Posted on ADHD

Yoga and breathing exercises aid children with ADHD to focus

Sergey Kiselev is a head at Laboratory of Brain and Neurocognitive Development UrFU CREDIT UrFU / Karina Golovanova.

Yoga and breathing exercises have a positive effect on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). After special classes, children improve their attention, decrease hyperactivity, they do not get tired longer, they can engage in complex activities longer. This is the conclusion reached by psychologists at Ural Federal University who studied the effect of exercise on functions associated with voluntary regulation and control in 16 children with ADHD aged six to seven years. The results of the study are published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

“For children with ADHD, as a rule, the part of the brain that is responsible for the regulation of brain activity – the reticular formation – is deficient,” said Sergey Kiselev, head of the Laboratory of Brain and Neurocognitive Development at UrFU, head of the study. “This leads to the fact that they often experience states of inadequate hyperactivity, increased distraction and exhaustion, and their functions of regulation and control suffer a second time. We used a special breathing exercise based on the development of diaphragmatic rhythmic deep breathing – belly breathing. Such breathing helps to better supply the brain with oxygen and helps the reticular formation to better cope with its role. When the reticular formation receives enough oxygen, it begins to better regulate the child’s state of activity”.

In addition to breathing exercises, psychologists used body-oriented techniques, in particular, exercises with polar states “tension-relaxation”. The trainings took place three times a week for two to three months (depending on the program).

“Exercise has an immediate effect that appears immediately, but there is also a delayed effect. We found that exercise has a positive effect on regulation and control functions in children with ADHD and one year after the end of the exercise. This happens because the child’s correct breathing is automated, it becomes a kind of assistant that allows better supply of oxygen to the brain, which, in turn, has a beneficial effect on the behavior and psyche of a child with ADHD,” says Sergey Kiselev.

This technique was developed by the Russian neuropsychologist Anna Semenovich as part of a neuropsychological correction technique. UrFU psychologists tested how well this approach helps children with ADHD. But the study is pilot, says Kiselev. It showed that these exercises have a positive effect. However, more work needs to be done, involving more children with ADHD. This will also take into account factors such as gender, age, severi

Posted on Diet

Eating more fruit and vegetables linked to less stress – study

Eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is associated with less stress, according to new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU).

The study examined the link between fruit and vegetable intake and stress levels of more than 8,600 Australians aged between 25 and 91 participating in the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle (AusDiab) Study from Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute.

The findings revealed people who ate at least 470 grams of fruit and vegetables daily had 10 per cent lower stress levels than those who consumed less than 230 grams. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends eating at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables per day.

Lead researcher, PhD candidate Simone Radavelli-Bagatini from ECU’s Institute for Nutrition Research, said the study strengthens the link between diets rich in fruit and vegetables and mental wellbeing.

“We found that people who have higher fruit and veggie intakes are less stressed than those with lower intakes, which suggests diet plays a key role in mental wellbeing,” said Ms Radavelli-Bagatini.

A growing issue

Mental health conditions are an increasing problem in Australia and around the world. Around one in two Australians will experience a mental health issue in their lifetime. Globally, approximately 1 in 10 people live with a mental health disorder.

According to Ms Radavelli-Bagatini, some stress is considered normal, but long-term exposure can significantly impact mental health.

“Long-term and unmanaged stress can lead to a range of health problems including heart disease, diabetes, depression and anxiety so we need to find ways to prevent and possibly alleviate mental health problems in the future,” said Ms Radavelli-Bagatini.

The benefits of a healthy diet are well known, but only 1 in 2 Australians eat the recommended two serves of fruit per day and fewer than 1 in 10 eat the recommended five serves of vegetables each day.

“Previous studies have shown the link between fruit and vegetable consumption and stress in younger adults, but this is the first time we’re seeing similar results across adults of all ages,” said Ms Radavelli-Bagatini.

“The study’s findings emphasise that it’s important for people to have a diet rich in fruit and vegetables to potentially minimise stress.”

Food and mood

While the mechanisms behind how fruit and vegetable consumption influences stress are still unclear, Ms Radavelli-Bagatini said key nutrients could be a factor.

“Vegetables and fruits contain important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, flavonoids and carotenoids that can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, and therefore improve mental wellbeing,” she said.

“Inflammation and oxidative stress in the body are recognised factors that can lead to increased stress, anxiety and lower mood.”

“These findings encourage more research into diet and specifically what fruits and vegetables provide the most benefits for mental health.”

The research is part of ECU’s recently launched Institute for Nutrition Research, which aims to investigate how nutrition can help prevent and treat chronic health conditions.

‘Fruit and vegetable intake is inversely associated with perceived stress across the adult lifespan’ was published in Clinical Nutrition.

Posted on Multiple Sclerosis

Study finds low sugar metabolite associates with disability, neurodegeneration in Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Michael Demetriou, MD, PhD, FRCP(C), professor of neurology, microbiology and molecular genetics at UCI School of Medicine, is senior author on a new study that found low serum levels of the sugar N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), is associated with progressive disability and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS).

 A new University of California, Irvine-led study finds low serum levels of the sugar N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), is associated with progressive disability and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS).

The study, done in collaboration with researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, and the University of Toronto, Canada, is titled, “Association of a Marker of N-Acetylglucosamine With Progressive Multiple Sclerosis and Neurodegeneration,” The study was published this week in JAMA Neurology.

The study suggests that GlcNAc, which has been previously shown to promote re-myelination and suppress neurodegeneration in animal models of MS, is reduced in serum of progressive MS patients and those with worse clinical disability and neurodegeneration.

“We found the serum levels of a marker of GlcNAc was markedly reduced in progressive MS patients compared to healthy controls and patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis” explained Michael Demetriou, MD, PhD, FRCP(C), professor of neurology, microbiology and molecular genetics at UCI School of Medicine, and senior author on the paper.

First author of the study, Alexander Brandt, MD, adjunct associate professor of neurology at the UCI School of Medicine and previously associated with the Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Germany, added, “Lower GlcNAc serum marker levels correlated with multiple measures of neurodegeneration in MS, namely worse expanded disability status scale scores, lower thalamic volume, and thinner retinal nerve fiber layer. Also, low baseline serum levels correlated with a greater percentage of brain volume loss at 18 months,” he said.

GlcNAc regulates protein glycosylation, a fundamental process that decorates the surface of all cells with complex sugars. Previous preclinical, human genetic and ex vivo human mechanistic studies revealed that GlcNAc reduces proinflammatory immune responses, promotes myelin repair, and decreases neurodegeneration. Combined with the new findings, the data suggest that GlcNAc deficiency may promote progressive disease and neurodegeneration in patients with MS. However, additional human clinical studies are required to confirm this hypothesis.

“Our findings open new potential avenues to identify patients at risk of disease progression and neurodegeneration, so clinicians can develop and adjust therapies accordingly,” said Michael Sy, MD, PhD, assistant professor in residence in the Department of Neurology at UCI and a co-author of the study.

MS is characterized by recurrent episodes of neurologic dysfunction resulting from acute inflammatory demyelination. Progressive MS is distinguished by continuous inflammation, failure to remyelinate, and progressive neurodegeneration, causing accrual of irreversible neurologic disability. Neurodegeneration is the major contributor to progressive neurological disability in MS patients, yet mechanisms are poorly understood and there are no current treatments for neurodegeneration.

Posted on Diabetes, Weight Loss

Pairing bariatric procedure with diabetes drug increases weight loss

Bariatric surgery
Bariatric surgery

 Combining minimally invasive endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) with the diabetes drug semaglutide can provide additional significant weight loss for patients who are not candidates for invasive weight-loss surgery, according to research that was selected for presentation at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2021.

“As the worldwide obesity rate continues to climb, so do the number of people seeking bariatric surgery to treat their condition,” said Anna Carolina Hoff, MD, lead researcher on the study and founder and clinical director of Angioskope Brazil, São José dos Campos. “Surgical procedures are some of the most successful ways to help patients lose weight, but they can eventually come with complications. Our study shows that patients may not have to undergo invasive surgery to get similar results.”

In a double-blind study, researchers randomized 61 patients undergoing ESG into two groups with one group of 29 patients receiving semaglutide — an injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor that has been known to stimulate weight loss — beginning one month after the procedure. Another group of 29 patients received a placebo administered with look-alike injector pens. Three patients were lost to follow-up. Participants were monitored each month for body weight and body composition, and blood panels were taken every three months.

Patients who received semaglutide lost on average 26.7 percent of their total body weight compared to the control group, which on average lost 19.6 percent of total body weight. The semaglutide group lost 86.3 percent of their excess weight — the amount of weight the patients needed to lose to reach normal BMI — compared to 60.4 percent for the control group. The semaglutide group also lost 12.7 percent of their body fat by weight compared to 9 percent for the control group. Finally, glycated hemoglobin (Hb1Ac) levels fell 0.95 for the semaglutide group and 0.61 for the controls.

Surgical procedures, such as laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, come with increased costs and a higher risk for complications, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. These surgical procedures are typically limited to those with a BMI of at least 35 with comorbidities, or with a BMI above 40. ESG can be performed at an earlier stage of the disease and at a lower BMI, so more patients can get the treatment they need before their disease progresses. Treating patients with obesity earlier can help reduce death and comorbidities as well as reduce costs associated with treatments for these conditions.

“ESG has been available to patients for years, but it has not always been as successful as surgical options in helping patients lose weight,” said Dr. Hoff. “We now have a minimally invasive procedure that can be just as successful when combined with semaglutide and can be made available to even more people looking to lose a significant amount of weight.”

ESG is performed by guiding a device through the patient’s throat and into the stomach, where an endoscopist uses sutures to make the stomach smaller. This helps patients lose weight by limiting the amount they can eat. Patients are candidates for ESG if they have a BMI at or above 30, and diet and exercise have not helped them lose weight, or if they are not a candidate for surgery, or do not wish to pursue surgery.

The researchers caution that long term durability of the treatment still needs to be determined.

DDW Presentation Details

Dr. Hoff will present data from the study, “Semaglutide in association to endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty: Taking endoscopic bariatric procedures outcomes to the next level,” abstract Su548, on Sunday, May 23, at 12:15 p.m. EDT. For more information about featured studies, as well as a schedule of availability for featured researchers, please visit http://www.ddw.org/press.

Posted on Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, Exercise

Study finds obese people with pattern of later waking and peak activity later in day at higher risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

People who experience disrupted 24-hour cycles of rest and activity are more likely to have mood disorders


New research presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (held online, 10-13 May) shows that people living with obesity with the so called ‘evening chronotype’ – that is, a pattern of later waking and peak activity later in the day – have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) than those who both wake and have their peak activity levels earlier (morning or intermediate chronotypes). The study is by Dr Giovanna Muscogiuri, Assistant Professor in Endocrinology at University Federico II, Naples, Italy, and colleagues.

This study (carried out at University Federico II, Naples) compared people living with obesity with morning chronotype (MC), evening chronotype (EC) and intermediate chronotype (IC). Previous studies have shown that people with EC have disruptions to their body clock (known as circadian rhythm) that can alter their metabolic processes, due to over-activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is a collection of linked body systems that control our reaction to stress, digestion, the immune system and various other functions. EC is also often associated with sleep disturbances. The aim of this study was to investigate if EC contributes to the risk of developing T2D and CVD in people living with obesity, beyond sleep disturbances and other clinical characteristics.

In this cross-sectional study, 172 middle-aged adults (72% females; mean age 52 years; mean body mass index (BMI) 32 kg/m2) were consecutively enrolled during a campaign to prevent obesity called the OPERA (obesity, programs of nutrition, education, research and assessment of the best treatment) PREVENTION project that was held in Naples on October 11-13, 2019. Body measurements and personal data were collected, and sleep quality was assessed by a common score known as the Pittsburgh Index. Chronotype was evaluated by a standard assessment called the Horne-Ostberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. Based on their scores, individuals were classed as being a morning (score 59 -86), neither (42-58), or evening (16 -41) type.

Chronotype was classified as MC in 58% of subjects, EC in 13% and IC in 29%. Subjects with EC, when compared to IC and MC, reported a tendency to follow an unhealthy lifestyle, performing less regular physical activity and being more frequently smokers. Across the whole population, a lower chronotype score was associated with a higher BMI. All results were statistically significant.

Although subjects belonging to MC, IC and EC categories had similar BMI values, subjects with EC had a significant higher prevalence of CVD and T2D compared to other categories (see Table 1 and 2 of full abstract). Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the associations of chronotype with T2D and CVD. After adjusting the analysis for age, gender, BMI and sleep quality, people with EC had a 6 times higher risk of having T2D and a more than four times increased risk of CVD compared to the MC. EC also showed a 19 times higher risk of having T2DM and a four times higher risk of CVD compared to IC, with all results again statistically significant. However, no statistically significant differences in risk of T2D or CVD were found between MC and IC.

The authors conclude: “Our study found that evening chronotype represents an independent risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases beyond sleep disturbances, age, gender and BMI. Hence the assessment of chronotype should be taken into account in the management of obesity because promoting an alignment of daily activities according to the body clock or ‘circadian rhythm’ of people living with obesity might reduce their risk of developing metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”