health briefs

Take Vinegar to Lower the Blues

Depression relief may be as close as the vinegar bottle on the kitchen shelf, according to a new study from Arizona State University involving 25 healthy college students divided into two groups. Fourteen drank two tablespoons of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar diluted in one cup of water twice daily with meals, while 11 students consumed a vinegar tablet that contained 1/100 as much vinegar twice daily. After four weeks, using psychological tests and urine samples, the researchers found a 20 to 34 percent reduction in self-reported depression scores from the test group compared to slight increases in depression in the control group. Several metabolic alterations were found consistent with improved mood, including enzymatic dysfunction in the hexosamine pathway, as well as significant increases in glycine, serine and threonine metabolism. “With over 40 percent of college students self-reporting moderate-to-severe depression—a 77 percent increase over the past decade—simple and safe strategies that effectively reduce depression in this population are urgently needed,” the authors write.

Psilocybin Therapy for Depression

COMPASS Pathways, a mental health care company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovations in mental health, and Sermo, a global leader in physician insights, has announced findings from a survey of Sermo physician members that showed two thirds (66 percent) of doctors surveyed believe psilocybin therapy has potential therapeutic benefits for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Psilocybin therapy is an approach being investigated for the treatment of mental health challenges, including TRD. It combines the pharmacological effects of a synthesized version of psilocybin, a psychoactive substance that is an active ingredient in some species of mushrooms, with psychological support.

The survey of 259 Sermo member physicians, sponsored by COMPASS, was conducted in November 2021 and completed by participants from the U.S., the UK, France, Italy, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands. Doctors were asked their views on the future of psychiatric therapy and the potential role of psilocybin therapy.

Survey findings suggest 50 percent of the physicians would prescribe psilocybin therapy, if it was approved; 32 percent are undecided. “Severe mental illnesses, such as treatment-resistant depression, have affected too many people in society for too long. Physicians are looking for new approaches to accelerate the healing process, particularly for patients for whom current therapies have failed,” says Murali Doraiswamy MBBS, FRCP, professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Duke University School of Medicine, and an advisor to Sermo.

Learn more at CompassPathways.com.

Eat Alpha Lipoic Acid-Rich Foods to Live Longer

A high dietary intake of foods containing alpha lipoic acid (ALA), a plant-based amino acid essential to the body’s metabolism, is associated with a 10 percent lower risk of death from all causes, an 8 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease death and an 11 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease, reports a new study in The BMJ, a peer-reviewed medical trade journal published by the British Medical Association. An international team of researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 41 studies involving 1,197,564 participants that were followed for up to 32 years.

They found that each additional gram per day of ALA (equivalent to one tablespoon of canola oil or a half-ounce of walnuts) was linked to a 5 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease death. “A higher intake of ALA, however, was associated with a slightly higher risk of cancer mortality,” the researchers wrote. ALA is found in nuts, soybeans, canola oil, flaxseed, chia seeds and other food sources such as avocados, dairy products, navy beans and oatmeal.