Alpha, beta, theta: what are brain states and brain waves? And can we control them?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
There’s no shortage of apps and technology that claim to shift the brain into a “theta” state – said to help with relaxation, inward focus and sleep.
But what exactly does it mean to change one’s “mental state”? And is that even possible? For now, the evidence remains murky. But our understanding of the brain is growing exponentially as our methods of investigation improve.
Brain-measuring tech is evolving
Currently, no single approach to imaging or measuring brain activity gives us the whole picture. What we “see” in the brain depends on which tool we use to “look”. There are myriad ways to do this, but each one comes with trade-offs.
We learnt a lot about brain activity in the 1980s thanks to the advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Eventually we invented “functional MRI”, which allows us to link brain activity with certain functions or behaviours in real time by measuring the brain’s use of oxygenated blood during a task.
We can also measure electrical activity using EEG (electroencephalography). This can accurately measure the timing of brain waves as they occur, but isn’t very accurate at identifying which specific areas of the brain they occur in.
Alternatively, we can measure the brain’s response to magnetic stimulation. This is very accurate in terms of area and timing, but only as long as it’s close to the surface.
What are brain states?
All of our simple and complex behaviours, as well as our cognition (thoughts) have a foundation in brain activity, or “neural activity”. Neurons – the brain’s nerve cells – communicate by a sequence of electrical impulses and chemical signals called “neurotransmitters”.
Neurons are very greedy for fuel from the blood and require a lot of support from companion cells. Hence, a lot of measurement of the site, amount and timing of brain activity is done via measuring electrical activity, neurotransmitter levels or blood flow.
We can consider this activity at three levels. The first is a single-cell level, wherein individual neurons communicate. But measurement at this level is difficult (laboratory-based) and provides a limited picture.
As such, we rely more on measurements done on a network level, where a series of neurons or networks are activated. Or, we measure whole-of-brain activity patterns which can incorporate one or more so-called “brain states”.
According to a recent definition, brain states are “recurring activity patterns distributed across the brain that emerge from physiological or cognitive processes”. These states are functionally relevant, which means they are related to behaviour.
Brain states involve the synchronisation of different brain regions, something that’s been most readily observed in animal models, usually rodents. Only now are we starting to see some evidence in human studies.
Various kinds of states
The most commonly-studied brain states in both rodents and humans are states of “arousal” and “resting”. You can picture these as various levels of alertness.
Studies show environmental factors and activity influence our brain states. Activities or environments with high cognitive demands drive “attentional” brain states (so-called task-induced brain states) with increased connectivity. Examples of task-induced brain states include complex behaviours such as reward anticipation, mood, hunger and so on.
In contrast, a brain state such as “mind-wandering” seems to be divorced from one’s environment and tasks. Dropping into daydreaming is, by definition, without connection to the real world.
We can’t currently disentangle multiple “states” that exist in the brain at any given time and place. As mentioned earlier, this is because of the trade-offs that come with recording spatial (brain region) versus temporal (timing) brain activity.
Brain states vs brain waves
Brain state work can be couched in terms such as alpha, delta and so forth. However, this is actually referring to brain waves which specifically come from measuring brain activity using EEG.
EEG picks up on changing electrical activity in the brain, which can be sorted into different frequencies (based on wavelength). Classically, these frequencies have had specific associations:
- gamma is linked with states or tasks that require more focused concentration
- beta is linked with higher anxiety and more active states, with attention often directed externally
- alpha is linked with being very relaxed, and passive attention (such as listening quietly but not engaging)
- theta is linked with deep relaxation and inward focus
- and delta is linked with deep sleep.
Brain wave patterns are used a lot to monitor sleep stages. When we fall asleep we go from drowsy, light attention that’s easily roused (alpha), to being relaxed and no longer alert (theta), to being deeply asleep (delta).
Can we control our brain states?
The question on many people’s minds is: can we judiciously and intentionally influence our brain states?
For now, it’s likely too simplistic to suggest we can do this, as the actual mechanisms that influence brain states remain hard to detangle. Nonetheless, researchers are investigating everything from the use of drugs, to environmental cues, to practising mindfulness, meditation and sensory manipulation.
Controversially, brain wave patterns are used in something called “neurofeedback” therapy. In these treatments, people are given feedback (such as visual or auditory) based on their brain wave activity and are then tasked with trying to maintain or change it. To stay in a required state they may be encouraged to control their thoughts, relax, or breathe in certain ways.
The applications of this work are predominantly around mental health, including for individuals who have experienced trauma, or who have difficulty self-regulating – which may manifest as poor attention or emotional turbulence.
However, although these techniques have intuitive appeal, they don’t account for the issue of multiple brain states being present at any given time. Overall, clinical studies have been largely inconclusive, and proponents of neurofeedback therapy remain frustrated by a lack of orthodox support.
Other forms of neurofeedback are delivered by MRI-generated data. Participants engaging in mental tasks are given signals based on their neural activity, which they use to try and “up-regulate” (activate) regions of the brain involved in positive emotions. This could, for instance, be useful for helping people with depression.
Another potential method claimed to purportedly change brain states involves different sensory inputs. Binaural beats are perhaps the most popular example, wherein two different wavelengths of sound are played in each ear. But the evidence for such techniques is similarly mixed.
Treatments such as neurofeedback therapy are often very costly, and their success likely relies as much on the therapeutic relationship than the actual therapy.
On the bright side, there’s no evidence these treatment do any harm – other than potentially delaying treatments which have been proven to be beneficial.
Susan Hillier, Professor: Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of South Australia
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
The Menopause Risk That Nobody Talks About
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
In this week’s health news round up, we cover menopausal disordered eating, air pollution & Alzheimer’s, and cold sore comebacks:
When the body starts changing…
Eating disorders are often thought of as a “teenage girl thing”. But in fact, eating disorders in girls/women mostly occur along with “the three Ps”:
- Puberty
- Pregnancy
- Perimenopause & menopause
In very many cases, it’s likely “my body is changing and I have strong opinions on how it should be”. Those opinions are often reflective of societal norms and pressures, but still, they are earnestly felt also. In the case of pregnancy, the societal pressures and standards are generally lifted while pregnant, but come back immediately postpartum, with an expectation to rebound quickly into the same shape one was in beforehand. And in the case of menopause, this is often concurrent with a sense of loss of identity, and can be quite reactionary against what is generally considered to be the ravages of time.
Of course, looking after one’s health is great at any age, and certainly there is no reason not to pursue health goals and try to get one’s body the way one wants it. However, it is all-too-easy for people to fall into the trap of taking drastic steps that are not actually that healthy, in the hopes of quick results.
Further, 13% of women over 50 report current core eating disorder symptoms, and that is almost certain vastly underreported.
Read in full: Eating disorders don’t just affect teen girls—the risk may also go up around pregnancy and menopause
Related: Body Image Dissatisfaction/Appreciation Across The Ages From Age 16 To Age 88
Where there’s smoke…
It’s been known for a while that air pollution is strongly associated with Alzheimer’s disease incidence, but exactly how this happens has not been entirely clear, beyond that it involves S-nitrosylation, in which NO-related particles bind to sulfur (S) atoms, forming SNO (and scientists being how they are, the term for the resultant brain effect has been called a SNO-STORM).
However, researchers have now found that it has to do with how certain toxins in the air (notwithstanding our heading here, they don’t have to be smoke—it can be household chemicals or other things too) cause this resultant SNO to interfere with protein CRTC1, which is critical for forming/maintaining connections between brain cells.
This is important, because it means that if a drug can be made that selectively blocks S-nitrosylatoin actions affecting CRTC1, it can reverse a lot of Alzheimer’s brain damage (as was found in the laboratory, when testing the theory with CRTC1 proteins that had been genetically engineered to resist S-nitrosylation, which is not something we can do with living human brains yet, but it is “proof of principle” and means funding will likely be forthcoming to find drugs to do the same thing).
Read in full: Study reveals how air pollution contributes to Alzheimer’s disease
Related: 14 Powerful Strategies To Prevent Dementia
The virus that comes back from the cold
Cold sores are created by the Herpes simplex virus (yes, the same one as for the genital variety), and by adulthood, most of us are either infected (and periodically get cold sores), or else infected (as an asymptomatic carrier). A noteworthy minority, but a minority nevertheless, are immune. Unless you’ve never had physical contact with other humans, it’s highly unlikely you’re not in one of the above three categories.
For those who do get cold sores, they can seem random in their reoccurrence, but in reality the virus never went away; it was just dormant for a while.
This much was known already, but scientists have now identified the trigger protein (known as “UL 12.5” to its friends) that acts as an alarm clock for the virus—which may pave the way to a greatly-improved treatment, if a way can be found to safely interfere with that wake-up call:
Read in full: Cold sore discovery identifies unknown trigger for those annoying flare-ups
Related: Beyond Supplements: The Real Immune-Boosters!
Take care!
Share This Post
-
Seeds: The Good, The Bad, And The Not-Really-Seeds!
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? You can always hit “reply” to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!
In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!
As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!
So, no question/request too big or small
❝Doctors are great at saving lives like mine. I’m a two time survivor of colon cancer and have recently been diagnosed with Chron’s disease at 62. No one is the health system can or is prepared to tell me an appropriate diet to follow or what to avoid. Can you?❞
Congratulations on the survivorship!
As to Crohn’s, that’s indeed quite a pain, isn’t it? In some ways, a good diet for Crohn’s is the same as a good diet for most other people, with one major exception: fiber
…and unfortunately, that changes everything, in terms of a whole-foods majority plant-based diet.
What stays the same:
- You still ideally want to eat a lot of plants
- You definitely want to avoid meat and dairy in general
- Eating fish is still usually* fine, same with eggs
- Get plenty of water
What needs to change:
- Consider swapping grains for potatoes or pasta (at least: avoid grains)
- Peel vegetables that are peelable; discard the peel or use it to make stock
- Consider steaming fruit and veg for easier digestion
- Skip spicy foods (moderate spices, like ginger, turmeric, and black pepper, are usually fine in moderation)
Much of this latter list is opposite to the advice for people without Crohn’s Disease.
*A good practice, by the way, is to keep a food journal. There are apps that you can get for free, or you can do it the old-fashioned way on paper if prefer.
But the important part is: make a note not just of what you ate, but also of how you felt afterwards. That way, you can start to get a picture of patterns, and what’s working (or not) for you, and build up a more personalized set of guidelines than anyone else could give to you.
We hope the above pointers at least help you get going on the right foot, though!
❝Why do baked goods and deep fried foods all of a sudden become intolerable? I used to b able to ingest bakery foods and fried foods. Lately I developed an extreme allergy to Kiwi… what else should I “fear”❞
About the baked goods and the deep-fried foods, it’s hard to say without more information! It could be something in the ingredients or the method, and the intolerance could be any number of symptoms that we don’t know. Certainly, pastries and deep-fried foods are not generally substantial parts of a healthy diet, of course!
Kiwi, on the other hand, we can answer… Or rather, we can direct you to today’s “What’s happening in the health world” section below, as there is news on that front!
We turn the tables and ask you a question!
We’ll then talk about this tomorrow:
Share This Post
-
Why a common asthma drug will now carry extra safety warnings about depression
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) recently issued a safety alert requiring extra warnings to be included with the asthma and hay fever drug montelukast.
The warnings are for users and their families to look for signs of serious behaviour and mood-related changes, such as suicidal thoughts and depression. The new warnings need to be printed at the start of information leaflets given to both patients and health-care providers (sometimes called a “boxed” warning).
So why did the TGA issue this warning? And is there cause for concern if you or a family member uses montelukast? Here’s what you need to know.
First, what is montelukast?
Montelukast is a prescription drug also known by its brand names which include Asthakast, Lukafast, Montelair and Singulair. It’s used to manage the symptoms of mild-to-moderate asthma and seasonal hay fever in children and adults.
Asthma occurs when the airways tighten and produce extra mucus, which makes it difficult to get air into the lungs. Likewise, the runny nose characteristic of hay fever occurs due to the overproduction of mucus.
Leukotrienes are an important family of chemicals found throughout the airways and involved in both mucus production and airway constriction. Montelukast is a cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist, meaning it blocks the site in the airways where the leukotrienes work.
Montelukast can’t be used to treat acute asthma (an asthma attack), as it takes time for the tablet to be broken down in the stomach and for it to be absorbed into the body. Rather, it’s taken daily to help prevent asthma symptoms or seasonal hay fever.
It can be used alongside asthma puffers that contain corticosteriods and drugs like salbutamol (Ventolin) in the event of acute attacks.
What is the link to depression and suicide?
The possibility that this drug may cause behavioural changes is not new information. Manufacturers knew this as early as 2007 and issued warnings for possible side-effects including depression, suicidality and anxiousness.
The United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has required a warning since 2008 but mandated a more detailed warning in 2019. The United States’ Food and Drug Administration has required boxed warnings for the drug since 2020.
Montelukast can help children and adults with asthma. adriaticfoto/Shutterstock Montelukast is known to potentially induce a number of behaviour and mood changes, including agitation, anxiety, depression, irritability, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and suicidal thoughts and actions.
Initially a 2009 study that analysed data from 157 clinical trials involving more than 20,000 patients concluded there were no completed suicides due to taking the drug, and only a rare risk of suicide thoughts or attempts.
The most recent study, published in November 2024, examined data from more than 100,000 children aged 3–17 with asthma or hay fever who either took montelukast or used only inhaled corticosteroids.
It found montelukast use was associated with a 32% higher incidence of behavioural changes. The behaviour change with the strongest association was sleep disturbance, but montelukast use was also linked to increases in anxiety and mood disorders.
In the past ten years, around 200 incidences of behavioural side-effects have been reported to the TGA in connection with montelukast. This includes 57 cases of depression, 60 cases of suicidal thoughts and 17 suicide attempts or incidents of intentional self-injury. There were seven cases where patients taking the drug did complete a suicide.
This is of course tragic. But these numbers need to be seen in the context of the number of people taking the drug. Over the same time period, more than 200,000 scripts for montelukast have been filled under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Overall, we don’t know conclusively that montelukast causes depression and suicide, just that it seems to increase the risk for some people.
We’re still not sure how the drug can act on the brain to lead to behaviour changes. Elif Bayraktar/Shutterstock And if it does change behaviour, we don’t fully understand how this happens. One hypothesis is that the drug and its breakdown products (or metabolites) affect brain chemistry.
Specifically, it might interfere with how the brain detoxifies the antioxidant glutathione or alter the regulation of other brain chemicals, such as neurotransmitters.
Why is the TGA making this change now?
The new risk warning requirement comes from a meeting of the Australian Advisory Committee on Medicines where they were asked to provide advice on ways to minimise the risk for the drug given current international recommendations.
Even though the 2024 review didn’t highlight any new risks, to align with international recommendations, and help address consumer concerns, the advisory committee recommended a boxed warning be added to drug information sheets.
If you have asthma and take montelukast (or your child does), you should not just stop taking the drug, because this could put you at risk of an attack that could be life threatening. If you’re concerned, speak to your doctor who can discuss the risks and benefits of the medication for you, and, if appropriate, prescribe a different medication.
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Nial Wheate, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Macquarie University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Share This Post
-
Avocado vs Olives – Which is Healthier?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Our Verdict
When comparing avocado to olives, we picked the avocado.
Why?
Both are certainly great! And when it comes to their respective oils, olive oil wins out as it retains many micronutrients that avocado oil loses. But, in their whole form, avocado beats olive:
In terms of macros, avocado has more protein, carbs, fiber, and (healthy) fats. Simply, it’s more nationally-dense than the already nutritionally-dense food that is olives.
When it comes to vitamins, olives are great but avocados really shine; avocado has more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7 B9, C, E, K, and choline, while olives boast only more vitamin A.
In the category of minerals, things are closer to even; avocado has more magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, while olives have a lot more calcium, copper, iron, and selenium. Still, a marginal victory for avocado here.
In short, this is another case of one very healthy food looking bad by standing next to an even better one, so by all means enjoy both—if you’re going to pick one though, avocado is the more nutritionally dense.
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Avocado Oil vs Olive Oil – Which is Healthier? ← when made into oils, olive oil wins, but avocado oil is still a good option too
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
‘I keep away from people’ – combined vision and hearing loss is isolating more and more older Australians
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Our ageing population brings a growing crisis: people over 65 are at greater risk of dual sensory impairment (also known as “deafblindness” or combined vision and hearing loss).
Some 66% of people over 60 have hearing loss and 33% of older Australians have low vision. Estimates suggest more than a quarter of Australians over 80 are living with dual sensory impairment.
Combined vision and hearing loss describes any degree of sight and hearing loss, so neither sense can compensate for the other. Dual sensory impairment can occur at any point in life but is increasingly common as people get older.
The experience can make older people feel isolated and unable to participate in important conversations, including about their health.
bricolage/Shutterstock Causes and conditions
Conditions related to hearing and vision impairment often increase as we age – but many of these changes are subtle.
Hearing loss can start as early as our 50s and often accompany other age-related visual changes, such as age-related macular degeneration.
Other age-related conditions are frequently prioritised by patients, doctors or carers, such as diabetes or heart disease. Vision and hearing changes can be easy to overlook or accept as a normal aspect of ageing. As an older person we interviewed for our research told us
I don’t see too good or hear too well. It’s just part of old age.
An invisible disability
Dual sensory impairment has a significant and negative impact in all aspects of a person’s life. It reduces access to information, mobility and orientation, impacts social activities and communication, making it difficult for older adults to manage.
It is underdiagnosed, underrecognised and sometimes misattributed (for example, to cognitive impairment or decline). However, there is also growing evidence of links between dementia and dual sensory loss. If left untreated or without appropriate support, dual sensory impairment diminishes the capacity of older people to live independently, feel happy and be safe.
A dearth of specific resources to educate and support older Australians with their dual sensory impairment means when older people do raise the issue, their GP or health professional may not understand its significance or where to refer them. One older person told us:
There’s another thing too about the GP, the sort of mentality ‘well what do you expect? You’re 95.’ Hearing and vision loss in old age is not seen as a disability, it’s seen as something else.
Isolated yet more dependent on others
Global trends show a worrying conundrum. Older people with dual sensory impairment become more socially isolated, which impacts their mental health and wellbeing. At the same time they can become increasingly dependent on other people to help them navigate and manage day-to-day activities with limited sight and hearing.
One aspect of this is how effectively they can comprehend and communicate in a health-care setting. Recent research shows doctors and nurses in hospitals aren’t making themselves understood to most of their patients with dual sensory impairment. Good communication in the health context is about more than just “knowing what is going on”, researchers note. It facilitates:
- shorter hospital stays
- fewer re-admissions
- reduced emergency room visits
- better treatment adherence and medical follow up
- less unnecessary diagnostic testing
- improved health-care outcomes.
‘Too hard’
Globally, there is a better understanding of how important it is to maintain active social lives as people age. But this is difficult for older adults with dual sensory loss. One person told us
I don’t particularly want to mix with people. Too hard, because they can’t understand. I can no longer now walk into that room, see nothing, find my seat and not recognise [or hear] people.
Again, these experiences increase reliance on family. But caring in this context is tough and largely hidden. Family members describe being the “eyes and ears” for their loved one. It’s a 24/7 role which can bring frustration, social isolation and depression for carers too. One spouse told us:
He doesn’t talk anymore much, because he doesn’t know whether [people are] talking to him, unless they use his name, he’s unaware they’re speaking to him, so he might ignore people and so on. And in the end, I noticed people weren’t even bothering him to talk, so now I refuse to go. Because I don’t think it’s fair.
Dual sensory loss can be isolating for older people and carers. Synthex/Shutterstock So, what can we do?
Dual sensory impairment is a growing problem with potentially devastating impacts.
It should be considered a unique and distinct disability in all relevant protections and policies. This includes the right to dedicated diagnosis and support, accessibility provisions and specialised skill development for health and social professionals and carers.
We need to develop resources to help people with dual sensory impairment and their families and carers understand the condition, what it means and how everyone can be supported. This could include communication adaptation, such as social haptics (communicating using touch) and specialised support for older adults to navigate health care.
Increasing awareness and understanding of dual sensory impairment will also help those impacted with everyday engagement with the world around them – rather than the isolation many feel now.
Moira Dunsmore, Senior Lecturer, Sydney Nursing School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, University of Sydney; Annmaree Watharow, Lived Experience Research Fellow, Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney, and Emily Kecman, Postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Linguistics, University of Sydney
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
The Many Benefits Of Taking PQQ
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
We’re going to start this one by quoting directly from the journal “Current Research in Food Science”, because it provides a very convenient list of benefits for us to look at:
- PQQ is a potent antioxidant that supports redox balance and mitochondrial function, vital for energy and health.
- PQQ contributes to lipid metabolism regulation, indicating potential benefits for energy management.
- PQQ supplementation is linked to weight control, improved insulin sensitivity, and may help prevent metabolic disorders.
- PQQ may attenuate inflammation, bolster cognitive and cardiovascular health, and potentially assist in cancer therapies.
Future research should investigate PQQ dosages, long-term outcomes, and its potential for metabolic and cognitive health. The translation of PQQ research into clinical practice could offer new strategies for managing metabolic disorders, enhancing cognitive health, and potentially extending lifespan.
What is it?
It’s a redox-active (and thus antioxidant) quinone molecule, and essential vitamin co-factor, that not only helps mitochondria to do their thing, but also supports the creation of new mitochondria.
For more detail, you can read all about that here: Pyrroloquinoline Quinone, a Redox-Active o-Quinone, Stimulates Mitochondrial Biogenesis by Activating the SIRT1/PGC-1α Signaling Pathway
It’s first and foremost made by bacteria, and/but it’s present in many foods, including kiwi fruit, spinach, celery, soybeans, human breast milk, and mouse breast milk.
You may be wondering why “mouse breast milk” makes the list. The causal reason is simply that research scientists do a lot of work with mice, and so it was discovered. If you would argue it is not a food because it is breast milk from another species, then ask yourself if you would have said the same if it came from a cow or goat—only social convention makes it different!
For any vegans reading: ok, you get a free pass on this one :p
This information sourced from: Pyrroloquinoline Quinone: Its Profile, Effects on the Liver and Implications for Health and Disease Prevention
On which note…
Against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
From the above-linked study:
❝Antioxidant supplementation can reverse hepatic steatosis, suggesting dietary antioxidants might have potential as therapeutics for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
An extraordinarily potent dietary antioxidant is pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ). PQQ is a ubiquitous, natural, and essential bacterial cofactor found in soil, plants, and interstellar dust. The major source of PQQ in mammals is dietary; it is common in leafy vegetables, fruits, and legumes, especially soy, and is found in high concentrations in human and mouse breast milk.
This chapter reviews chemical and biological properties enabling PQQ’s pleiotropic actions, which include modulating multiple signaling pathways directly (NF-κB, JNK, JAK-STAT) and indirectly (Wnt, Notch, Hedgehog, Akt) to improve liver pathophysiology. The role of PQQ in the microbiome is discussed, as PQQ-secreting probiotics ameliorate oxidative stress–induced injury systemwide. A limited number of human trials are summarized, showing safety and efficacy of PQQ❞
…which is all certainly good to see.
Source: Ibid.
Against obesity
And especially, against metabolic obesity, in other words, against the accumulation of visceral and hepatic fat, which are much much worse for the health than subcutaneous fat (that’s the fat you can physically squish and squeeze from the outside with your hands):
❝In addition to inhibiting lipogenesis, PQQ can increase mitochondria number and function, leading to improved lipid metabolism. Besides diet-induced obesity, PQQ ameliorates programing obesity of the offspring through maternal supplementation and alters gut microbiota, which reduces obesity risk.
In obesity progression, PQQ mitigates mitochondrial dysfunction and obesity-associated inflammation, resulting in the amelioration of the progression of obesity co-morbidities, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic kidney disease, and Type 2 diabetes.
Overall, PQQ has great potential as an anti-obesity and preventive agent for obesity-related complications.❞
Read in full: Pyrroloquinoline-quinone to reduce fat accumulation and ameliorate obesity progression
Against aging
This one’s particularly interesting, because…
❝PQQ’s modulation of lactate acid and perhaps other dehydrogenases enhance NAD+-dependent sirtuin activity, along with the sirtuin targets, such as PGC-1α, NRF-1, NRF-2 and TFAM; thus, mediating mitochondrial functions. Taken together, current observations suggest vitamin-like PQQ has strong potential as a potent therapeutic nutraceutical❞
If you’re not sure about what NAD+ is, you can read about it here: NAD+ Against Aging
And if you’re not sure what sirtuins do, you can read about those here: Dr. Greger’s Anti-Aging Eight ← it’s at the bottom!
Want to try some?
As mentioned, it can be found in certain foods, but to guarantee getting enough, and/or if you’d simply like it in supplement form, here’s an example product on Amazon 😎
Enjoy!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
