Newsletter #007: Titanium Dioxide and Diabetes 🩸
Happy weekend, friends! This week, we featured a very important interview with Professor Michael Ristow, in which we unpack the very complicated relationship between oxidative stress and health, and figure out why antioxidant supplementation might not be such a great idea. Ginny also showcased a new study showing that cold exposure isn’t the only way to stimulate thermogenesis in brown fat - just eating a meal appears to achieve a similar effect in healthy humans. (Encouraging news for those of us who aren’t crazy about the cold!)
This Week’s Research Highlights
🧠 Ketogenic medium-chain triglycerides increase brain energy metabolism in Alzheimer's disease.
In Alzheimer's disease, it is not clear whether the brain can use more ketones as fuel when they come from a medium-chain triglyceride (’MCT’) supplement. Researchers wanted to investigate if brain ketone uptake in Alzheimer's disease increases with medium-chain triglycerides like it does in young healthy adults. Mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease patients were asked to take 30 grams per day of two different medium-chain triglyceride supplements, each for one month: a mix of caprylic acid and capric acid, followed by a break, and then tricaprylin. Brain ketone and glucose uptake were measured with positron emission tomography (PET scans) before and after each medium-chain triglyceride intervention. Brain ketone consumption doubled with both types of medium-chain triglyceride supplements. So, we see here, that the relationship between plasma ketones and brain ketone uptake was the same in Alzheimer's patients as in healthy young adults. Both types of medium-chain triglyceride increased total brain energy metabolism by increasing ketone supply without affecting brain glucose use. Ketones from medium-chain triglycerides make up for the lack of glucose in the brain in Alzheimer's disease, in proportion to the level of plasma ketones achieved.
🩸 Greater levels of vitamin D are associated with decreasing the risk of breast cancer.
Participants with blood levels of vitamin D greater than 60 ng/ml had one-fifth of the risk of developing breast cancer compared to those with vitamin D levels lower than 20 ng/ml. This suggests that maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D in the body may have a protective effect against breast cancer. Vitamin D is known to play a role in many physiological processes in the body, including bone health and immune function, and it is thought to have anti-cancer properties. However, more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between vitamin D and breast cancer risk and to determine optimal levels of vitamin D for disease prevention.
📚 Titanium dioxide and diabetes
Titanium dioxide is a common white pigment used in a variety of products, including sunblock and cosmetics, and it has been shown to have potential health effects. The presence of titanium dioxide particles specifically in the pancreas tissue of individuals with diabetes is noteworthy because the pancreas plays a key role in regulating blood sugar levels. The exact mechanism by which titanium dioxide particles may contribute to the development or progression of diabetes is not yet clear, and more research is needed to understand this association. However, the study suggests that exposure to titanium dioxide particles may be a potential environmental risk factor for diabetes.
Podcasts We Loved This Week
- David Katz: Solving Plastic Pollution and Alleviating Poverty. Via Mike Gilliland and Euvie Ivanova of The Future Thinkers Podcast.
- Brendan Egan: On the importance of muscle and his research into exogenous ketones. Via STEM-Talk.
- Stewart Brand: De-Extinction, The Whole Earth, and Way More. Via Rob Reid of the After On Podcast.
Products We Are Enjoying
NOW Glucosamine.
Ginny says: Most people take glucosamine for their joints. But if you tuned in to the Ristow interview, you might remember that glucosamine also appears to extend lifespan - people who took glucosamine experienced a 20% reduced risk of dying compared to those who didn’t. That’s huge! Want to try to take advantage of this yourself? This is the brand we use.
New Content by humanOS
- Blog and podcast: Why Antioxidant Supplements Are Unhealthy Plus Compounds That Mimic Exercise (Guest, Professor Michael Ristow).