…and other items from this week’s health science news:

Clock these dandelion brain benefits:

Often the star of our “This or That” section, winning vs almost everything, dandelion greens are incontrovertibly nutritional heavyweights.

And now, there’s more: dandelions’ polyphenols are not just antioxidants, but also can inhibit enzymes such as acetylcholinesterase, making them top candidates for supporting brain health after digestion. This is important, because Alzheimer’s involves reduced acetylcholine due to increased acetylcholinesterase activity, along with inflammation driven by lipoxygenase and damage from reactive nitrogen species.

In other words:

• The brain needs acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter) to function correctly
• Acetylcholinesterase (an enzyme) lowers acetylcholine levels
• Dandelions’ polyphenols reduce the acetylcholineresterase that would otherwise be reducing your acetylcholine levels
• Therefore you have more acetylcholine remaining than you otherwise would have
• Therefore you are enjoying a measure of protection against an important axis of Alzheimer’s pathology

And the good news is that leaves, flowers, and roots were analyzed, and leaves had the highest total phenolic content (3987mg/100 g) and flavonoid content (3250mg/100 g).

Those numbers are huge, by the way; not many plants score anywhere near this level!

It’s also worth noting that salads are better than tea, in this regard, because polyphenol availability increased during the intestinal phase after an initial drop in the stomach, suggesting digestion can release bound compounds.

Read in full: Dandelion leaves boost brain-protective compounds after digestion

Related: Dandelion: Time For Evidence On Its Benefits?

Fast food, fast demise

“Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are generally bad for the health” is not breaking news, nor is their typically adverse impact on heart health.

This is usually put down to them being low in most nutrients, and dangerously high in such things as salt and saturated fats.

However, the harm comes in more ways, and new research (linked below) shows that beyond the fact that higher intake of ultra-processed foods is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke and cardiovascular mortality, the additives commonly included in such foods may be doing their share of the damage too, in several different ways:

• Oxidative stress: reactive oxygen species (ROS) linked to additives can reinforce inflammation and contribute to endothelial dysfunction and plaque formation. You don’t want any of those things.
• Inflammation: UPFs may activate NF-κB, increasing inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-α, which promote chronic inflammation and vascular damage everywhere they go.
• Gut microbiome disruption: additives also tend to reduce beneficial gut bacteria, promote pro-inflammatory species instead, and increase intestinal permeability (i.e. create “leaky gut syndrome”), leading to systemic inflammation throughout the body.

Further, the researchers say that these combined mechanisms “support early atherogenesis”, increasing risks of hypertension, thrombosis, and long-term cardiovascular disease.

In numbers:

• The main cohort evidence: in the NutriNet-Santé study (over 105,000 participants), a 10% increase in UPF energy intake was linked to a 12% higher cardiovascular risk.
• Other large US studies: data from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and Nurses’ Health Studies showed 11% higher CVD risk and 16% higher coronary heart disease risk in the highest UPF intake group.
• Additional cohorts: the Framingham Offspring cohort found each extra daily serving of UPFs increased cardiovascular event risk by 7–9%, independent of diet quality. Note that “serving” here means what it says is a serving on the pack, not what you personally eat in one sitting. So we’re talking 80g of French fries, or 5 Pringles, etc.
• Meta-analysis of these and more: across 22 prospective studies (over 1 million participants), UPF consumption was associated with a 17% higher cardiovascular risk, with a dose-response relationship (i.e. eat more UPFs, get more CVD).

All this to say… It can really be a very good idea to ask yourself “what ultra-processed foods do I eat?” and see what can be reasonably cut out and replaced with whole food alternatives.

Read in full: Heavily processed foods may raise heart disease risk beyond poor nutrition alone

Related: How Likely Is It That Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) Will Kill You?

At the seat of a different falling problem from most

It’s easy to think that the risk of falling is just not something that affects people using wheelchairs or scooters, but in fact, more than 98% of wheelchair and scooter users reported some level of concern about falling.

This fear itself can be a problem, because the very fear of falling can lead people to avoid physical and social activities, contributing to deconditioning, secondary health issues, and reduced quality of life.

So, how justified is the fear?

In a very recent study (Dr. Sahel Moein et al., article linked below, study linked in the article), 68% of participants experienced a fall-related injury within the past year. So, a very strong real-world risk.

This risk is exacerbated by the fact that many standard fall risk assessments (such as those used by hospitals and other care providers) don’t apply well to wheelchair users.

For this reason, Dr. Moein and her team developed the “Fall Concerns Scale for People who Use Wheelchairs and Scooters”, and also the iROLL (Individualized Reduction of Falls) program, which is a six-week intervention designed to improve wheelchair skills, build confidence, and teach users how to get up after a fall.

In the words of Dr. Laura Price, a member of Dr. Moein’s team:

❝We cannot simply provide a device and expect people to be able to use it effectively. Training is critical to ensure that people can use a device to its full extent.❞

Read in full: Falls are prevalent concerns among people who use wheelchairs, scooters

Related: Fall Special

Take care!