Surprising New (Healthy!) Compounds Found In Cannabis Leaves
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…and other items from this week’s health science news:
The other cannabis chemicals
Researchers (Dr. Magriet Muller et al.) found the first evidence of rare flavoalkaloids in cannabis leaves, revealing previously overlooked medicinal compounds in plant material that’s often treated as waste.
In particular, Dr. Muller and her team identified 79 phenolic compounds across three cannabis strains, including 25 never before reported in cannabis and 16 rare flavoalkaloids that are seldom found in nature.
As regular 10almonds readers will know, flavonoids and related polyphenols are important for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer reasons, so these newly-detected compounds look set to expand cannabis’s biomedical relevance beyond cannabinoids.
But it goes further than that in this case because of the rare flavoalkaloids, although those were concentrated mainly in the leaves of one strain, showing that chemical composition can differ dramatically even among a small number of cannabis varieties.
Read in full: Don’t toss cannabis leaves: Scientists found rare compounds with medical potential
Related: Cannabis Myths vs Reality
Back up your brain
Ok, so it’s not quite like in science fiction yet! These digital “brain twins” aren’t conscious or sentient replicas, but rather are used as predictive tools designed to model disease progression, test treatments virtually, and improve scientific understanding without direct risk to the person.
More specifically, they’re personalized computational models built from an individual’s brain data (including such things as MRI-scanned anatomy, functional activity, and connectivity maps) to simulate how that specific brain functions and changes over time. This means that instead of relying on broad population averages, clinicians can test interventions on a patient’s digital twin first, improving safety, precision, and treatment outcomes (and, once the tech is rolled out, saving costs, too).
A current example is how epilepsy research is already using patient-specific digital brain models to identify seizure origins and help guide surgery.
That said, the brain’s complexity across multiple spatial and temporal scales demands enormous computing power, making whole-brain high-resolution simulation extremely difficult for now.
Read in full: A virtual copy of your brain? Scientists say it’s closer than you think
Related: Are Brain Chips Safe?
What climate change will do to your brain health
A lot of older people consider that climate change is a younger people’s problem, if indeed a problem at all. However, researchers (Dr. Anna Ranta et al.) have found that climate change is becoming a major global brain health threat because environmental changes (especially increases in heat) raise both stroke risk and stroke mortality.
This is because increased heat can not only dehydrate your body, but also thicken your blood and increase clot formation, all of which raise the risk of ischemic stroke.
It’s not just the heat itself, though; many things that are becoming increasingly common as climate change progresses, such as rapid temperature swings, humidity shifts, barometric pressure changes, wildfires, and dust or sandstorms can elevate blood pressure, strain your cardiovascular system, and damage blood vessels, again raising stroke risk and increasing the severity when stroke does occur.
Notably, more than 20% of global strokes are attributed to air pollution, with wildfire smoke and particulate matter contributing by damaging blood vessel walls after entering your lungs and, from there, your bloodstream.
In other words, as the researchers show, climate change is increasingly a neurological and cardiovascular public health emergency, making stroke prevention partly dependent on climate change mitigation.
Read in full: Climate change a global threat to brain health, stroke experts say
Related: Stay Safe From Heat Exhaustion & Heatstroke!
Take care!
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6 Blood Markers That Predict Disease Years Before Symptoms Appear
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Do you have these 6 done?
When “normal” isn’t helpful
Most of the most common blood tests are designed to confirm established disease, not detect the slow, early biological drift that occurs years before symptoms appear.
Here are 6 that do better:
- High-sensitivity CRP: persistently elevated hs-CRP within the “normal” range reflects chronic low-grade inflammation that predicts cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and dementia long before diagnosis.
- Fasting insulin: elevated fasting insulin with normal glucose reveals early insulin resistance, a reversible stage that predicts type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and often even Alzheimer’s disease years in advance.
- ApoB: apolipoprotein B directly counts atherogenic particles and predicts heart attack and stroke risk more accurately than LDL cholesterol, especially in people with metabolic dysfunction.
- Homocysteine: raised homocysteine damages blood vessels and brain tissue, increasing risks of cardiovascular disease and dementia, and is often correctable with adequate B-vitamin status.
- HbA1c trajectory: trends and position within the normal range matter more than cut-offs, with gradual rises over years signalling worsening metabolic health and cumulative glycation damage.
- GlycA: this little-known marker reflects long-term inflammatory burden and predicts cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mortality more strongly than many traditional tests.
Lastly, Dr. Wibberly advises us that patterns that can be noted from repeated measurements over time reveal true risk, whereas isolated “normal” results can hide a worsening biological trajectory.
For more on all of this, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Early Dementia Screening From Your Blood & More
And for a much more comprehensive overview of blood tests in general:
Common Sense Labs: Blood Labs Demystified – by Dr. Ken Berry & Kim Howerton
Take care!
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Spiced Fruit & Nut Chutney
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‘Tis the season to make the chutney that will then be aged chutney when you want it later! And unlike supermarket varieties with their ingredients list that goes “Sugar, spirit vinegar, inverted glucose-fructose syrup,” this one has an array of health-giving fruits and nuts (just omit the nuts if you or someone you may want to give this to has an allergy), and really nothing bad in here at all. And of course, tasty healthful spices!
You will need
- 2 red onions, chopped
- 1½ cups dried apricots, chopped
- 1½ cups dried figs, chopped
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ½ lime, chopped and deseeded
- ¼ bulb garlic, chopped
- 1 hot pepper, chopped (your choice what kind; omit if you don’t like heat at all; multiply if you want more heat)
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (omit for a less sweet chutney; there is sweetness in the dried fruits already, after all)
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 tsp sweet cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Heat some oil in a heavy-based pan that will be large enough for all ingredients to go into eventually. Fry the onions on a gentle heat for around 15 minutes. We don’t need to caramelize them yet (this will happen with time), but we do want them soft and sweet already.
2) Add the ginger, garlic, and chili, and stir in well.
3) When the onions start to brown, add the fruit and stir well to mix thoroughly.
4) Add the honey or maple syrup (if using), and the vinegar; add the remaining spices/seasonings, so everything is in there now except the almonds.
5) Cook gently for another 30 minutes while stirring. At some point it’ll become thick and sticky; add a little water as necessary. You don’t want to drown it, but you do want it to stay moist. It’ll probably take only a few tablespoons of added water in total, but add them one at a time and stir in before judging whether more is needed. By the end of the 30 minutes, it should be more solid, to the point it can stand up by itself.
6) Add the almonds, stir to combine, and leave to cool. Put it in jars until you need it (or perhaps give it as gifts).
Alternative method: if you don’t want to be standing at a stove stirring for about an hour in total, you can use a slow cooker / crock pot instead. Put the same ingredients in the same order, but don’t stir them, just leave them in layers (this is because of the pattern of heat distribution; it’ll be hotter at the bottom, so the things that need to be more cooked should be there, and the design means they won’t burn) for about two hours, then stir well to mix thoroughly, and leave it for another hour or two, before turning it off to let it cool. Put it in jars until you need it (or perhaps give it as gifts).
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:
- Top 8 Fruits That Prevent & Kill Cancer ← figs and apricots appear here
- Apricots vs Peaches – Which is Healthier? ← have a guess
- Almonds vs Walnuts – Which is Healthier? ← almonds won, but walnuts were close and would also work in this recipe
- Pistachios vs Almonds – Which is Healthier? ← almonds won, but pistachios were close and would also work in this recipe
- Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits? ← we scored 4/5 today!
Take care!
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Red Light, Go!
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Casting Yourself In A Healthier Light
In Tuesday’s newsletter, we asked you for your opinion of red light therapy (henceforth: RLT), and got the above-depicted, below-described, set of responses:
- About 51% said “I have no idea whether light therapy works or not”
- About 24% said “Red light therapy is a valuable skin rejuvenation therapy”
- About 23% said “I have not previously heard of red light therapy”
- One (1) person said: “Red light therapy is a scam to sell shiny gadgets”
A number of subscribers wrote with personal anecdotes of using red light therapy to beneficial effect, for example:
❝My husband used red light therapy after surgery on his hand. It did seem to speed healing of the incision and there is very minimal scarring. I would like to know if the red light really helped or if he was just lucky❞
~ 10almonds subscriber
And one wrote to report having observed mixed results amongst friends, per:
❝Some people it works, others I’ve seen it breaks them out❞
~ 10almonds subscriber
So, what does the science say?
RLT rejuvenates skin, insofar as it reduces wrinkles and fine lines: True or False?
True! This one’s pretty clear-cut, so we’ll just give one example study of many, which found:
❝The treated subjects experienced significantly improved skin complexion and skin feeling, profilometrically assessed skin roughness, and ultrasonographically measured collagen density.
The blinded clinical evaluation of photographs confirmed significant improvement in the intervention groups compared with the control❞
~ Dr. Alexander Wunsch & Dr. Karsten Matuschka
RLT helps speed up healing of wounds: True or False?
True! There is less science for this than the above claim, but the studies that have been done are quite compelling, for example this NASA technology study found that…
❝LED produced improvement of greater than 40% in musculoskeletal training injuries in Navy SEAL team members, and decreased wound healing time in crew members aboard a U.S. Naval submarine.❞
Read more: Effect of NASA light-emitting diode irradiation on wound healing
RLT’s benefits are only skin-deep: True or False?
False, probably, but we’d love to see more science for this, to be sure.
However, it does look like wavelengths in the near-infrared spectrum reduce the abnormal tau protein and neurofibrillary tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease, resulting in increased blood flow to the brain, and a decrease in neuroinflammation:
Therapeutic Potential of Photobiomodulation In Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review
Would you like to try RLT for yourself?
There are some contraindications, for example:
- if you have photosensitivity (for obvious reasons)
- if you have Lupus (mostly because of the above)
- if you have hyperthyroidism (because if you use RLT to your neck as well as face, it may help stimulate thyroid function, which in your case is not what you want)
As ever, please check with your own doctor if you’re not completely sure; we can’t cover all bases here, and cannot speak for your individual circumstances.
For most people though, it’s very safe, and if you’d like to try it, here’s an example product on Amazon, and by all means do read reviews and shop around for the ideal device for you
Take care! 😎
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Chard vs Garden Cress – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing chard to garden cress, we picked the cress.
Why?
In terms of macros, these two plants are both mostly water with just enough other stuff to hold them together, but cress has a little more protein. Still, it’s close enough (and small enough numbers on both sides) that it’d be fairest to call this first round a tie.
In the category of vitamins, chard has more of vitamins E and K, while cress has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and C, winning easily here.
Looking at minerals, chard has more iron, magnesium, and zinc, while cress has more calcium, manganese, phosphorus, and potassium, for a modest third-round win.
In other considerations, both are good for polyphenols, but cress has more, so that’s another point in cress’s favor.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for garden cress, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Sprout Your Seeds, Grains, Beans, Etc ← cress is a great example of this!
Enjoy!
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Eggplant vs Zucchini – 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 eggplant to zucchini, we picked the zucchini.
Why?
In terms of macros, eggplant has more carbs and fiber while zucchini has more protein; we’ll generally prioritize fiber, so call this a subjective win for eggplant in this category, though an argument could be made for a tie.
In the category of vitamins, eggplant has more of vitamins B3, B5, and E, while zucchini has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B9, C, K, and choline, scoring a win for zucchini here.
Looking at minerals, eggplant has more copper, manganese, and selenium, while zucchini has more calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc, meaning another win for zucchini in this round.
In terms of polyphenols, eggplant has a greater variety of polyphenols, while zucchini has greater total mass of polyphenols, so we’re calling this one a tie.
Adding up the sections makes for an overall win for zucchini, but by all means enjoy either or both (perhaps together!); diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?
Enjoy!
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More Salt, Not Less?
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It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!
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
❝I’m curious about the salt part – learning about LMNT and what they say about us needing more salt than what’s recommended by the government, would you mind looking into that? From a personal experience, I definitely noticed a massive positive difference during my 3-5 day water fasts when I added salt to my water compared to when I just drank water. So I’m curious what the actual range for salt intake is that we should be aiming for.❞
That’s a fascinating question, and we’ll have to tackle it in several parts:
When fasting
3–5 days is a long time to take only water; we’re sure you know most people fast from food for much less time than that. Nevertheless, when fasting, the body needs more water than usual—because of the increase in metabolism due to freeing up bodily resources for cellular maintenance. Water is necessary when replacing cells (most of which are mostly water, by mass), and for ferrying nutrients around the body—as well as escorting unwanted substances out of the body.
Normally, the body’s natural osmoregulatory process handles this, balancing water with salts of various kinds, to maintain homeostasis.
However, it can only do that if it has the requisite parts (e.g. water and salts), and if you’re fasting from food, you’re not replenishing lost salts unless you supplement.
Normally, monitoring our salt intake can be a bit of a guessing game, but when fasting for an entire day, it’s clear how much salt we consumed in our food that day: zero
So, taking the recommended amount of sodium, which varies but is usually in the 1200–1500mg range (low end if over aged 70+; high end if aged under 50), becomes sensible.
More detail: How Much Sodium You Need Per Day
See also, on a related note:
When To Take Electrolytes (And When We Shouldn’t!)
When not fasting
Our readers here are probably not “the average person” (since we have a very health-conscious subscriber-base), but the average person in N. America consumes about 9g of salt per day, which is several multiples of the maximum recommended safe amount.
The WHO recommends no more than 5g per day, and the AHA recommends no more than 2.3g per day, and that we should aim for 1.5g per day (this is, you’ll note, consistent with the previous “1200–1500mg range”).
Read more: Massive efforts needed to reduce salt intake and protect lives
Questionable claims
We can’t speak for LMNT (and indeed, had to look them up to discover they are an electrolytes supplement brand), but we can say that sometimes there are articles about such things as “The doctor who says we should eat more salt, not less”, and that’s usually about Dr. James DiNicolantonio, a doctor of pharmacy, who wrote a book that, because of this question today, we’ve now also reviewed:
Spoiler, our review was not favorable.
The body knows
Our kidneys (unless they are diseased or missing) do a full-time job of getting rid of excess things from our blood, and dumping them into one’s urine.
That includes excess sugar (which is how diabetes was originally diagnosed) and excess salt. In both cases, they can only process so much, but they do their best.
Dr. DiNicolantino recognizes this in his book, but chalks it up to “if we do take too much salt, we’ll just pass it in urine, so no big deal”.
Unfortunately, this assumes that our kidneys have infinite operating capacity, and they’re good, but they’re not that good. They can only filter so much per hour (it’s about 1 liter of fluids). Remember we have about 5 liters of blood, consume 2–3 liters of water per day, and depending on our diet, several more liters of water in food (easy to consume several more liters of water in food if one eats fruit, let alone soups and stews etc), and when things arrive in our body, the body gets to work on them right away, because it doesn’t know how much time it’s going to have to get it done, before the next intake comes.
It is reasonable to believe that if we needed 8–10g of salt per day, as Dr. DiNicolantonio claims, our kidneys would not start dumping once we hit much, much lower levels in our blood (lower even than the daily recommended intake, because not all of the salt in our body is in our blood, obviously).
See also: How Too Much Salt Can Lead To Organ Failure
Lastly, a note about high blood pressure
This is one where the “salt’s not the bad guy” crowd have at least something close to a point, because while salt is indeed still a bad guy (if taken above the recommended amounts, without good medical reason), when it comes to high blood pressure specifically, it’s not the worst bad guy, nor is it even in the top 5:
Hypertension: Factors Far More Relevant Than Salt
Thanks for writing in with such an interesting question!
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