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- Ketogenic diet, by replacing glucose with ketones as an energy source, lessens alcohol cravings among people with alcohol use disorders.
- Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease-related death by up to 23 percent, especially in people with high triglyceride levels.
- Women see a 24 percent drop in premature death risk with just 140 minutes of weekly activity – half the time men need for similar benefits.
- Aging undermines the brain's capacity for maintaining working memory, with subtle declines in neuron activity and connectivity in the prefrontal cortex.
Physical exertion and strong emotions activate the body’s stress response, triggering the release of hormones that restrict blood flow to the body’s tissues, including the heart. A 2016 study found that these stressors increase the risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Researchers conducted a case-control study involving more than 12,000 cases of acute MI among people living in 52 countries. They asked the participants about their physical activities and emotional state in the hours before the onset of symptoms. They estimated the odds of acute MI within one hour of triggers.
They found that 28 percent of those who experienced an acute MI had engaged in physical activity or were emotionally upset one hour before symptom onset. The likelihood of experiencing an acute MI was 2.31 times higher after physical exertion and 2.44 times higher after emotional upset. However, those who reported both physical exertion and emotional upset were 3.05 times more likely to experience an acute MI within one hour. The increased risk was consistent regardless of the participants' geographical location, sex, baseline physical activity, or age.
These findings suggest that sudden physical exertion and emotional upset increase the risk of acute MI. However, robust evidence demonstrates that regular physical activity is crucial for preventing cardiovascular disease, including acute MI, especially among inactive people. The authors of this report recommended that clinicians continue to advocate for regular physical exercise and caution patients that intense physical activities could trigger an acute MI in those at risk.
Antidepressant use is increasing worldwide, especially in high-income countries. However, roughly 30 percent of people taking the drugs are resistant to their effects. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found that people with depressive symptoms who took psilocybin were two times more likely to respond to treatment than those not taking the drug.
Researchers analyzed the findings of randomized clinical trials that evaluated the effects of psilocybin therapy on depressive symptoms. They included nine studies involving 436 patients in their analysis.
They found that participants taking psilocybin were two times more likely to respond to treatment than those not taking the drug, especially among those with secondary depression, which can arise due to another medical or psychological issue. Participants experienced few adverse effects, and most were mild and transient. Interestingly, those who had used psychedelics before experienced greater symptom relief, possibly due to “expectancy bias” – a phenomenon where a person’s previous experience makes them expect positive results.
These findings suggest that psilocybin exerts potent antidepressant effects. Although the treatment response was high, the review’s authors graded the quality of the evidence as “low” due to heterogeneity among the studies, including dose and concomitant psychotherapy.
Psilocybin is a psychedelic compound present in mushrooms. Learn more about the effects of psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs in this episode featuring Dr. Roland Griffiths.
Older adults often experience acquired functional disability – a newfound inability to carry out tasks necessary for independent living. This disability often arises due to the skeletal muscle wasting that can occur with acute periods of disuse, such as during hospitalization or illness. A recent systematic review found that creatine supplementation improved physical function in older adults at risk for acquired functional disability.
Researchers analyzed the findings of randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of creatine supplementation on physical function in older adults. Their analysis included 33 trials and more than 1,000 participants, about half of whom had a chronic disease.
They found that creatine supplementation improved participants' handgrip strength, lean tissue mass, and upper-body muscle strength with few adverse effects. About two-thirds of the studies practiced creatine loading, with a daily maintenance dose ranging from 0.07 to 0.3 grams per kilogram of body weight. The most common dose was 5 grams daily. The investigators deemed the quality of evidence as “low” or “very low” due to study heterogeneity.
These findings suggest that creatine supplementation prevents acquired functional disability in older adults. A possible contributor to acquired functional disability is catabolic crisis, a phenomenon defined by periods of accelerated declines in muscle mass and functional capacity. Catabolic crisis can occur at any age but is more common among older adults, for whom injuries, surgeries, or prolonged illnesses dictate long and sometimes frequent periods of physical inactivity or immobilization. These cumulative insults drive older adults toward a disability threshold from which they might not recover. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may reduce the risk of catabolic crisis. Learn more in this episode featuring Dr. Chris McGlory.
