YOUR HEALTH
Research round up
NEW FRONTIERS NEW FRONTIERS:
RESEARCH ROUND UP
THE LATEST SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF INTEREST TO HOLISTIC THERAPISTS AND THEIR CLIENTS…
unknown type of cell in the gut that can
team has shown that these cells also produce
distinguish between natural sugar and
fast-acting neurotransmitter signals that reach
artificial sweeteners. The neuropod cells are
the vagus nerve and then the brain within
located in the upper reaches of the gut and
milliseconds.
function, essentially, like taste buds or the
Using lab-grown organoids from mouse and
retinal cones of the eye to detect colour. They
human cells to represent the small intestine and
sense traces of sugar versus sweetener and
duodenum (upper gut), the researchers showed
then they release different neurotransmitters
in a small experiment that real sugar stimulated
We’ve long known that many people with
that go into different cells in the vagus nerve,
individual neuropod cells to release glutamate as
chronic pain also struggle with their weight,
and ultimately, the animal knows ‘this is
a neurotransmitter. Artificial sugar triggered the
but now researchers at the Del Monte Institute
sugar’ or ‘this is sweetener.
release of a different neurotransmitter, ATP. Ref:
FOOD AND PAIN: A NEW CONNECTION
for Neuroscience have suggested that circuitry
Originally termed enteroendrocrine cells
in the brain responsible for motivation
because of their ability to secrete hormones,
and pleasure is impacted when someone
specialised neuropod cells can communicate
experiences pain.
with neurons via rapid synaptic connections
The team used a gelatine dessert and
and are distributed throughout the lining of the
10.1038/s41593-021-00982-7
DEMENTIA AND NUTRITION: A HIGH-FIBRE DIET MAY REDUCE RISK OF DEMENTIA
pudding and altered the sugar, fat, and texture
upper gut. In addition to producing relatively
In a new study published in the journal
of the foods. They found that none of the
slow-acting hormone signals, the research
Nutritional Neuroscience, researchers in Japan
patients experienced eating behaviour changes with sugar, but they did with fat. Those with acute lower back pain who later recovered were most likely to lose pleasure in eating the pudding and show disrupted satiety signals - the communication from the digestive system to the brain - while those with acute lower back pain whose pain persisted at one year did not initially have the same change in their eating behaviour. But chronic lower back pain patients did report that eventually foods high in fat and carbohydrates, like ice cream and cookies, became problematic for them over time and brain scans showed disrupted satiety signals. These findings suggest obesity in patients with chronic pain may not be caused by lack of movement but may be because they change how they eat. Ref: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263527
NUTRITION: THE GUT SENSES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REAL SUGAR AND ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER A team from the Duke University School of Medicine has discovered a previously
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