Latest news with #cognitiveFunction
The Independent
6 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Does methylene blue really have health benefits? Pharmacologist gives verdict
The internet is abuzz with tributes to a liquid chemical called methylene blue that is being sold as a health supplement. Over the past five or 10 years, methylene blue has come to be touted online as a so-called nootropic agent – a substance that enhances cognitive function. Vendors claim that it amps up brain energy, improves memory, boosts focus and dispels brain fog, among other supposed benefits. Health influencers, such as podcaster Joe Rogan, have sung its praises. In February 2025, shortly before he was confirmed as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared in a video squirting a blue liquid widely presumed to be methylene blue into a glass, though he never verbally endorsed the substance. As a researcher studying inflammation and cancer, I investigate how dyes affect human health. Claims about methylene blue are alluring, and it's easy to buy into its promise. But so far, evidence supporting its health benefits is scant, and there are some serious risks to using the substance outside of medical practice. What is methylene blue? Methylene blue is a synthetic dye that exists as a dark green powder and takes on a deep blue colour when dissolved in water. My work and that of others suggest that many synthetic dyes widely used in foods and medicines can trigger potentially harmful immune system reactions in the body. But unlike commonly used food dyes – one of which was recently banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – methylene blue is not derived from petroleum, also known as crude oil. Instead, it comes from a different family of dyes, which isn't thought to have these health concerns. Methylene blue was first synthesised in 1876 as a dye for textiles and was valued for its intense colour and ability to bind well to fabrics. Soon after, German physician Paul Ehrlich discovered its ability to stain biological tissues and to kill the parasite that causes malaria, making it one of the first synthetic drugs used in medicine. The chemical didn't gain widespread use as a malaria treatment because it was no more effective than quinine, the standard therapy at the time. But in the 1930s, the dye found a new use in testing the safety of raw or unpasteurized milk. If its blue colour faded quickly, the milk was contaminated with bacteria, but if it remained blue, the milk was considered relatively clean. This safety test is now largely obsolete. But it works thanks to methylene blue's chemical superpower, which is that its molecules can swap electrons with other molecules, like a tiny battery charger. How do doctors use it today? That same chemical superpower enables some of methylene blue's medical uses. Most significantly, doctors use it to treat a rare blood disorder called methemoglobinemia, in which haemoglobin, an iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen, takes on a different form that can't do the job. Methylene blue restores haemoglobin's function by transferring an electron. Doctors also sometimes use methylene blue to treat the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning, septic shock or toxicities from drugs such as chemotherapy. It is also used as a surgical dye to highlight specific tissues, such as lymph nodes, or to identify where tissue is leaky and therefore may be damaged. How does methylene blue affect the brain? Methylene blue can enter the brain by crossing the protective tissue barrier that surrounds it. Researchers have also found that the chemical can protect and support mitochondria, cell structures that are often described as the powerhouses of the cell. Methylene blue may help mitochondria generate energy for cells to use. For these reasons, researchers are studying methylene blue's effect on the brain. So far, most of what's known about the substance's effects on the brain comes from studies in rats and in cells grown in a lab dish, not in people. For example, researchers have found that methylene blue may improve learning, boost memory and protect brain cells in rats with a condition that mimics Alzheimer's disease. Studies in rodents have also found that methylene blue can protect the brain from damage from brain injury. Other studies showed that methylene blue is useful in treating ischemic stroke in rats. However, no research to date has examined whether it protects people's brains from traumatic brain injury or stroke. A handful of clinical trials have investigated the effects of methylene blue in treating aspects of Alzheimer's disease in people, but a 2023 review of these trials notes that their results have been mixed and not conclusive. A small study of 26 people found that a single low dose of the chemical boosted memory by about 7 per cent and increased brain activity during thinking tasks. Another study by the same researchers found that methylene blue changed how different parts of the brain connected, though it didn't improve thinking skills. Although some studies in people have shown hints that methylene blue may be beneficial for some brain-related issues, such as pain management and neuropsychiatric disorders, such studies to date have been small. This suggests that while there may be patient circumstances where methylene blue is beneficial, researchers have not yet pinned down what those are. Is methylene blue safe? Methylene blue is generally safe when used under medical supervision. However, the chemical has some serious risks. For one thing, it can interact with widely used medications. Methylene blue inhibits a molecule called monoamine oxidase, whose job is to break down an important brain chemical, serotonin. Many commonly used medications for treating anxiety and depression target serotonin. Taking the supplement along with these medicines can cause a condition called serotonin syndrome, which can lead to agitation, confusion, high fever, rapid heart rate, muscle stiffness and, in severe cases, seizures or even death. In people with a rare genetic deficiency of an enzyme called G6PD, methylene blue can cause a dangerous condition in which red blood cells break down too quickly. At high doses, the chemical can also raise blood pressure or cause heart problems. Also, it's considered unsafe for pregnant or breastfeeding women because it may harm the fetus or baby. Overall, while scientists have found hints of some fascinating properties of methylene blue, much larger, longer trials are needed to know if it truly works, what the right dose is and how safe it is over time.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This Common Supplement Shows Early Potential in Alzheimer's Treatment
Creatine is one of the most well-studied supplements out there. While it's best known for helping beginners boost strength and build muscle, that's just scratching the surface of what it can do. Research shows creatine also increases energy stores in the brain and may enhance cognitive function. Even more exciting? A recent study suggests it might reduce symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, followed 20 patients with Alzheimer's for eight weeks. Each participant was given 20 grams of creatine (Cr) per day for the duration of the two months to see if the regimen was practical, safe, and whether it would make any noticeable difference in brain function. To determine the effects of high-dose creatine intake, researchers used a combination of standardized cognitive assessments and blood tests. Blood tests revealed that creatine levels in the patient's blood serum increased significantly by week four and remained raised through week eight. Overall, brain creatine increased by 11%. Remarkably, participants showed measurable improvements in several areas of cognition—including global cognition, working memory, and oral reading—suggesting that creatine has potential brain-boosting benefits beyond the isn't the first time creatine has been used to improve brain function. A different study stated that "creatine has also been shown to have antioxidant properties, reduce mental fatigue, protect the brain from neurotoxicity, and improve facets/components of neurological disorders like depression and bipolar disorder." Research also shows that supplementing creatine can increase brain creatine stores, which is shown to enhance brain function and improve cognition. This may help explain some of the positive effects on cognition and memory shown when creatine was used by Alzheimer's patients. Although the study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions was small, the results suggest that creatine could play an important role in supporting brain health, especially in older populations. "Determining whether AD patients benefit from CrM supplementation will require further investigation," the study authors state. "The study design limitations prevent the ability to make conclusions of efficacy; thus, we urge caution when interpreting these results. Nonetheless, our study provides the first evidence in humans that CrM supplementation is feasible and may increase brain Cr and offer cognitive benefits to patients with AD." This Common Supplement Shows Early Potential in Alzheimer's Treatment first appeared on Men's Journal on May 23, 2025
ABC News
24-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Creswell Eastman remembered for identifying health risks of iodine deficiency
He was dubbed "the man who saved a million brains" after discovering the critical link between iodine deficiency and cognitive function. World-renowned endocrinologist, Creswell 'Cres' Eastman died peacefully at home last Saturday. He was 85. Professor Eastman's life work was the prevention of iodine deficiency, especially in pregnant women, which leads to intellectual and physical disabilities in children. It followed his discovery that the trace element in minuscule but daily doses was crucial to healthy brain function. "You could put the whole amount of iodine you need for a lifetime into a teaspoon," Professor Eastman told Richard Fidler on Conversations in 2015, "so long as you don't take it all at once". "It's absolutely essential for a normal life." Friend and colleague Graeme Stuart said the significance of Professor Eastman's work improving the lives of millions of people could not be overstated. "How many people in medicine and medical science could claim to have such an extraordinary impact? He would be there with a very small number, both in Australia and globally," Professor Stuart said. "He was one of the most compassionate physicians that I've ever known, and an outstanding clinician in his ability to look after the whole patient." Professor Stuart and other colleagues remembered the oft-quoted mantra he lived by: "The most basic human right you've got is the chance to fulfil your genetic potential". Professor Eastman spent his career ensuring that potential was realised in people across Australia and Asia. During a visit to Sarawak in Malaysia in the early 1980s to study people with goitres, a swelling of the thyroid gland, Professor Eastman discovered a widespread deficiency of iodine in the diet. While helping to fix the plumbing at one village, he facilitated the addition of iodine to the water supply. Twelve months later, goitres had all but disappeared in the village's young children. This led the Malaysian government to legalise the importation of only iodised salt to Sarawak. In China in the 1980s, Professor Eastman found one quarter of the population of more than a billion people had goitres, and of those, he estimated tens of millions had some form of brain damage. "I went through some form of epiphany here, I thought, 'what's the point of just doing research here? We've got to translate that research into public health'," he said on Conversations. "We've got to change the world. "We've got to change what's happening in China. So I then started on a totally different mission." Professor Eastman lobbied the Chinese government, resulting in a national law that salt for human consumption in China must be iodised. The incidence of iodine deficiency dramatically reduced. Getting salt iodised in Tibet proved a bigger challenge than in China; communities there traded crude salt, making it difficult to introduce an iodised product. Instead, Professor Eastman worked on giving pregnant women an iodised oil capsule that reached 95 per cent of the population, resulting in no new cases of children with health defects. This work in China and Tibet led him to be dubbed "the man who saved a million brains". The professor's research also benefited Australians. Professor Eastman identified that dietary iodine in Australians was high in the 1950s and 60s through seafood and milk consumption. He said milk was an unexpected source of iodine, "an accidental health triumph". The dairy industry used iodine as a sanitiser to clean equipment, and people received trace elements of iodine in milk. When the industry switched to chlorine in the 1990s, health experts noticed an increase in goitres. "We were shocked to find the iodine levels in people we had been monitoring for 20 years had dropped dramatically," Professor Eastman said. The National Iodine Nutrition Survey, Professor Eastman helped conduct from 2003 to 2005, confirmed iodine deficiency had re-emerged in Australia. This study led to the mandatory inclusion of iodised salt in most bread made from 2009. However, with the rising popularity of gourmet salts, Professor Eastman remained concerned that pregnant women in Australia were not eating enough iodised salt. His daughter Kate Eastman said her father was renowned for pulling the iodised salt to the front of supermarket shelves and hiding the non-iodised product. "I was pregnant with my daughter, who is now 20. At that time, pink salt was very fashionable. I did not hear the end of it," Ms Eastman said. "He accused me and my sister of our love of pink rock salt and fancy gourmet salts as being 'an aberration' … and his grandchildren were not suffering from any iodine deficiency. "My father's message, if you had his words ringing in your ears, it's use iodised salt. So if you're in the supermarket … always get the iodised salt." Creswell Eastman was born in Narrandera on March 30, 1940, to Albert and Margaret Eastman. Just after World War II, the family moved to Evans Head, where they lived in a tent, before moving to Lismore. Such was the housing shortage, the family lived in a fully furnished tent until a house became available. Always a bright student, a young Creswell won two scholarships from the New South Wales government and the board of education to further his studies. Legacy also helped pay for his education after his grandfather died when he was 11. He married Annette Delaney, also from Lismore, and the couple had four children; Kate, Damien, Pip, and Nick. Kate Eastman said her dad was dedicated to his wife and Lismore was close to their hearts. "He spent his childhood in Lismore, going to school and to church in Lismore," Ms Eastman said. After leaving the area, the family would regularly return to the region to holiday with Professor Eastman's sister, Margaret Rix and her husband Len, at their Ballina home. Professor Eastman worked at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, was a clinical professor of medicine at Sydney University Medical School, principal of the Sydney Thyroid Clinic, and consultant emeritus to the Westmead Hospital. He received multiple awards, here and overseas and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2018. As family and friends farewell Professor Creswell Eastman, his daughter said the family was proud of their father's legacy, which he continued working on to the end. "When he passed away, on his bedside table was an article on neo-natal health and iodine, and his little green marker was there — working till the end," she said. "His life was devoted to the service of the health of others."
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democratic Congressman Argues Biden Was Fit To Be President ‘All The Way Through January 2029'
Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) revealed that he still has faith that former President Joe Biden would've been fit to be president again for another four-year term. While appearing on Sunday's episode of CNN's 'State of the Union,' the congressman told host Jake Tapper that he 'never saw anything' that was 'out of the ordinary' about Biden's cognitive function amid a growing investigation into the 'cover up of President Biden's mental decline.' 'I talked to him on the telephone very often,' Clyburn began. 'And I never saw anything that I thought was outside of the ordinary.' Referencing his own father as an example, Clyburn said he watched his dad 'reach the age of 80' but declared it 'didn't bother his mental capacity at all.' 'So I never saw anything I thought was unusual,' he said of Biden. 'Did he talk as swiftly as he used to talk? No, he didn't. Did he walk as swiftly? No, he didn't. But that is to be expected.' Tapper then countered to Clyburn, whom he's interviewed frequently, that there 'isn't any comparison' between how 'sharp' he is regarding his 'ability to talk and answer questions' and 'what we've seen from President Biden…throughout 2023 and 2024…especially on the debate stage.' Tapper then questioned, 'Do you think Joe Biden really would've been able to perform as president all the way through January 2029 when he would be 86?' Clyburn replied: 'Yes, I thought that back then. I still think that.' The U.S. representative went on to argue that 'it's not all about age.' 'I've seen people develop Alzheimer's when they're in their 30s and 40s. So it's not about age,' Clyburn continued. 'It's about the ability to do the job, and I never saw anything that allowed me to think that Joe Biden was not able to do the job.' 'It's just that simple,' he added. Clyburn's comments came days ahead of the release of Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson's book, 'Original Sin,' which claims to uncover details about Biden's aides' efforts to hide the politician's physical and cognitive decline from the public. The book is set to release on May 20. Watch a clip from Clyburn's 'State of the Union' interview below. .@RepJamesClyburn on whether he still believes President Biden could have served another term: "Yes, I thought that back then. I still think that, but I don't know that." — State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) May 18, 2025 New Audio From Biden's Hur Interviews Reignite Questions On His Health Jake Tapper Hits Back At Criticism Of Biden 'Cover-Up' Book: 'Lies From Bad Faith Actors' Jake Sullivan Reveals His 'Shock' At Major Biden 2024 Campaign Moment
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Experts pinpoint number of hours of sleep that could raise risk of dementia
It's well known that not getting enough sleep can increase dementia risk, but scientists have now discovered that too much shut eye could be just as harmful. Researchers have found that sleeping an average of nine hours a night can fuel brain ageing that lead to memory problems in later life. The study, by scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Centre, found that this amount of sleep added an average of six and a half years to the age of participants' brains. Commenting on the findings they concluded that 'long sleep duration' could be 'an early and potentially reversible' risk factor for the memory-robbing disease. The study followed 1,853 healthy adults aged 27-85, and studied how their sleep duration affected cognitive abilities. The participants' cognitive function was assessed every four years using gold standard measurements of memory, verbal reasoning, visual-spatial awareness and reaction times. Participants also completed a survey every four years, detailing the number of hours they typically slept each night. Results showed that, on average, those who slept for nine or more hours per night over the course of the two decade study performed significantly worse in all four cognitive tests. Scientists found the poorest results were seen in people who showed depressive symptoms, and had nine or more hours sleep a night, on average. The mood disorder is known to trigger patterns of excessive sleep, and the experts pose that depression, rather than sleep itself, may be driving the cognitive decline in these patients. However, its not just those who suffer from low mood that are at risk from too much rest. Participants who showed no signs of depression, but slept for more than nine hours a night, experienced decreased cognitive function, struggling with global cognition and visual reproduction. 'Disturbances in sleep duration and patterns contribute to an increased risk of cognitive deficits and Alzheimer's disease', Prof Young explained. The most recent findings echo that of previous studies, including one 10-year-long report, published in the Psychiatry Research journal, that found sleeping for more than eight hours a night, on average, was linked with an alarming 64 per cent increased risk of dementia. Whilst experts are not entirely sure why excess shut eye could contribute to dementia, one Swedish study suggested the explanation may lie with the impact on our circadian rhythms—the natural sleep-wake cycles that determine a host of bodily functions. The experts from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm argued that being asleep during the daytime could impact the brain's ability to clear waste that builds up during the day. But the scientists said it is also possible that brain damage caused by early dementia could be fueling a need for excess sleep. It comes as a landmark study last year suggested almost half of all cases of Alzheimer's disease—the most common cause of dementia—could be prevented by tackling 14 lifestyle factors. These included hearing loss, high cholesterol, vision loss and lack of exercise. Experts claimed the study, published in the prestigious journal The Lancet, provided more hope than 'ever before' that the disorder that blights the lives of millions can be prevented. Alzheimer's Disease affects 982,000 people in the UK. Alzheimer's Research UK analysis found 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared with 69,178 a year earlier, making it the country's biggest killer. One 2019 estimate put the annual death toll at 70,000 people a year with the health issues caused costing the NHS £700million each year to treat. The WHO puts the annual global death toll from physical inactivity at around 2million per year, making it in the running to be among the top 10 leading causes of global death and disability.
