health briefs

from Natural Awakenings Richmond, Sept/Oct 2022

news briefs

Take a Social Media Break to Improve Mental Health

With 82 percent of Americans using apps like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, scrolling through social media has become an unconscious automatic behavior for many. But that distraction comes with a price, indicates a new study by the UK’s University of Bath. Half of the 154 participants ages 18 to 72 stopped using virtually all social media for one week, reducing their average usage time from eight hours to 21 minutes for that period. After the seven days, they showed significant improvements in their well-being, depression and anxiety scores compared to those in a control group that did not take such a break. “Scrolling social media is so ubiquitous that many of us do it almost without thinking, from the moment we wake up to when we close our eyes at night,” says lead researcher Jeff Lambert. “But if you are spending hours each week scrolling and you feel it is negatively impacting you, it could be worth cutting down on your usage to see if it helps.”

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Vitamin E Enhances Cancer Immunotherapy

In a study published in Cancer Discovery, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported that vitamin E can ready made/AdobeStock.com enhance immunotherapy responses in cancer patients by stimulating the activity of dendritic cells in tumors. Combing the records of patients with melanoma, breast, colon and kidney cancers that were being treated with immunotherapy, they found that taking vitamin E improved survival times and boosted treatment responses. In laboratory work, the researchers demonstrated that vitamin E directly binds and blocks the activity of the SHP1 checkpoint protein in dendritic cells, which primes T cells for an anti-tumor immune response. “This study broadens our understanding of factors that can influence responses to immunotherapies,” says author Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D. Unlike chemotherapy, which acts directly on cancerous tumors, immunotherapy treats patients by revitalizing their immune system and “teaching” it how to identify and destroy cancer cells.

Childhood Adventures and Team Sports Boost Well-Being

The pandemic has challenged both children’s learning environments and their emotional well-being, but new Adrià Crehuet Cano/Unsplash.com research shows that playing adventurously outdoors and participating in team sports can help lower their mental health risks. Researchers from the UK University of Exeter surveyed nearly 2,500 parents of 5-to11-year-olds in the UK and Northern Ireland. The study found that kids that climbed trees, rode bikes, jumped from high surfaces and had other outdoor adventures without adult supervision experienced a lower incidence of anxiety and depression, and were more upbeat during the COVID-19 lockdown. In another study, researchers from California State University, Fullerton, found that kids in team sports like volleyball and soccer, but not others in individual sports like gymnastics and wrestling, did better emotionally and mentally. Analyzing data from 11,235 kids between 9 and 13 years old, they found that compared to kids that did not participate in sports, those that were on teams had a lower incidence of attention issues, social problems, anxiety, depression and withdrawal. Kids that participated in individual sports had higher levels of those mental health challenges.

Eat Green and Orange Produce to Lower Dementia Risk

Green veggies and orange fruits can help stave off dementia, according to new findings from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging. Researchers gave 7,283 people physical exams and blood tests, and then monitored them for dementia symptoms for 16 years. Those with higher levels of lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin in their blood had significantly less incidence of dementia compared to those with lower levels of these antioxidants. Lutein and zeaxanthin are found in green, leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, peas and broccoli. Beta-cryptoxanthin is found in orange fruits like papaya, oranges and persimmons.

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