microbiome, flavanoids, phytochemicals, ketogenic diets, fluoridation, dogs on drugs, “fitness” foods

Fermented foods, neuroticism, and social anxiety: An interaction model (2015)

“[F]or those high in neuroticism, higher frequency of fermented food consumption was associated with fewer symptoms of social anxiety. Taken together with previous studies, the results suggest that fermented foods that contain probiotics may have a protective effect against social anxiety symptoms for those at higher genetic risk, as indexed by trait neuroticism.”

Antibiotic Therapy vs Appendectomy for Treatment of Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis: The APPAC Randomized Clinical Trial (2015)

“There were 273 patients in the surgical group and 257 in the antibiotic group… Of the 256 patients available for follow-up in the antibiotic group, 186… did not require surgery. There were no intra-abdominal abscesses or other major complications associated with delayed appendectomy in patients randomized to antibiotic treatment.”

Dietary flavonoid intake at midlife and healthy aging in women (2014)

“Higher intake of flavonoids at midlife, specifically flavones, flavanones, anthocyanins, and flavonols, is associated with greater likelihood of health and wellbeing in individuals surviving to older ages. “

A phytochemical-rich diet may explain the absence of age-related decline in visual acuity of Amazonian hunter-gatherers in Ecuador (2015)

“Myopia is absent in undisturbed hunter-gatherers but ubiquitous in modern populations… Our results suggest that intake of a wider variety of plant foods supplying necessary phytochemicals for eye health may help maintain visual acuity and prevent degenerative eye conditions as humans age.”

NREM-sleep Associated Epileptiform Discharges Disappeared Following a Shift toward the Paleolithic Ketogenic Diet in a Child with Extensive Cortical Malformation (2015)

“Here we report a case of a child with developmental delay, extensive bilateral cortical malformation and frequent interictal epileptic discharges confined to non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep electroencephalogram (EEG).The child started the paleolithic ketogenic diet which she strongly adhered to. Follow-up EEGs showed complete normalization of the EEG along with improvements in cognition.”

Childhood Absence Epilepsy Successfully Treated with the Paleolithic Ketogenic Diet (2013)

“Here, we present a case of a 7-year-old child with absence epilepsy successfully treated with the paleolithic ketogenic diet alone. In addition to seizure freedom achieved within 6 weeks, developmental and behavioral improvements were noted. The child remained seizure-free when subsequently shifted toward a paleolithic diet.”

High Proportions of People with Non-Celiac Wheat Sensitivity Have Autoimmune Disease or Anti-nuclear Antibodies (2015)

“Higher proportions of patients with [non-celiac wheat sensitivity] or celiac disease develop autoimmune disorders, are [anti-nuclear antibody] positive, and showed DQ2/DQ8 haplotypes compared to patients with [Irritable Bowel Syndrome].”

The Effect of Fitness Branding on Restrained Eaters’ Food Consumption and Post-Consumption Physical Activity (2015)

“[F]itness branding increases consumption volumes for restrained eaters unless the food is viewed as dietary forbidden. Restrained eaters are also less physically active after consuming fitness-branded food, and food consumption volumes mediate this effect in restrained eaters. Fitness branding may therefore have undesirable effects on the weight control behaviors of restrained eaters because it discourages physical activity despite an increase in consumption, which is contrary to the principle of energy balance.”

Hunting and hallucinogens: The use psychoactive and other plants to improve the hunting ability of dogs (2015)

“The use of psychoactive substances to improve a dog׳s hunting ability seems counterintuitive, yet its prevalence suggests that it is both adaptive and that it has an underlying pharmacological explanation. We hypothesize that hallucinogenic plants alter perception in hunting dogs by diminishing extraneous signals and by enhancing sensory perception (most likely olfaction) that is directly involved in the detection and capture of game.”

Water fluoridation for the prevention of dental caries (2015)

“There is very little contemporary evidence, meeting the review’s inclusion criteria, that has evaluated the effectiveness of water fluoridation for the prevention of caries.”