Research and News June 2019

We like to stay on top of the latest news in functional medicine and nutrition. If you do too, you’ll find our monthly, easy-to-digest compilation of research and news articles right here. Check back regularly to find updates, or follow us through our newsletters and social media to ensure you don’t miss any.

Sulforaphane increases human brain glutathione
Broccoli sprout extract, taken for 7 days, increases brain glutathione by an average 30% according to a human study from Johns Hopkins Medicine. The extract used contained 100 micromoles daily of sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is also found in other cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower.

Which trees remove the most air pollutant particles?
Trees work as amazing air purifiers, trapping airborne pollutants such as traffic fumes which are linked with many different diseases such as asthma, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and dementia. Now, different tree species have been put to the test with birch trees coming out first for best-performing – birch removed 79% of ultrafine particles from the air. Yew and elder came close behind.

‘Inactive’ ingredients in medications can have clinical consequences
Inactive ingredients in medications and vaccines aren’t always inert in the body. Chemical dyes, gluten, lactose, corn starch and peanut oil, for example, can all have clinical consequences and can cause symptoms or even (rarely) allergic reactions. Only 12% of all solid oral medications have at least one formulation option that has no ‘inactive’ ingredient.

Introducing microbes from children with autism into germ-free mice induces autistic symptoms
Microbes living in the GI tract may directly cause autism, according to new animal research demonstrating the powerful link between the gut microbiome and brain function. Microbiologists at Caltech put fecal samples from children with and without autism into the stomachs of germ-free mice. Those with microbes from children with autism began to exhibit a decline in social behaviors and increased repetitive behaviors.

The Case for Prescribing a ‘Dose’ of Nature
Could ‘spending two hours per week in nature’ be the next official health advice? Findings from a recent study in the UK show that people who spend at least that amount of time in nature are significantly more likely to report good health. These benefits persist across different population groups – young, old, wealthy, poor, urban and rural. How do you like to get outside in a natural environment?

Modest Doses of Folic Acid and B12 Increase Colorectal Cancer Risk
Even modest doses of folic acid and vitamin B12 (400 and 500 mcg respectively) may increase the risk of colorectal cancer. This according to a multicenter, double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial of over 2,500 participants. This is why I recommend an upstream approach to supporting methylation health and the use of dietary nutrients over supplementation in most situations. Find out more in my Methylation Diet & Lifestyle eBook.

A New Type of Immune Cell? B, T and…DE Cells
Interesting – a new type of immune cell, seemingly a hybrid between known B cells and T cells appears to play a role in inducing autoimmune destruction of self. This according to new research in Type 1 Diabetes patients, published in Cell. This new cell type is being labelled a ‘dual expresser’ (DE) cell, and has been found to express a peptide sequence that mimics insulin and spurs T cells into attacking it.

Diet Can Put Crohn’s Disease into Medication-Free Remission
Reducing immune-provoking and gut-harmful foods, and replacing them with a low-antigenic plus whole foods diet can halt the harmful Crohn’s disease process. This according to research that tested an exclusive enteral diet as well as a whole-foods-plus-partial enteral diet. The latter was better tolerated and more effective in inducing a sustained remission. The whole foods diet was designed to support intestinal barrier and microbiome health.