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps and shorten the duration of the common cold. In a controlled but non-randomized trial, 85% of the 252 students treated experienced a reduction in symptoms in the high-dose vitamin C group (1g / h at the beginning of symptoms for 6h, followed by 3 * 1g / day). Among patients with sepsis and ARDS, patients in the high-dose vitamin group did not show a better prognosis and other clinical outcomes.
Source: Vitamin C Infusion for the Treatment of Severe 2019-nCoV Infected Pneumonia
All About Xylitol
Xylitol is a chemical compound and can be classified as a polyalcohol and sugar alcohol, specifically alditol. Xylitol is used as a food additive, often replacing sugar in foods. It occurs in several fruits and humans and animals naturally make trace amounts during the metabolism of carbohydrates. Xylitol is also produced commercially by fermentation of discarded biomass. Xylitol is water-soluble and like most sugar alcohols, xylitol is achiral. Xylitol has negligible effects on blood sugar because it is metabolized independently of insulin. There are no serious health risks for normal consumption. Increased xylitol consumption can increase oxalate, calcium, and phosphate excretion in urine. About 50% of eaten xylitol is not absorbed by the intestines in humans. Instead, 50–75% of this amount is fermented by gut bacteria to short-chain organic acids and gases. The liver metabolizes 50% of absorbed xylitol. The main metabolic route in humans is: in cytoplasm, nonspecific NAD-dependent dehydrogenase (polyol dehydrogenase) transforms xylitol to D-xylulose. Specific xylulokinase phosphorylates it to D-xylulose-5-phosphate. This then goes to pentose phosphate pathway for further processing.
Source: Xylitol – Wikipedia
Vitamin D | Linus Pauling Institute | Oregon State University
n a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 112 PD patients (mean age, 72 years) on standard PD treatment were supplemented with 1,200 IU/day of vitamin D or a placebo for 12 months. Vitamin D supplementation nearly doubled serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration (from mean of 22.5 ng/mL to 41.7 ng/mL) in supplemented subjects and limited the progression of PD, as indicated by a greater proportion of patients who showed no worsening (as assessed by the Hoehn and Yahr stage and the United Parkinson Disease Rating Scale part II) in the supplemented group compared to the placebo group (243). It is not known whether vitamin D insufficiency has a role in the pathogenesis of the disease, but the repletion of vitamin D may provide health benefits that go beyond the prevention and/or the treatment of PD. For example, vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fracture in individuals with neurologic disorders, including PD and multiple sclerosis (244-246). Interestingly, sunlight exposure was found to be associated with improved vitamin D status, higher bone mineral density of the second metacarpal bone, and lower incidence of hip fracture in a prospective study conducted in 324 elderly people with PD (247).
Source: Vitamin D | Linus Pauling Institute | Oregon State University
Benefits of Xylitol
Healthline published an article by Kris Gunnars, BSc. covering all aspects of xylitol. Xylitol looks and tastes like sugar but has fewer calories and doesn’t raise blood sugar levels. Several studies suggest that it has various important benefits. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, found in small amounts in many fruits and vegetables and is therefore considered natural. Humans even produce small quantities of it via normal metabolism. it doesn’t contain any vitamins, minerals, or protein. Unlike sugar, xylitol has negligible effects on blood sugar and insulin levels. Animal studies indicate impressive benefits for metabolic health. Xylitol can improve dental health, reduce ear and yeast infections, and has other potential health benefits. Some studies suggest xylitol may be able to protect against the effects of aging by increasing collagen production; protect against osteoporosis and feed the friendly bacteria in the gut acting as a soluble fiber and improving digestive health. Xylitol is toxic for dogs but for humans, it may cause digestive upset but is otherwise well tolerated.
Sleep Master Class by Dr. Mark Hyman
Mark Hyman offers a 8-part Sleep Master Class to help you reclaim your sleep and support your immune system. In the course he walks you through the root causes of poor sleep and how to take practical steps to regain sleep and achieve better health. quality sleep can keep you lean, keep your blood sugar balance, keep you happy and even improve your sex drive. Sleep challenges have been associated with heart disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, weight gain, depression, anxiety, brain fog, and even neurological problems like Alzheimer’s. On the course, five experts discuss how we are sabotaging our sleep and how poor sleep can make us grumpy, stressed, and even sick. Learn how, what and when you eat, your light exposure, hormones, gut health, nutrient status, exposure to toxins, and other factors can affect your quality of sleep. Most importantly the course covers steps you can take to optimize your sleep.
Source: Sleep Course
All About mTOR, mTOR Inhibitors and mTOR Activators
SelfHacked published an article by Puya Yazdi, MD in September 2020 about mTOR and natural mTOR inhibitors and activators. mTOR responds to signals from nutrients, growth factors and cellular energy status and controls cell growth and proliferation based on regulating protein syntheses. mTOR is one of those things that’s good to have cycled. Sometimes we want to increase it to grow muscle and improve certain aspects of cognition, while the rest of the time we want to have low levels to increase longevity, decrease the risk of cancer, and reduce inflammation. Too much mTOR activation is associated with many diseases including neurodegeneration. There are mTOR inhibitors mainly used as immunosuppressants to prevent transplant rejection and in anticancer therapy and strategies such as ketogenic diets. mTOR activators include a variety of amino acids and the hormone insulin as well as proteins, excess carbs, Orexin, and more. For health and longevity, we’d want systemic mTOR levels to be low most of the time, with occasional periods of activation. Research suggests it’s preferable to have mTOR more active in your brain and muscles rather than in your fat cells and liver. Exercise is ideal because it does exactly this.
Source: All About mTOR + Natural mTOR Inhibitors & Activators – SelfHacked
Polyphenols in Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review of In Vivo Studies
6 Ways to Activate Autophagy Without Fasting – YouTube
Dietary Plant Lectins Appear to Be Transported from the Gut to Gain Access to and Alter Dopaminergic Neurons of warms , a Potential Etiology of PD
Learn How Oura Ring Works | The Most Advanced Smart Ring
Want to know what powers the world’s most advanced wearable? Get inside the ring and learn how Oura ring works. Simple, intelligent construction and packed with advanced sensors. This is how Oura helps you quantify yourself in ways you never thought possible.
Source: Learn How Oura Ring Works | The Most Advanced Smart Ring