Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Uncork this secret ingredient in red wine to fight age-related illnesses

Excerpt from: The Oakland Press (click for full article)

 

Scientists have homed in on how resveratrol -- a chemical commonly found in red wine and chocolate -- works to prevent cell aging, which could eventually lead to the development of synthetic drug treatments for obesity, diabetes, cancer, and other conditions, according to new research published in Science.

Though researchers have been looking at resveratrol for years, this new research, from Harvard Medical School, is considered a breakthrough in understanding the chemical's potential to increase the activity of a protein called SIRT1, which helps fuel the power-producing parts of cells and in turn may fight age-related illnesses like cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes.

"This was the killer experiment," said David Sinclair, PhD, senior study author and genetics professor at Harvard Medical School, in a press release. "There is no rational alternative explanation other than resveratrol directly activates SIRT1 in cells. Now that we know the exact location on SIRT1 where and how resveratrol works, we can engineer even better molecules that more precisely and effectively trigger the effects of resveratrol."

Allergies, extra weight tied to bullying

Excerpt from: The Oakland Press (click for full article)

 

Kids who have food allergies or are overweight may be especially likely to get bullied by their peers, two new studies suggest.

Not surprisingly, researchers also found targets of bullying were more distressed and anxious and had a worse quality of life, in general, than those who weren’t picked on.

Bullying has become a concern among parents, doctors and school administrators since research and news stories emerged linking bullying - including online “cyberbullying” - with depression and even suicide.

“There has been a shift and people are more and more recognizing that bullying has real consequences, it’s not just something to be making jokes about,” said Dr. Mark Schuster, chief of general pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School, who wrote a commentary published with the new research.