The Painkiller That Increases Cognitive Impairment Risk By 85%

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

This Common Painkiller Now → Cognitive Decline Within 10 Years?

We’ll get straight to it: receiving six or more prescriptions of gabapentin for lower back pain is linked to 29% increased risk of dementia and 85% risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) within 10 years.

Because MCI is, by definition, not yet full-blown dementia, that means that those risk increases are not overlapping (because by definition you cannot have both at once), which means they stack, which means you get 29+85 = 114% increased risk of getting one of those two conditions. In other words, your 10-year risk is more than doubled.

Gabapentin is widely used for chronic neuropathic pain due to low addiction potential (compared to opioids), but since there is a clear association between gabapentin prescriptions and later cognitive decline, it may not be so safe as it was hoped.

Read in full: Frequent gabapentin use linked to higher dementia and cognitive impairment risk

Related: Before You Reach For That Tylenol… ← includes a resource list for safer alternatives

USA Measles epidemic now at 33-year high

The US has recently recorded a record-breaking 1,288 confirmed measles cases, although of course the actual rate will be much higher. Of these, 750 cases have come from Texas, with additional spread into New Mexico and Oklahoma. The outbreak began in Gaines County, West Texas, which Dr. Peter Hotez attributes to anti-vaccine sentiment and low immunization rates.

In short, the highly effective MMR vaccine (97% efficacy) is still being underused as childhood vaccination rates continue to fall, leaving whole communities vulnerable to outbreaks. This was possible because recent Texas laws have made it easier to opt out of school vaccine requirements.

On the wider scale across the nation, there have been dozens of outbreaks this year; 13% of measles cases have required hospitalization, but few deaths so far (the deaths mostly being unvaccinated children).

Read in full: US measles case count hits 33-year high—and Texas’ outbreak is to blame, suggests vaccine expert

Related: The Truth About Vaccines

Fasting and the gut-brain axis

The news here is that is that intermitting fasting (IF) boosts beneficial gut bacteria, which produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These in turn help reduce inflammation, strengthen the gut lining, and support better communication between the gut and brain.

The benefits don’t stop there! You may remember that serotonin is made mostly in the gut. This study also showed that IF improves the production of serotonin and other neurotransmitters by changing how the body processes the amino acid tryptophan. IF therefore helps keep the brain’s internal clock in sync in multiple ways, reducing inflammation in areas of the brain that are sensitive to disrupted schedules—something especially important in aging and neurodegeneration.

At the cellular level, fasting encourages the brain to switch its fuel source from sugar to ketones, like β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), which are more efficient and protective. This switch improves energy use in brain cells, boosts antioxidants, and triggers “cellular clean-up” processes like autophagy, which help clear out harmful detritus—a major contributing factor to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Not content with just that, the study further showed that IF supports brain repair by increasing levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

In short, there’s a lot to be said for it:

Read in full: Fasting triggers neuroprotective changes that could delay dementia

Related: The Alzheimer’s Gut-Brain Connection—Caught On X-Ray!

Take care!