Can Social Media Shrink Young Brains?

There has been a lot said about decreasing screen time, especially in children. There have been many studies that show adverse effects.

But now, in a recent study, Sci Rep 2018 Feb 1., researchers tested the relationship between WeChat usage and brain morphology, researchers conducted a study of 61 university students (mean age, 22; 40 males) who underwent MRI scans and completed self-report questionnaires on WeChat addiction, depression, and anxiety. WeChat is an app popular in China similar to Facebook but with many additional functions, such as shopping and banking.

They found a correlation with decreases in brain gray matter and the amount of WeChat addiction. This corresponds to data showing that video games change white matter in 6- to 18-year-olds (NEJM JW Psychiatry Mar 2016 and Mol Psychiatry 2016; 21:1781).

Of note, many titans of Silicon Valley anticipated these pernicious effects of social media on children's neurological development and thus sent their children to device-free schools (e.g., Business Insider Nov 7, 2017). Such as Waldorf Schools.

So put down the cell phone now and stop your children from becoming addicted!

https://mojavespringsschool.org/

Gluten? OR Fructan??

It seems that gluten free diets are the fad these days. Many people, with no clinical evidence (blood tests or intestinal changes) of Celiac disease claim to do better on a gluten free diet.

In a recent study, to evaluate this occurrence, researchers evaluated symptoms in such a population to see if they reacted to Fructan, another carbohydrate found in many foods (see below).

They found that Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) scores, both overall and for bloating, were higher with fructans compared with gluten. The fructans group also had worse scores for vitality and weakness compared with the gluten group. Gastroenterology 2018 Feb

It seems that some people may be having Fructan intolerance rather than gluten. If you have symptoms, its worth a try!

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-high-in-fodmaps

Your Diet and Your Health - Weight, Cancer and Depression

I have "ranted" many times about healthy diets. There have been several studies recently that confirm this. Diets heavy in ultra-processed foods also tend to have more calories, sodium, fat, additives, sugar, and contaminants like acrylamide and bisphenol A, and less fiber and micronutrients.

CANCER

In a study in the British Medical Journal (BMJ 2018;360:k322), researchers found eating a lot of ultra-processed foods — like mass-produced desserts, packaged bread, processed meats, and snack foods — may be associated with increased cancer risk. In a study of over 10,000 patients, each 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake was associated with increased risk for overall cancer and breast cancer.

In a second study (doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2017.4844) researchers followed 121,000 patients and monitored their diets. Those with the highest pro-inflammatory diets (high in processed food) had an almost 50% higher rate of colon cancer.

WEIGHT

In a study in Denmark (Gut 2017 Nov 1. ) researchers examined whether replacing a refined grain diet with a whole grain diet would have an effect on the gut bacteria and weight. They found that the whole grain diet body weight decreased slightly, which correlated with lower energy intake. Inflammatory markers decreased with the whole grain diet.

DEPRESSION

In a study of adolescents (Brain Behav Immun 2018 Jan 12. ) researchers looked at the effects of a pro-inflammatory (processed) diet versus a "healthy” diet (consisting of more fish, fruits, vegetables, whole grains). They found a significant lower incidence of depression in 17 year olds on the healthy diet.

So eat whole grains, and stay away from processed food. I'm sure once in while is OK, but try and maintain a healthy diet!

Ultrasounds in Pregnancy - Don't Get 4D!

Doing one or two ultrasounds during pregnancy are a very useful procedure to evaluate growth of the fetus and many early abnormalities which can be treated. It has prevented innumerable fetal deaths.

But we have gotten a bit carried away, with multiple ultrasounds and even the high intensity 4D type ultrasound. I have always advised against it, because we really don't know what effect they can have on the developing fetus. The initial concerns were about hearing, but now a recent study raises additional concerns.

In a retrospective study of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) children researcher found that there was significant association with deeper penetration ultrasound; but not with the number of ultrasounds.

This does not prove cause, but confirms that the least number of ultrasounds is best. And those 4D fancy pictures are surely unnecessary!

JAMA Pediatr 2018 Feb 12

Flu Vaccine - Get it

The CDC annually predicts which type of flu (there are 2 genes in each virus, with many varieties of each possible) will predominate and incorporated that in their vaccine. Based on cultures in this year's flu viruses, the efficacy is:

• Influenza A(H3N2): 25%

• Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09: 67%

• Influenza B: 42%

Overall, 36% are controlled with the vaccine. However, looking at age groups they found:

Children aged 6 months through 8 years (59% effective)

Adults aged 18 through 49 (33% effective).

The flu can be a fatal illness. If you had a 36% chance of preventing a fatal disease would't you take it. Side effects are minimal.

And, In a news conference on Thursday, the CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat noted that three out of four children who've died from flu this season were not vaccinated.

Everyone over 6 months old should be vaccinated.

More dangers of processed foods - Trehalose

Trehalose is a "natural" sugar that is found extensively, but not abundantly, in nature. Certain mushrooms and other products that seem to resist dehydration and spoiling use it as a sugar replacement.

It is not an artificial sweetener, but actually a sugar replacement that extends the shelf life of processed foods that contain it. Until about 2000 it was very expensive to extract, but processes have been developed that allow it to be obtained inexpensively. The FDA has allowed manufacturers to add it to processed foods.

And as often is the case, our attempts to change the natural way of things has unintended consequences. In this case, researchers have found that the presence of trehalose has caused the emergence of two previously rare types of C. difficile bacteria as epidemic virulent strains of potentially fatal diarrhea. These strains genetically grow better with Trehalose.

Nature 2018 Jan 18

This bacteria is notoriously difficult to cure and spreads rapidly, especially among sick patients. These newer strains are even worse.

The simple thing to do is, once again, to avoid those processed foods! Hopefully this product will be go the way of other poisonous additives soon.

Spreading the Flu by Breathing

This years's flu virus is more virulent than previous years, and there have been a higher than usual number of deaths. But do you need to be exposed to a cough or sneeze to catch it?

Flu is spread by the inhalation of viral particles from someone who has the flu. But not everyone gets terribly sick, and it can even manifest as a mild upper respiratory illness in some people. Why others get critically ill still has not been determined.

Researchers decided to see if simply being near someone who has the flu can be dangerous. In a recent publication, http://m.pnas.org/content/early/2018/01/17/1716561115.full, they found that there was live flu virus, suspended in tiny water droplets, present when an infected person simply breathes; not necessarily coughs or sneezes!

In addition, vaccinated persons were MORE likely to have infectious particles; possibly because they were less ill!

Sometimes you can't avoid exposure. The current vaccine is not as effective as we would like (20-30%) but even if you do catch the flu you are less likely to get severely ill. And the vaccine does not cause you to get sick - it contains no live particles!

So get the vaccine, and wear a mask near someone who has the flu (and they should too) for at least 3-5 days!