Do Junk Food Be Makin Kids Stupid?

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A study recently published in the BMJ's Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found a small but significant IQ difference between 8 year olds who had been raised largely on "junk food" diets, and those who had been fed a "health conscious" diet most of their lives.

The conclusion, published on Monday, comes from a long-term investigation into 14,000 people born in western England in 1991 and 1992 whose health and well-being were monitored at the ages of three, four, seven and eight and a half.

Parents of the children were asked to fill out questionnaires that, among other things, detailed the kind of food and drink their children consumed.

Three dietary patterns emerged: one was high in processed fats and sugar; then there was a "traditional" diet high in meat and vegetables; and finally a "health-conscious" diet with lots of salad, fruit and vegetables, pasta and rice.

When the children were eight and a half, their IQ was measured using a standard tool called the Wechsler Intelligence Scale.

Of the 4,000 children for which there were complete data, there was a significant difference in IQ among those who had had the "processed" as opposed to the "health-conscious" diets in early childhood.

The 20 percent of children who ate the most processed food had an average IQ of 101 points, compared with 106 for the 20 percent of children who ate the most "health-conscious" food.

"It's a very small difference, it's not a vast difference," said one of the authors, Pauline Emmett of the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of Bristol.

"But it does make them less able to cope with education, less able to cope with some of the things in life." _France24_via_DiversityIsChaos

In this type of population study, it is important that as many potential "confounders" be identified and corrected for, as possible. Ethnicity and socioeconomic status are particular confounders for IQ. Without adequate adjustments and corrections for confounding at all stages of the study, the results will not be particularly reliable -- even with such a large number of subjects included.

The current study, based on the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, uses data on children's diet reported by parents in food-frequency questionnaires at 3, 4, 7 and 8.5 years of age. Dietary patterns were identified using principal-components analysis and scores computed at each age. IQ was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children at 8.5 years. Data on a number of confounders were collected, and complete data were available for 3966 children. _PaperAbstract

Are the results of this study meaningful? Correlation is not causation, particularly when so many factors come together to form a child's IQ score on any given testing day. Multiple IQ scores would be more helpful than a single score, and naturally every little detail of the study's methodology would need to be dissected. Still, 4,000 subjects can provide a study with a lot of "power." If the scores were adjusted and corrected for SES and ethnicity, the findings may be important.

As always, it should be noted that childhood IQ is likely to change as a person grows to adulthood. And in terms of life success, sound executive function (EF) of the frontal lobes is more important overall, than high IQ -- although both sound EF and high IQ together work better than either one singly. A pity that there is no single easy way to test for the many parameters of a sound EF.

Boys Should be Breast-Fed Until at Least Age 6

Startling new research from Australia demonstrates that boys -- but not girls -- should be breast-fed until at least age 6, to achieve optimal academic performance.

Breast feeding improves later academic performance in boys but appears to have no such effect in girls.

Wendy Oddy at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Subiaco, Western Australia, and colleagues, examined whether having been breastfed affected the test scores of over 1000 10-year-olds.

Studies have suggested that children who were breastfed have higher IQs than those who were not, but few separated out boys and girls. Mothers who breastfeed are on average wealthier and more educated, so Oddy's team accounted for these factors.

Boys who were mainly breastfed for at least six months [years ... per Al Fin Nutritional Institute] scored 9 per cent higher in mathematics and writing tests, 7 per cent higher in spelling and 6 per cent higher in reading, compared with boys fed with formula milk or breastfed for shorter periods. There were no significant differences in results for girls.

"We know that breast milk contains the optimal nutrients for development of the brain and central nervous system," says Oddy, but the gender differences were surprising.
Hormone link

Oddy points out that other studies have suggested boys are more vulnerable to stress and adversity during critical periods of brain development. She speculates this could be because girls seem to be protected by higher levels of oestrogen during childhood. She says the improved academic performance of boys could be explained by oestrogen in breast milk having similar neuro-protective effects.

Some studies have suggested that fatty acids uniquely present in breast milk explain research showing that it can help babies become more intelligent. Whether or not these fatty acids help in boosting IQ may be linked to the presence of certain gene variants involved in their processing.

A large randomised trial conducted by Michael Kramer at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, concluded that prolonged breastfeeding was linked to higher IQ and academic ratings by teachers in Belarussian children at age 6... _NS

Al Fin specialists in childhood nutrition recommend that boys be breast-fed until at least age 26, if not longer. You can never be too safe when it comes to childhood nutrition. Girls, as noted, are protected by high estrogen levels. Boys -- even boys in adulthood -- are left to fend for themselves.

Research at the prestigious Al Fin Institute suggests that even simulated breastfeeding -- sucking well developed female breasts that are not lactating -- exerts a strong protective effect on the male brain, at any age.  This was a fortuitous finding, since it is much easier to find non-lactating volunteers.

More research is needed. Here at the Institute we have need of volunteers possessing nice, firm, well-developed breasts, so as to refine our earlier studies. No more males are needed, however, since we filled our quota for males within the first five minutes after announcing the study.

Make Every Meal Fit for Royalty

There is a reason that fortunes were made and wars were fought throughout history over spice routes and salt deposits. We in modern countries have an abundance of spices and seasonings to suit our every whim. But are we taking best advantage of them?

“Because herbs and spices have a very low calorie content and are relatively inexpensive, they’re a great way to get a lot of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power into your diet,” said study co-author James Hargrove, associate professor of foods and nutrition in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences....

...The researchers found a strong and direct correlation between the phenol content of common herbs and spices and their ability to inhibit the formation of AGE compounds. Spices such as cloves and cinnamon had phenol levels that were 30 percent and 18 percent of dry weight, respectively, while herbs such as oregano and sage were eight and six percent phenol by dry weight, respectively. For comparison, blueberries – which are widely touted for their antioxidant capabilities – contain roughly five percent phenol by dry weight.

Study co-author Diane Hartle, associate professor in the UGA College of Pharmacy, said various phenols are absorbed differently by the body and have different mechanisms of action, so it’s likely that a variety of spices will provide maximum benefit.

“If you set up a good herb and spice cabinet and season your food liberally, you could double or even triple the medicinal value of your meal without increasing the caloric content,” she said.

She added that controlling blood sugar and the formation of AGE compounds can also decrease the risk of cardiovascular damage associated with diabetes and aging. She explained that high blood sugar accelerates heart disease partly because AGE compounds form in the blood and in the walls of blood vessels. The AGE compounds aggravate atherosclerosis, which produces cholesterol plaques. _PO

While you are adding healthy spices to your foods, you can also gain significant benefit by substituting potassium salts for sodium salt in routine food seasoning. The taste is quite similar to table salt, and persons of all ages and states of health (except kidney failure with high serum potassium) can safely take extra potassium.

Throughout most of human history, only a few lucky persons were able to enjoy most of the spices, beverages, and foods that are available to even the poorest person in the modern world. We are living in an epicurean age. Are we to blame if eating and drinking well can also be good for us?

Bill Gates Develops "Miracle Cassava" That Has Everything a Person Needs to Live

These magic roots have been gene engineered by plant molecular biologists at Ohio State University and other centers--using a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation--to provide all the nutrition that a human being needs.

The labs in the project have used a variety of techniques to improve on the model cassava plant used for the research. They used genes that facilitate mineral transport to produce a cassava root that accumulates more iron and zinc from the soil. To fortify the plants with a form of vitamin E and beta-carotene (also called pro-vitamin A because it converts to vitamin A in the body), the scientists introduced genes into the plant that increase terpenoid and carotenoid production, the precursors for pro-vitamin A and vitamin E. They achieved a 30-fold increase in pro-vitamin A, which is critical for human vision, bone and skin health, metabolism and immune function.

Adding protein to the cassava plant has posed a challenge, Sayre said. The scientists discovered that most of the nitrogen required to make the amino acids used for protein synthesis in roots is derived from the cyanogens that also cause cyanide toxicity. So their strategy for increasing protein levels in roots focuses on accelerating the conversion of cyanide-containing compounds into protein rather than completely eliminating cyanogen production, which would hinder the efforts to increase protein production, Sayre explained. To further address the cyanide problem, the scientists have also developed a way to accelerate the processing methods required to remove cyanide -- a days-long combination of peeling, soaking and drying the roots before they are eaten.

To strengthen the cassava plant's resistance to viruses, the scientists introduced a protein and small interfering RNA molecules that interfere with the viruses' ability to reproduce.

Prolonging cassava's shelf life has involved the development of a hybrid species that crosses two related plants native to Texas and Brazil. The strategy, still in development, will combine the properties of these plants and additional genes that function as antioxidants, slowing the rotting process that has been traced to the production of free radicals that damage and kill cells in newly harvested cassava roots. __ScienceDaily

The potential of genetically engineered plants has always been a huge one. Agricultural analysts and economists who base their projections upon the crops that they are familiar with will soon find themselves at a total loss, as plants specially engineered for specific purposes begin to make their appearances.

Making a cassava or a potato or rice or maize etc that has all the nutritional needs for humans is a good, humane early step. Designing plants that dispense fuels, specialty chemicals, patented pharmaceuticals, and alcoholic fruit drinks should not take much longer. Drug enforcement officials should understand that eventually, ordinary plants will start making the very drugs they have tried so hard to restrict access to. Plants do what their DNA tells them to do, to the best of their ability. DNA is simply code. Code can be hacked.

The news media tries to keep viewers and readers in an uproar over "energy shortages" and "food shortages" and the end of the world from "climate change" etc. But if an African villager can grow all the food his family needs in a small patch behind the house, why would he need to riot over food prices? If a small grove of trees can provide the village with all the diesel oil it needs, why would villagers riot over fuel costs? Do not such developments, along with new ways of providing vaccines and prevention and treatment for common diseases constitute a type of "singularity" for rural third world villagers?

Of course, if the villagers take advantage of relative plenty to increase their numbers unwisely, Malthus may have the last laugh. But if women villagers are made aware of a certain easily grown fruit that acts as a contraceptive, perhaps women's rights will come to the third world after all.

The Poor Man's TNF Blocker: Curcumin

Enbrel (Etanercept), an anti-arthritis drug, has recently been shown to improve cognition in Alzheimer's Disease patients, via Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) blocking. Even if Etanercept was approved for treating AD, a yearly dose of Enbrel would cost an Alzheimer's patient US $30,000 per year.

Curcumin (turmeric), a root spice used in Indian cooking, also blocks TNF. In addition, curcumin crosses the blood-brain-barrier readily. Prevalence of AD in Indian seniors is less than half the prevalence of AD in North Americans. Combining those facts suggests that Indians may be protected from Alzheimer's Disease by the contents of their diet, possibly via at least one of the same pathways that the drug Enbrel protects against AD.

In some studies in AD model mice, Beta Amyloid levels in mice given curcumin were reduced by 40% compared to levels in mice not given curcumin. Above a certain dose level of curcumin, the amyloid reduction affect of curcumin was diminished, however.

North American researchers have studied curcumin for protective effects in cancer and sepsis, and more recently have begun looking at curcumin for AD prevention. The common pathway for those diseases that is blocked by curcumin is our old friend, the NFkappaB pathway, triggered by TNF, among other things.

With the knowledge that AD is worsened by multiple TNF effects on glial cells in the brain, the importance of locating effective TNF inhibitors grows more urgent.

This article presents several other pharmacological effects of curcumin.

More information about the awakening of western medicine to Curcumin.

Nice article on curcumin by John Smart

Alpha Lipoic Acid--An Old Friend Receives New Attention

Alpha lipoic acid has been shown to be a useful health supplement for over ten years. I have personally followed Lester Packer's research on ALA for a dozen years. Now, scientists at the Linus Pauling Institute are belatedly acknowledging what most of us have known all along--alpha lipoic acid shows a lot of promise.

"The evidence suggests that lipoic acid is actually a low-level stressor that turns on the basic cellular defenses of the body, including some of those that naturally decline with age," said Tory Hagen, an LPI researcher and associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics at OSU. "In particular, it tends to restore levels of glutathione, a protective antioxidant and detoxification compound, to those of a young animal. It also acts as a strong anti-inflammatory agent, which is relevant to many degenerative diseases."

Researchers at LPI are studying vitamins, dietary approaches and micronutrients that may be implicated in the aging or degenerative disease process, and say that lipoic acid appears to be one of those with the most compelling promise. It's normally found at low levels in green leafy vegetables, but can also be taken as a supplement.

...."Our studies have shown that mice supplemented with lipoic acid have a cognitive ability, behavior, and genetic expression of almost 100 detoxification and antioxidant genes that are comparable to that of young animals," Hagen said. "They aren't just living longer, they are living better – and that's the goal we're after."

What the OSU researchers now believe is that the role of lipoic acid is not so much a direct one to benefit cells, but rather an indirect aid that "kick starts" declining function in cells and helps them recover the functions that came more easily and naturally in young animals.

In various effects, lipoic acid appears to help restore a cellular "signaling" process that tends to break down in older blood vessels. It reduces mitochondrial decay in cells, which is closely linked to the symptoms of aging. With age, glutathione levels naturally decline, making older animals more susceptible to both free radicals and other environmental toxins – but lipoic acid can restore glutathione function to near normal. And the expression and function of other genes seems to come back to life.

"We never really expected such a surprising range of benefits from one compound," Hagen said. "This is really unprecedented, and we're pretty excited about it."

Source

They may be slow, but at least they are finally going public on ALA, at Linus Pauling.

The combination of alpha lipoic acid with acetyl L-Carnitine appears to help restore youthful function to aging mitochondria. This may eventually be useful in Alzheimer's Disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.

I was particularly disappointed in the Linus Pauling Institute for some of the statements they issued recently discouraging people from taking OTC flavonoids from plants. Based upon some rather pedestrian research dealing with the detectable anti-oxidant activity of several plant flavonoids, the LPI went fairly overboard in discouraging the public from taking these supplements.

Although the LPI admitted that bioflavonoids appeared to be beneficial in reducing M/M in heart disease and cancer, the overall message appeared to be: "They're not as good antioxidants as they're supposed to be, so don't take them."

One expects journalists and social science professors to exhibit such lack of clear thinking, but not world-class bioscientists.

Breast Feeding can Narrow the IQ Gap

From the breast is best, according to the US Surgeon General and the American Pediatric Association. The prenatal and early postnatal environments are critical to the healthy brain development of an infant.

Breast-feeding offers unparalleled nutrition and unique defense for the child's immune system, even when mom's health is at its poorest. No wonder the rise in breast-feeding worldwide is a consistent benchmark for world health goals.

Breast-feeding has been shown to be protective against illnesses like painful ear infections, upper and lower respiratory ailments, allergies, intestinal disorders, colds, viruses, staph, strep and E. coli infections, diabetes, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, many childhood cancers, meningitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, salmonella and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Furthermore, it also shows evidence of providing lifetime protection from Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis, some lymphomas, insulin-dependent diabetes, obesity, and for girls, breast and ovarian cancer.

Proper nutrition in the early stages of life could conceivably narrow the IQ gap between ethnic groups in north america, and narrow the IQ gap between the developing world and the developed world. Steve Sailer was writing about this back in 2000.

Omega 3 fatty acids are also helpful for proper brain development in the infant.

Infants and fetuses need a lot of support for optimal development. It makes little sense to neglect the young, then lavish most of society's health care expenditures on those at the extreme end of life stage. We are asking a lot from science and technology, to help us live longer and smarter. There is no reason why we cannot give those at the extreme beginning of life a better start.