Category Archives: Physiology

Honey Bee Nutrition Might Be Key To Healthy Colonies – Texas A&M Today – Texas A&M University Today

To prevent future managed colony losses, the team will look for ways to strengthen bee colony immunity by feeding them more nutritious diets.

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A newly fundedTexas A&M AgriLife Researchproject seeks to slow population losses among more than 2.6 million managed honey bee colonies in the U.S.

Honey bees provide pollination services that uphold $16 billion in U.S. agricultural crops. However, managed colonies have seen annual declines. Those include a 40% decline as recently as 2018-2019, said Juliana Rangel, AgriLife Research honey bee scientist in the Department of Entomology, Bryan-College Station.

The declines are attributed to several general issues, including poor nutrition and susceptibility to pathogens and diseases, said Pierre Lau, AgriLife Research graduate assistant and a Texas A&M Universitydoctoral candidate in Rangels laboratory.

Lau is also the project leader. To prevent future managed colony losses, his team will look for ways to strengthen bee colony immunity to disease pathogens by feeding them more nutritious diets.

The project is supported by aU.S. Department of Agriculture pre-doctoral fellowshiptitled Optimizing Macronutrient Contents in the Honeybee Diet as a Mechanism for Pathogen Defense.

The research team includes Lau, Texas A&M graduate student Alexandria Payne, undergraduate students Cora Garcia and Jordan Gomez, and Rangel. Spencer Behmer, AgriLife Research professor in the Texas A&M department of entomology, is also part of the team, as is his postdoctoral research associate Pierre Lesne.

Cups with different macronutrient mixes are presented to bees in these small cups.

Texas A&M AgriLif

Researchers will focus heavily on macronutrients, which are those nutrients in the highest demand by a healthy body for proper metabolism and physiology, Lau said.

His teams work will be to first understand the varying amounts of proteins and lipids, or macronutrient ratios, present in bees diets. They will work to optimize an ideal diet with varying ratios of macronutrients, then they will observe physiological benefits to bees that receive increasingly nutritious dietary mixes.

Commercial honey bee colonies succumb especially to Nosema ceranae and deformed wing virus. Nosema ceranae, a fungal pathogen, causes a fatal intestinal disease, while deformed wing virus causes death due to developmental complications in heavily infected adults, particularly due to crumpled wings.

Besides pathogens and diseases, Lau said, honey bee declines within agroecosystems which describe most agricultural crop scenarios can also come from parasitization, poor queen health, pesticide exposure and landscape fragmentation.

As such, in addition to immunity, the researchers will investigate how nutritional changes affect expression of genes that mediate proper honey bee development and growth.

We know that pollen is the most important source of nourishment for bees, but as a field of research, we have a poor understanding of all the macronutrients that make up pollen, Lau said.

At the same time, Lau and collaborators, in an unpublished study, were able to determine the nutritional content of certain pollens. In the same study, they noted that honey bees preferred pollen with a lower ratio of protein to lipids, or P:L ratio, than what would be currently available in the beekeeping industry. Moreover, Lau said, existing research shows that organisms naturally seek out pathogen-fighting nutrients in their surroundings.

Does this mean that honey bees can alter their macronutrient intake to self-medicate and increase their tolerance to a pathogen, given the availability? Lau said. It could also be that the role of lipids is more significant than we understand.

Additionally, Rangel said, honey bees need certain plants in the vicinity to help them with physiological processes. Those include metabolizing certain macro and micronutrients.

We know that honey bees need variety in their diet, Rangel said. But, to what extent are certain nutrients required, or even sought after, by the bees for proper nourishment?

Can we introduce supplemental macronutrients that allow honey bees to self-medicate in the presence of pathogen infections? Lau added. This will be our focus for the next two years.

Read more about theTexas A&M Honey Bee Research Program , and follow Rangels lab onFacebook.

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Honey Bee Nutrition Might Be Key To Healthy Colonies - Texas A&M Today - Texas A&M University Today

HRI sheds further light on relationship between diet and cardiometabolic disease – Mirage News

Recent HRI research has validated the metabolic pathways that link dietary components with the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

A study led by the Heart Research Institutes Dr Yen Chin Koay in collaboration with research colleagues Dr Jibran Wali and Professor Stephen Simpson from Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney focuses on dimethylguanidino valeric acid (DMGV), a marker of fatty liver disease, incident coronary artery disease, cardiovascular mortality, and incident diabetes.

The research, published in The American Journal of Physiology, investigates the relationship between dietary macronutrients and circulating levels of DMGV and other related metabolites with insulin resistance.

Our research provides insight into recent observations of dietary control of this promising new marker of cardiometabolic disease and novel disease pathway, says Dr Koay, postdoctoral researcher in HRIs Cardiometabolic Disease Group led by Assoc Prof John OSullivan.

Identifying the modifiable metabolic pathways linking the dietary components of cardiometabolic disease could help to reduce disease risk and lead to new avenues for prevention.

The research measured the plasma concentrations of DMGV and its related metabolites and analysed the dietary data to validate the dietary associations in various cohorts. The results found that DMGV concentrations were significantly upregulated in people with liver or skeletal muscle insulin resistance and that DMGV levels were upregulated in lab models on a very high sucrose diet.

These results provide a comprehensive picture of the dietary determinants of DMGV levels and its association with insulin resistance, says Dr Koay.

The study also extends the clinical value of DMGV as a predictor of exercise responsiveness to global metabolic health, including ectopic lipid deposition and insulin resistance in muscle and liver.

In the next phase of research, the teams goal is to understand the mechanisms that link plasma levels of DMGV, lifestyle, and dietary interventions.

With this knowledge, we could facilitate development of strategies personalised to the individual to help prevent prediabetes in those at increased risk, states Dr Koay.

This research received an APSselect award for distinction in scholarship by The American Physiological Society.

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HRI sheds further light on relationship between diet and cardiometabolic disease - Mirage News

Adam delivers strong half debut; Callum on strength and conditioning – scottishathletics.org.uk

Saturday 12th September 2020

Adam Craig takes gold at Falkirk in February 2019 at the Lindsays National Xc (photo by Bobby Gavin)

Antrim Results

Adam Craig came up with a very solid half marathon debut as he clocked 63:24 at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon on Saturday morning.

The Inverclyde AC athlete finished in eighth place as Sir Mo Farah headed Marc Scott to win in 60.27.

Craig, who won the Lindsays National XC in 2019, is not far adrift of the top ten in the Scottish all-time rankings with that performance after many months of lockdown.

Inverness Harrier Sean Chalmers was the second best Scot in the Mens race in 13th place in 65:16 and he was closely followed in by James Donald with the Dundee Hawkhill Harrier at 65:27.

Kenny Wilson of Moray Road Runners recorded 67:04 and finished one place below Central AC Irish athlete, Conan McCaughey, who was home in 66:38.

Fiona Brian of Metro Aberdeen delivered the best Scottish performance in the Womens race won by Lily Partridge.

Fiona was placed sixth with a time of 75:33 and her club-mate, Ginie Barrand was 10th with 77:42. Avril Mason of Shettleston was 12th with 78:12 and Claire Bruce of Metro Aberdeen was at 82:19.

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Photo by Bobby Gavin

sportscotland interview with Callum

World class athlete Callum Hawkins broke the Scottish record at the London Marathon in April 2019.

He then finished fourth at the IAAF World Championships in Doha to earn pre-selection for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, now due to take place in 2021.

And Callum has been speaking to sportscotland about the importance of strength and conditioning work as he targets even more consistency in his performances.

He credits the support received from thesportscotland institute of sport (SIS), working in collaboration with physical preparation coach Barry Jones as well as the performance physiology and physiotherapy teams, to help him deliver fast times.

Callum, a lifetime member of Kilbarchan AAC, said: Before, I probably dipped in and out of strength and conditioning, but Barry made me fully buy into it and it seems to have worked. I now train twice a week where possible while also getting a lot of massage and physiotherapy.

Going to Doha with the heat it was good to work with SIS physiologist Cian McGinley and Andy Shaw from British Athletics to work out plans and see what I could do in the heat and how I could handle it.

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Tags:Adam Craig, Antrim, Callum Hawkins, Fiona Brian

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Adam delivers strong half debut; Callum on strength and conditioning - scottishathletics.org.uk

6 things to know about how wildfire smoke impacts your health – KCRA Sacramento

As Northern California sits under a thick blanket of wildfire smoke for days, many people are left wondering what the air quality means for their health.It is really bad, said Dr. Vanessa Walker. As a pulmonary physician with Sutter Health and Pulmonary Medicine Associates, Walker has treated COVID-19 patients throughout the pandemic. Recently, she has seen an uptick in smoke-related hospital visits. To provide context, she said an AQI greater than 100 is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Right now, the AQI is well over 200. So this is unhealthy for everybody no matter who you are. And unfortunately, it just seems to be getting worse especially as these wildfires are raging out of control, she said. Here are six things to know about how smoke impacts your health according to Dr. Walker:1. What are the negative impacts?Walker: If you have no lung disease, youre probably just going to notice things like eye irritation, throat irritation, scratchy nose, watery eyes. But if you have any kind of underlying lung disease, COPD, emphysema, asthma, you can cause a serious reaction like an asthma exacerbation or a COPD exacerbation where you have tightening of your airways, significant coughing, shortness of breath and sometimes even life-threatening airway edema.2. Who are the most vulnerable people?Walker: The most vulnerable groups are going to be young children, pregnant people as well as people with any kind chronic lung condition or heart condition, and the elderly, mostly because people that are older tend to have those underlying conditions. 3. Is it OK to workout outside (even for just a short amount of time)?Walker: That is dangerous. You dont know if youre going to be somebody whos out there for 20 minutes and ends up having an asthma exacerbation or a sudden airway problem.4. What could wildfire smoke mean for contracting COVID-19?Walker: COVID is setting up an inflammatory bomb in your body. And having underlying inflammation from being exposed to wildfire smoke could actually make it harder for your body to fight because of all the inflammation thats already there. This is all conjecture because we dont know. This is all early in COVID. This is all new to us. But just understanding basic physiology, it makes perfect sense that if youre already having inflammation, that COVID could come and significantly make it worse.5. Which masks should you wear to prevent COVID versus wildfire smoke?For COVID only: Cloth or surgical masksWalker: If youre going to be indoors, youre going to be around people, youre going to be going to the grocery store, I think wearing a cloth mask is perfectly fine or a regular surgical mask. Completely adequate.For COVID & wildfire smoke: K95 & N95 masksWalker: A K95, you can get these online. A lot of people are able to get them. These are good for trying to remove particles. The only problem is they dont get as good of a seal on your face, so theyre not quite as good as a regular N95 would be. But its still a viable option if youre going to be outside.N95 great for actually both COVID and wildfire smoke.For wildfire smoke only: N95 masks with a valveWalker: If youre going to be outdoors by yourself, youre not going to be around other people, youre just going to be maybe doing some yard work, this is the time to wear an N95 with a valve. Itll make it easier for you to breathe. Itll make it so that the air that youre breathing out can exhale beautifully. Just make sure that youre not around other people because that way youre not exposing them to COVID in the event that you do have it.6. How helpful are neck bandanas for COVID and smoke protection?Walker: Unfortunately, the neck bandanas are not terribly helpful. The material theyre made of is very stretchy and thin and so that material makes it very easy for particles to go through. One of the best ways to tell if your mask is too thin is to hold it up and blow out a candle. If you can blow out the candle, youre not protecting people from your droplets.

As Northern California sits under a thick blanket of wildfire smoke for days, many people are left wondering what the air quality means for their health.

It is really bad, said Dr. Vanessa Walker.

As a pulmonary physician with Sutter Health and Pulmonary Medicine Associates, Walker has treated COVID-19 patients throughout the pandemic.

Recently, she has seen an uptick in smoke-related hospital visits. To provide context, she said an AQI greater than 100 is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Right now, the AQI is well over 200.

So this is unhealthy for everybody no matter who you are. And unfortunately, it just seems to be getting worse especially as these wildfires are raging out of control, she said.

Here are six things to know about how smoke impacts your health according to Dr. Walker:

1. What are the negative impacts?

Walker: If you have no lung disease, youre probably just going to notice things like eye irritation, throat irritation, scratchy nose, watery eyes. But if you have any kind of underlying lung disease, COPD, emphysema, asthma, you can cause a serious reaction like an asthma exacerbation or a COPD exacerbation where you have tightening of your airways, significant coughing, shortness of breath and sometimes even life-threatening airway edema.

2. Who are the most vulnerable people?

Walker: The most vulnerable groups are going to be young children, pregnant people as well as people with any kind chronic lung condition or heart condition, and the elderly, mostly because people that are older tend to have those underlying conditions.

3. Is it OK to workout outside (even for just a short amount of time)?

Walker: That is dangerous. You dont know if youre going to be somebody whos out there for 20 minutes and ends up having an asthma exacerbation or a sudden airway problem.

4. What could wildfire smoke mean for contracting COVID-19?

Walker: COVID is setting up an inflammatory bomb in your body. And having underlying inflammation from being exposed to wildfire smoke could actually make it harder for your body to fight because of all the inflammation thats already there.

This is all conjecture because we dont know. This is all early in COVID. This is all new to us. But just understanding basic physiology, it makes perfect sense that if youre already having inflammation, that COVID could come and significantly make it worse.

5. Which masks should you wear to prevent COVID versus wildfire smoke?

For COVID only: Cloth or surgical masks

Walker: If youre going to be indoors, youre going to be around people, youre going to be going to the grocery store, I think wearing a cloth mask is perfectly fine or a regular surgical mask. Completely adequate.

For COVID & wildfire smoke: K95 & N95 masks

Walker: A K95, you can get these online. A lot of people are able to get them. These are good for trying to remove particles. The only problem is they dont get as good of a seal on your face, so theyre not quite as good as a regular N95 would be. But its still a viable option if youre going to be outside.

N95 [masks are] great for actually both COVID and wildfire smoke.

For wildfire smoke only: N95 masks with a valve

Walker: If youre going to be outdoors by yourself, youre not going to be around other people, youre just going to be maybe doing some yard work, this is the time to wear an N95 with a valve. Itll make it easier for you to breathe. Itll make it so that the air that youre breathing out can exhale beautifully. Just make sure that youre not around other people because that way youre not exposing them to COVID in the event that you do have it.

6. How helpful are neck bandanas for COVID and smoke protection?

Walker: Unfortunately, the neck bandanas are not terribly helpful. The material theyre made of is very stretchy and thin and so that material makes it very easy for particles to go through. One of the best ways to tell if your mask is too thin is to hold it up and blow out a candle. If you can blow out the candle, youre not protecting people from your droplets.

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6 things to know about how wildfire smoke impacts your health - KCRA Sacramento

The hepatocyte clock and feeding control chronophysiology of multiple liver cell types – Science Magazine

Keeping rhythm requires communication

In mammals, daily cycles in physiology require the synchronized activity of circadian clocks in peripheral organs such as the liver, a hub of metabolism. Guan et al. generated mice with hepatocytes that lack two transcriptional repressors known to be essential for clock function. This experimental manipulation unexpectedly disrupted rhythmic gene expression and metabolism not only in hepatocytes but also in other liver cell types. Feeding behavior also coregulated circadian rhythms in multiple liver cell types. Cell-cell communication thus appears to be important in maintaining the robustness of peripheral circadian clocks.

Science, this issue p. 1388

Most cells of the body contain molecular clocks, but the requirement of peripheral clocks for rhythmicity and their effects on physiology are not well understood. We show that deletion of core clock components REV-ERB and REV-ERB in adult mouse hepatocytes disrupts diurnal rhythms of a subset of liver genes and alters the diurnal rhythm of de novo lipogenesis. Liver function is also influenced by nonhepatocytic cells, and the loss of hepatocyte REV-ERBs remodels the rhythmic transcriptomes and metabolomes of multiple cell types within the liver. Finally, alteration of food availability demonstrates the hierarchy of the cell-intrinsic hepatocyte clock mechanism and the feeding environment. Together, these studies reveal previously unsuspected roles of the hepatocyte clock in the physiological coordination of nutritional signals and cell-cell communication controlling rhythmic metabolism.

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The hepatocyte clock and feeding control chronophysiology of multiple liver cell types - Science Magazine

Melatonin: The Dark Side of the Hormone – Psychiatric Times

CONFERENCE REPORTER

Melatonin is ubiquitous. It is present in nearly all life forms, including plants and animals, and even single cell organisms. Evolutionarily, it dates back billions of years serving essential cellular processes with its antioxidant and free radical scavenging functions, and more recently as a key element in the regulation of circadian rhythms and the sleep-wake cycle.1 As humans, we benefit from our endogenous melatonin in support of our complex cellular activity and in helping to orchestrate wide-ranging physiological processes influenced by our circadian system.2 We are not conscious of most melatonin actions, but certainly experience its effects on sleep and waking.

It is useful to think of our endogenous melatonin in 2 ways: 1) reactions occurring intracellularly that do not necessarily involve specific melatonin receptors and 2) the more familiar circadian role associated with regular changes in circulating melatonin and effects on melatonin receptors. Although present in a variety of tissues, circulating melatonin is predominantly produced in the pineal gland under the control of the master circadian clock transcription-translation loops in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which is entrained by exposure to the light-dark cycle.3

Normally, plasma melatonin levels are very low during the daytime and gradually rise in the evening as bedtime approaches, typically about 2 hours before a persons natural sleep onset time; however, the actual clock time of the melatonin rise can vary considerably among individuals. Melatonin production also can be suppressed by light exposure, so this can be a factor affecting the circulating levels and sleep patterns. Usually melatonin plateaus at a relatively high level throughout the night and then declines by morning. When the pineal gland produces melatonin, it is immediately released into the bloodstream and cerebrospinal fluid. This pattern of markedly elevated melatonin levels during the nighttime has led to its description as the hormone of darkness. Note that the production of melatonin is primarily under circadian control: while bright light during the nighttime time will suppress it, darkness during the daytime will not turn it on.2

The circulating melatonin levels provide the bodys physiology with a clock and a calendar. Changing melatonin concentrations reinforce circadian activity in nearly all tissues and the changing duration of nighttime melatonin secretion reflects the time of year, especially important for seasonally breeding species.3 As humans, our ability to fall asleep at our typical bedtime and the robustness of our circadian cycle are both reinforced by melatonin interacting with the MT1 and MT2 receptors that are highly concentrated in the SCN. The normally coordinated functioning of homeostatic and circadian processes promotes our nighttime sleep of about 8 hours and our daytime-evening wakefulness of about 16 hours.

From late afternoon into the evening, the SCN-driven circadian system produces arousal that counters the homeostatic sleepiness that has accumulated since the morning awakening, thus allowing sustained functioning into the evening. Typically, we are the most alert in the early evening than any other time of the day or night. With approaching bedtime, the rising melatonin agonist activity at the SCN melatonin receptors decreases the stimulation, leaving the homeostatic sleepiness unopposed, thus facilitating bedtime sleep onset. It is notable that the melatonin action is not sedation, but rather a reduction in the evening circadian arousal.2

In everyday life, we think of melatonin as a widely available, fairly benign, and maybe helpful sleep aid product. In the United States, it is categorized as a dietary supplement, although in some countries it requires a prescription. Unlike official over-the-counter (OTC) products, which are highly regulated (composition, manufacturing, indications, labeling, and marketing), dietary supplements have little oversight. Studies analyzing consumer melatonin products have shown varying amounts of the compounds, as well as the presence of other unlabeled and sometimes surprising ingredients.4

Does exogenous melatonin taken as a dietary supplement enhance sleep? Is it safe?

There is a reasonable argument that taking evening melatonin might augment the natural process of reducing circadian arousal to help people fall asleep more quickly. In general, meta-analyses and systematic reviews of evening melatonin doses compared with placebo show statistically significant improvements in sleep onset that are of questionable clinical significance with a benefit of about 4 to 12 minutes.5-7 Studies have shown little or no benefit for sleep maintenance or total sleep time. The best evidence is for people having a circadian rhythm phase delay (night owls), blind individuals with the non-24-hour sleep-wake rhythm disorder, and some children with neurodevelopmental disorders.3 However, much of the research with melatonin has been with few subjects, mixed clinical populations, and for short durations, all limiting the quality of the evidence.

Clinical trial assessments of melatonin safety share the same study limitations, so high-quality data are not available. The more common adverse event reports include daytime drowsiness and nightmares, though the rates are low. Generally, melatonin is well tolerated in these placebo comparison studies with typical consumer product doses.8

A darker side of both endogenous and exogenous melatonin has been emerging in recent years with investigations of circadian rhythms and metabolism, specifically examining glucose tolerance, insulin release and sensitivity, weight gain, and the timing of food intake.9,10 The circadian regulation of metabolism is just right for people who are active, get plenty of light exposure, and have their meals during the daytime, and who are in the dark sleeping during the nighttime. In our society, many people eat at irregular times, including late in the evening and during the night, when our circadian system expects us to be fasting. An evening meal will result in higher glucose and insulin levels compared with the identical meal eaten early in the day. Over time these elevated evening glucose and insulin levels increase the risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The timing of food intake in relation to our evening melatonin rise appears to be an important factor.

McHill and colleagues11 studied the sleep-wake patterns of healthy young adults over a 30-day period that included 1 week of monitoring the timing and content of all food they ate, and also an overnight laboratory assessment of their melatonin patterns and body composition. They found a significant relationship between the timing of food consumption relative to melatonin onset and the percentage of body fat and body mass index, controlling for the actual clock time, caloric amount, activity or exercise level, and sleep duration. Eating food later in the day had a detrimental effect.

These findings are consistent with studies demonstrating the weight loss and metabolic benefits of time restricted eating routines where people consume their meals on a relatively early schedule and fast through the evening and nighttime. Avoiding evening eating close to and following our melatonin rise appears to have advantageous metabolic effects.9

If we should avoid eating and digesting food close to our evening endogenous melatonin rise, what are the implications for using exogenous melatonin as a sleep aid? There is evidence that taking melatonin also leads to impairment in glucose tolerance. Rubio-Sastre and colleagues12 studied 21 healthy women, giving them either melatonin 5 mg or a placebo in the morning and evening on different days. An oral glucose tolerance test monitoring glucose and insulin levels for 3 hours began 15 minutes after each dose. Finding that the melatonin use was associated with elevated glucose levels at both time points, they concluded that the optimum timing for melatonin doses should be at least 2 hours after the last meal.

Perhaps the best plan for melatonin to help with sleep is to give our own circadian rhythm and melatonin release a chance to do the job.10 Maintaining regular sleep-wake hours, plenty of daytime activity and light exposure, and early meal timing should aid in stabilizing the circadian cycle. Avoiding bright light in the evening for a few hours prior to bedtime should limit the suppression of melatonin, especially if using reddish low color-temperature lighting, now readily available with LED products. Using electronic screens (eg, phones, tablets, laptops) held close to the face should be limited as bedtime approacheseven when using those devices with blue spectrum-blocking apps or filters. These good sleep habits that facilitate earlier and higher melatonin release may be the solution to achieve an earlier sleep onset.

If one is inclined to take a dose of melatonin to enhance sleep, it probably will help the most when taken prior to bedtime, but ideally well after the last meal.3,11,12 Even very low doses result in blood levels hundreds to thousands of time higher than the normal endogenous circulating amount. Low doses should be as effective as high doses, since the primary action of melatonin is not sedation. The ultimate benefit in helping people fall asleep more quickly may take several days or weeks as melatonin advances and stabilizes the circadian system.

The bottom line

The bright side of this hormone of darkness is the extraordinary roles it serves in stabilizing our cellular and circadian functioning. If we manage to live our lives closer to our natural circadian physiology, we can avoid melatonins potential metabolic darkness.

Dr Neubauer is associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. He spoke at PsychCongress 2020 in a presentation titled Melatonin: What, Why, and Why Not? The author reports he is a consultant with Eisai Inc and Abbott Laboratories.

References

1. Zhao D, Yu Y, Shen Y, et al. Melatonin synthesis and function: Evolutionary history in animals and plants. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019;10:249.

2. Claustrat B, Leston J. Melatonin: Physiological effects in humans. Neurochirurgie. 2015;61(2-3):77-84.

3. Arendt J. Melatonin: Countering chaotic time cues. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2019;10:391.

4. Erland LA, Saxena PK. Melatonin natural health products and supplements: Presence of serotonin and significant variability of melatonin content. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(2):275-281.

5. Buscemi N, Vandermeer B, Hooton N, et al. The efficacy and safety of exogenous melatonin for primary sleep disorders. A meta-analysis. J Gen Intern Med. 2005;20(12):1151-1158.

6. Buscemi N, Vandermeer B, Hooton N, et al. Efficacy and safety of exogenous melatonin for secondary sleep disorders and sleep disorders accompanying sleep restriction: Meta-analysis. BMJ. 2006;332(7538):385-393.

7. Brzezinski A, Vangel MG, Wurtman RJ, et al. Effects of exogenous melatonin on sleep: A meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2005;9(1):41-50.

8. Foley HM, Steel AE. Adverse events associated with oral administration of melatonin: A critical systematic review of clinical evidence. Complement Ther Med. 2019;42:65-81.

9. Garaulet M, Qian J, Florez JC, et al. Melatonin effects on glucose metabolism: Time to unlock the controversy. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2020;31(3):192-204.

10. Stenvers DJ, Scheer, FAJL, Schrauwen P, et al. Circadian clocks and insulin resistance. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2019;15(2):75-89.

11. McHill AW, Phillips AJ, Czeisler CA, et al. Later circadian timing of food intake is associated with increased body fat. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;106(5):1213-1219.

12. Rubio-Sastre P, Scheer FA, Gomez-Abellan P, Madrid JA, Garaulet M. Acute melatonin administration in humans impairs glucose tolerance in both the morning and evening.Sleep. 2014;37(10):1715-1719.

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Melatonin: The Dark Side of the Hormone - Psychiatric Times

Mystic Aquarium research permit approved – News – The Bulletin – Norwich, CT – Norwich Bulletin

Staff reports

FridaySep11,2020at12:00PM

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced the approval of Mystic Aquariums permit Application to Import 5 Beluga Whales for Scientific Research.

The permit enables Mystic Aquarium to safely transport five beluga whales born in human care from Marineland Canada in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, for conservation research.

The research will include investigations into neuro-immunological response to environmental and anthropogenic stressors, hearing and physiological response to anthropogenic sound, morphometrics to inform photogrammetry studies, diving physiology and microbiome.

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Mystic Aquarium research permit approved - News - The Bulletin - Norwich, CT - Norwich Bulletin

O’Brien named EHS Teacher of the Month – The Review

RICHMOND Shane OBrien has been named August Teacher of the Month at Edison High School. Coach OBrien has roots in Edison as a 2012 graduate and continued his football career at Mount Union University. He graduated from West Liberty University in 2016 with a bachelors degree in exercise physiology and currently teaches weightlifting and serves as head football coach at EHS. This is his third season at the helm for the Wildcats after serving as an assistant coach for four years under coaches Derrick Stickles and Nate Moses. He managed to lead the Wildcats to a 31-29 victory over Toronto during this years season opener and has also coached track and wrestling while at Edison.

He is the son of Dave and Jenney OBrien and is currently dating head cheerleading coach Madison Brown. OBrien also enjoys health and fitness.

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O'Brien named EHS Teacher of the Month - The Review

Nutrition and the Wisdom of Ethnic Cuisine: A Japanese Doctor’s Perspective – Nippon.com

When it comes to healthy eating, one size does not fit all. Japanese cooking, with its emphasis on rice, fish, and vegetables, may not be the best diet for everyone, but it is marvelously suited to the physiology of the Japanese, writes physician and writer Okuda Masako.

The popularity of Japanese cuisine has soared in recent decades, and one reason is undoubtedly its healthful image. The average lifespan of the Japanese people climbed rapidly after World War II. By around 1980, Japan had the highest life expectancy of any country in the world, and it still ranks near the top. (The worlds oldest living person is also a Japanese woman.) Amid a slew of investigations into the secrets of Japanese longevity, attention quickly centered on the benefits of washoku, traditional Japanese cooking.

My research and experience have taught me that the optimal diet depends on a variety of hereditary and environmental factors. But there is no denying that washoku has contributed to the health and longevity of the Japanese people. Let us begin by examining how.

In terms of health and long life, the biggest physiological factor the Japanese have going for them is a low risk of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis occurs when fats and other substances build up along the walls of arteries, restricting or even blocking blood flow. In the brain, such a blockage is known as a cerebral infarction (stroke); in the heart, it is called a myocardial infarction (heart attack). The incidence of myocardial infarction in Japan is among the lowest in the world.

Scientists believe that both genetics and diet play a role in protecting Japanese arteries. One factor is a high level of good cholesterol, or HDL (high-density lipoproteins), in the blood. In a 2008 study, Japanese HDL levels were found to be roughly 10% higher than those of white Americans on average. Another reason is that fish is a big part of the traditional Japanese diet, and fish contains EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), two polyunsaturated fatty acids that help prevent hardening of the arteries. Since ancient times, the Japanese have been eating oily fish like mackerel, sardines, yellowtail tuna, and eel, which are abundant off the coast of Japan and are rich in EPA and DHA. In a 2015 study, the average concentration of DHA in Japanese maternal milk was determined to be up to six times that found in Western countries and about twice that found in China.

A second major contributor to Japanese health is the gut microbiota, the many and varied microorganisms living in the intestinal tract. A 2016 analysis of the intestinal microbiota of subjects from 12 countries found that the Japanese had the highest counts of beneficial bifidobacteria. (Interestingly, the gut microbiome of the Chinese subjects was closer to that of the Western subjects studied.) This can probably be attributed to the high fiber content of the traditional Japanese diet, with its emphasis on grains and vegetables. Dietary fiber provides a good nutritional environment for beneficial microbes and helps cleanse the gut of the harmful substances that unhealthy bacteria produce. Since it takes a generation or more to permanently alter the gut microbiota, todays Japanese probably owe their intestinal health to the dietary habits of their parents and grandparents.

All of this might lead one to the conclusion that eating washoku will automatically make one healthier. Unfortunately, it is not quite so simple. In general, the traditional diets that developed in various parts of the world were optimally adapted to the local environment and the needs of the native population. The physiology of the native population, in return, adapted to the diet.

There are obvious physical differences between Japanese people and Westerners. But the differences go beyond hair texture and eye color. There are also disparities in musculature, body fat, and body temperature, as well as various factors that affect digestion and metabolism of alcohol: hormone and enzyme secretion, the shape of the stomach, the composition of the gut flora, and so forth. Race is not just skin-deep.

The Japanese stomach is adapted to consumption of grain.

Figure 1 illustrates the stomach shapes typically found in Japanese people on the one hand and people of Westerners extraction on the other. The differences are the result of disparities in the traditional diet.

The Japanese have long relied on rice and other grains as their dietary staple. Grains are a good source of energy, but whole grains in particular take time to digest because of their high fiber content. The Japanese stomach is vertically elongated so as to store, mix, and break down such food before it continues on into the intestines. The intestines, in turn, are rich in the kinds of bacteria that help digest and extract nutrition from starchy foods.

By contrast, the traditional European diet, with its emphasis on meat and dairy products, is considerably higher in protein and fat. Since protein and fat are digested primarily in the intestines, the food needs to move more rapidly from the stomach to the gut. The digestive system evolved to deal with these demands. For example, a large quantity of stomach acid is produced so that the stomach can process the food quickly; comparatively thicker stomach muscles then push it smoothly into the intestines.Plenty of enzymes and other fluids are secreted to aid the digestion of fat and protein inside the intestines.

It has long been known that the ability of adults to digest milk varies by ethnicity and region. The bodys capacity to digest the lactose in milk hinges on continued production of the enzyme lactase. The map in figure 2 shows the global distribution of lactose-intolerant adults in various parts of the world, with higher concentrations indicated by darker shades. While most people in the British Isles and Scandinavia digest milk easily, close to 90% of adults in Southeast Asia and East Asia (including Japan) have trouble with it.

Darker shades indicate regions with higher rates of adult lactose intolerance.

Such differences in physiology can translate into serious health problems when people adopt different diets and lifestyles. One example involves vitamin D, which is essential to bone health, among other things. Vitamin D is produced inside the body when the skin is exposed to the suns ultraviolet rays, but it can also be obtained from dietary sources like oily fish. It has been suggested that Africans, who evolved in a part of the world where year-round UV exposure is high, may be less well equipped to absorb vitamin D from dietary sources, and this may be why African Americans tend to have relatively low vitamin-D levels. Some experts have warned that African Americans need to adjust their diets to avoid health problems resulting from vitamin D insufficiency. The optimum diet for any person depends on genetic makeup, as well as lifestyle and environment.

Genetics also influences the way our bodies accumulate fat. One characteristic of the Japanese constitution is the tendency to accumulate visceral adipose tissue, or fat inside the abdominal cavity, as opposed to the subcutaneous fat that collects under the skin. Unfortunately, visceral fat is the more worrisome kind.

Cross-sections showing the distribution of abdominal fat in representative Japanese (left) and Westerners (right) subjects.

This is a fairly recent phenomenon, mind you. In earlier times, obesity was relatively rare in Japan, and the incidence of chronic diseases associated with visceral fatincluding type 2 diabetes, along with other diseases like breast cancer and colon cancerwas correspondingly low. That began to change in the 1960s to 1980s, as the Japanese diet became increasingly westernized, leading to higher fat consumption and lower intake of fiber. And with more people doing deskwork and leading sedentary lifestyles, lack of exercise contributed to the rise of obesity and the accumulation of visceral fat. The result has been a significant increase in disease, raising concerns for the future.

Extensive studies have revealed that a traditional Japanese dietlow in meat and dairy products, high in soybeans and fish, and high in fiber from grains, vegetables, and seaweedis tied to very low accumulation of visceral fat. In other words, washoku is ideally suited to the physiological traits of the Japanese people, protecting them from their innate tendency to accumulate visceral fat. Without knowing the science, our forebears managed to develop, preserve, and pass down a dietary culture perfectly adapted to our own metabolism.

Washoku has other health benefits as well. Soybeans, green and yellow vegetables, and small fish eaten whole all help to build strong bones. Lifelong consumption of soy foods also contributes to the relativelylow incidence in Japan of diabetes, breast cancer, and colon cancer, all ailments linked closely to visceral fat levels, as compared with the West

One notable weakness of the Japanese diet as it has developed in the past two or three centuries is the overwhelming preference for polished rice. For the health-conscious, I would recommend brown rice, which has seven times the dietary fiber of white rice and contains substances that help the body burn visceral fat.

In recent years, science has made considerable progress in identifying genetic differences among ethnic groups. In 2016, a Japanese team of researchers released the first Japanese reference genome panel (JRG v1), a whole-genome assembly representing the genes of a typical healthy Japanese. Comparison with the human reference genome has revealed millions of single-nucleotide differences, many of which doubtless reflect significant differences in nutrition physiology. We need to abandon the one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition and consider what diet works best for each ethnic group.

Nowadays, the Japanese people are able to enjoy delicious cooking from every part of the world. That is a splendid thing, as long as we keep in mind that washoku is the bedrock of our much-admired health and longevity.

(Originally written in Japanese. Banner photo: Dairy and meat products figure heavily in the Western diet, while the traditional Japanese diet has much to offer in the area of human health. Pixta.)

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Nutrition and the Wisdom of Ethnic Cuisine: A Japanese Doctor's Perspective - Nippon.com