Lowering Cholesterol May Help Your Immune System
LOWERING CHOLESTEROL MAY FIGHT INFECTIONS
A study has found that when the body becomes infected with a virus, an immune system hormone sends a signal to the blood cells to curb the production of cholesterol, a waxy substance required by bacteria and viruses in order to grow; this suggests that lowering cholesterol may prove effective in fighting viral infections.
According to the findings, the body appears to have a built-in mechanism to reduce cholesterol production when it detects a viral or bacterial infection. Therapies that boost this effect could the help the body’s natural, anti-virus defenses. Currently, antibiotics are used to target serious bacteria directly while cholesterol-lowering therapies would target cholesterol metabolism and therefore, work in the same way as the immune system. This would be the first example of protecting against acute infection by targeting a metabolic pathway. But the challenge may be to develop strategies that slash cholesterol quickly.
This study was published March 8, 2011 by the journal, PLoS Biology. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/ho6xDB without charge.
Children, Farm Animals & Allergies
What do Children, Farm Animals & Allergies Have in Common?
Allergies are less common in children exposed during infancy to farm animals and bacteria.
In fact, children of mothers who were exposed during pregnancy to farm animals or cats are born with an immune system protection against atopic dermatitis, according to a study released November 26, 2010 by the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology.
(Atopic dermatitis is an itchy and painful skin rash caused by an inherited hypersensitivity to allergens.)
Further, children who grow up with older siblings, who may transmit bacteria to them, are less likely to develop autoimmune diseases and allergies. These facts add even greater weight to the well-accepted Hygiene Hypothesis, which strongly suggests that the modern era’s obsession with sanitized environments, and early-life protection against bacteria, deprives a child’s immature and still-developing immune system from experiencing an appropriate level of bacterial exposure. This may cause an immune system over-reaction throughout life.
Hold the Hand Sanitizer?
Allergies are less common in children exposed during infancy to farm animals and bacteria. In fact, children of mothers who were exposed during pregnancy to farm animals or cats are born with an immune system protection against atopic dermatitis, according to a study released November 26, 2010 by the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology. (Atopic dermatitis is an itchy and painful skin rash caused by an inherited hypersensitivity to allergens.) Further, children who grow up with older siblings, who may transmit bacteria to them, are less likely to develop autoimmune diseases and allergies. These facts add even greater weight to the well-accepted Hygiene Hypothesis, which strongly suggests that the modern era’s obsession with sanitized environments, and early-life protection against bacteria, deprives a child’s immature and still-developing immune system from experiencing an appropriate level of bacterial exposure. This may cause an immune system over-reaction throughout life.
How Brushing & Flossing Can Help Your Heart
POOR DENTAL HYGIENE LINKED TO HEART DISEASE
A study suggests that without proper brushing of teeth and regular flossing, bacteria from plaque can escape into the bloodstream, where they can initiate blood clots and generally wreak havoc on the body.
Researchers stressed that people need to maintain good dental hygiene to help ward off blood clots and heart disease in general. The study showed that, once let loose in the bloodstream, Streptococcus bacteria cause blood platelets to bind together and completely encase the bacteria, protecting the bacteria from both the body’s immune system and from antibacterial drugs. This same process creates small clots as well as growths on the heart valves or inflammation of the blood vessels. Dental health may prevent the release of bacteria into the blood and therefore, these other heart-related risks.
The study was released September 9, 2010 at the autumn meeting of the Society for General Microbiology in Nottingham, UK. It has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Can Tea Raise Arthritis Risk In Women?
A very preliminary study suggests women who drink any amount of tea daily – men were not tested – incur a higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). But coffee was not found to be linked to any higher risk of RA, whether the coffee was filtered or unfiltered, caffeinated or without caffeine.
Researchers stressed that the tea-RA effect is not necessarily one of cause-and-effect and were unaware of any specific ingredient in the tea that could affect the onset of RA, which is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s own immune system attacks the body’s joints and tissue.
Further study is needed because a different study in the journal, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, confirming prior research on tea’s health benefits, found a 36 percent reduced risk of heart disease in those consuming 6 cups of tea a day and a 20 percent reduced risk of heart disease in those consuming less than two cups or more than four cups of coffee daily. Those with rheumatic diseases should consult their Naturopathic or Integrative Physician.
The RA-tea study was presented June 18 in Rome at EULAR 2010, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism. It has not been published and is not yet available in its full-text version.