The ADD Lab

Intestinal Permeability: the Bacterial link to Aging, Brain Barrier Dysfunction & Metabolic Disorder Mounting evidence points to the intersecting roles that intestinal permeability and LPS play in human health. In this episode, Dr. Rhonda Patrick describes how intestinal permeability and LPS influence inflammation, aging, and chronic disease.

Ever wonder why a stressful situation can cause GI problems? Psychological stress increases gut permeability commonly known as leaky gut. This allows endotoxin to be released into circulation which can play a causal role in atherosclerosis and neurodegeneration. A stress hormone called corticotropin releasing hormone which is elevated during stress binds to receptors on a type of immune cell called mast cells it activates them and this starts a chemical warfare. Mast cells release pro-inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), and proteases which chew up and degrade some of the proteins that hold the gut epithelium and cause intestinal permeability and leakage of bacteria and bacterial antigens into circulation leading to more inflammation. Stress hormones such as corticotropin releasing hormone can be buffered through positive lifestyle factors like exercise and meditation. Study link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24153250/

One night of sleep deprivation reduced muscle protein synthesis by 18%. This was accompanied by a 24% reduction in serum testosterone levels in male participants and a 21% increase in cortisol levels in all participants. There was no difference in plasma insulin or IGF-1 levels and no difference in markers of muscle protein degradation. Poor sleeping habits impair normal cognitive and metabolic function and are associated with worse mental and physical health outcomes in the short- and long term. Sleep loss may also interfere with protein synthesis, driving skeletal muscle losses, a risk factor for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and frailty. The authors of a recent report measured the effects of sleep deprivation on muscle protein synthesis. Skeletal muscle is metabolically active. Having more muscle mass promotes insulin sensitivity and reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Previous research in rats has shown that sleep deprivation reduces the activity of enzymes that build muscle, such as testosterone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, and increases the activity of enzymes that break down muscle, such as cortisol. The same shift in hormones may occur in humans deprived of sleep. The authors concluded that just one night of sleep deprivation interferes with muscle protein synthesis. Chronic sleep deprivation may cause loss of muscle mass due to long-term suppression of muscle-building enzymes. The good news is that exercise is known to counter at least some of the negative effects that sleep loss has on metabolism. For example, high-intensity interval training before a night of sleep deprivation attenuates the increase of glucose, insulin, and free fatty acids in healthy males. Find the full publication here: https://dx.doi.org/10.14814%2Fphy2.14660 Watch Dr. Matthew Walker discuss his four pillars of sleep (depth, duration, continuity, and regularity), here: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/four-pillars-of-sleep-depth-duration-continuity-and-regularity #sleep #sleepdeprived #muscle #hypertrophy #fitness #highintensitytraining"

Male soccer players who supplemented with 6,000 IU of vitamin D significantly improved their blood vitamin D levels, increased their free and total testosterone, and performed better on the 5-meter sprint test compared to their baseline. The soccer players given a placebo did not have a significant change in these parameters. Another interesting finding from this study was that nearly all soccer players were vitamin D deficient during the middle of winter. This is in line with another randomized controlled trial that found that daily vitamin D supplementation for one year increased testosterone levels in overweight men, whereas the men receiving placebo had no change in their testosterone after one year. However, another study found that weekly vitamin D doses had no effect on testosterone after only 12 weeks. The discrepancies between these studies could be from dose (frequency of dosing (daily vs weekly) or duration (1 year vs 12 weeks). Also, it is interesting that people with genetically low vitamin D levels have lower testosterone, and men with genetically high vitamin D levels have higher testosterone. Vitamin D receptors are present on Leydig cells, which produce testosterone and may be one potential mechanism of action. It will be nice to see future research repeating protocols that have had positive data in order to confirm whether vitamin D does impact testosterone levels. It is really confusing when conflicting studies exist with one saying X does Y and the other saying X does not do Y. Then you find out the protocols were completely different. One of the first things I learned in my Ph.D. training was that negative data do not disprove something, you only failed to prove it. Very important. Find the full publication here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7284423/. Learn more about vitamin D from our extensive overview article here: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/vitamin-d #vitamind #testosterone

Getting fewer than 5 hours of sleep per night is associated with double the risk of dementia and early death in older adults. Both very short sleep durations and poor-quality sleep in the elderly were linked to high dementia risk and risk of earlier death. During slow-wave sleep, the brain activates the glymphatic system, a self-cleaning process that rids the brain of metabolic byproducts and other toxic compounds. One of these byproducts is amyloid-beta 42, a toxic protein that aggregates and forms plaques in the brain with age and is associated with Alzheimer's disease. Poor slow-wave sleep promotes the build-up of amyloid-beta 42, which, in turn, promotes poor sleep, creating a vicious cycle that directly affects brain health. Some important sleep habits that I have adopted that have improved my sleep are early bright light exposure, no blue light exposure after sunset, no emails at night, and sleeping in a cold and dark room. Find the full publication, here: https://www.aging-us.com/article/202591/text Watch my interview with sleep exert, Dr. Matthew Walker, here: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/matthew-walker #sleep #alzheimers #brainhealth

High sensitivity of melatonin suppression response to evening light in preschool‐aged children Light at night in adults suppresses melatonin in a nonlinear intensity-dependent manner. In children, bright light of a single intensity before bedtime has a robust melatonin suppressing effect. To o...

Get your eggs in mamas🥚 🍳 🥚

Choline during pregnancy impacts children’s sustained attention Seven-year-old children performed better on a challenging task requiring sustained attention if their mothers consumed twice the recommended amount of choline during their pregnancy, a new study has found.

“Nguyen’s team studied stool samples from 184 people, looking at how many different kinds of gut microbes each person had in their microbiome, which means the ecosystem of tiny organisms and viruses that exist in the gut. The study participants also answered questions from the researchers to measure their feelings of wisdom, compassion, loneliness, social support, and social engagement.

People with the most diverse microbiomes also tended to rate themselves high on the scale for compassion, social support, social engagement, and wisdom. In fact, the degree to which participants’ rated their compassion and wisdom was the greatest predictor of the degree of their microbial diversity.”

Scientists have discovered a link between a problematic emotion and gut health Feeling that no one wants to hang out with you can feel like a kick to the gut, and a study published in March suggests there’s biological truth to your mood.

Exposure to oestrogen linked to less brain shrinkage in midlife women A team of US-based researchers has found an association between indicators of longer estrogen exposure and reduced brain shrinkage in midlife women. The findings are published today in the scientific journal, Neurology.

The effect of vitamin D and magnesium supplementation on the mental health status of attention-deficit hyperactive children: a randomized controlled trial - BMC Pediatrics Background Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by varying severity in attention deficit and hyperactivity. Studies have shown deficiencies in the serum level of magnesium and vitamin D in people with ADHD. The aim of this study is to dete...

Sleep and longitudinal cognitive performance in preclinical and early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease Abstract. Sleep monitoring may provide markers for future Alzheimer’s disease; however, the relationship between sleep and cognitive function in preclinical and