Research Extracts: Food Insecurity and Mental Health, Vitamin E for Exercise

5/16/2022 • Kathi Head, ND

Welcome to the May 2022 issue of Research Extracts. “The Extracts” is designed to keep busy practitioners and savvy consumers up to date on the latest research on diet, nutrients, botanicals, the microbiome, the environment, and lifestyle approaches to good health. Our medical team, which includes NDs, MDs, PhDs, RDs, an MS, and an LAc, has summarized the essence of several interesting recent studies.

In this issue: (1) this month’s Mental Health Moment – food insecurity and mental well-being, (2) vitamin E and exercise-induced muscle damage, (3) coffee and liver fibrosis, and (4) cashews/Brazil nuts and cardiometabolic risk factors.

Thorne Mental Health Moment: Food insecurity and mental well-being during COVID-19

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic poses challenges to our physical and mental well-being. The United States has had the most confirmed cases of COVID-19, with health-related disparities existing based on socioeconomic status. Lower income individuals and families have greater risks of infection and illness, in addition to more job losses and reduced working hours while recovering or caring for others. Those with low income also experience greater rates of food insecurity, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Although overall food insecurity has increased by one-third compared to the year prior to the start of the pandemic, those with low income saw disproportionate increases of up to 80 percent higher rates of food insecurity.

This current study looked at the relationships between food insecurity in adults and preschool-aged children and effects on mental well-being during the pandemic. Parents of children participating in Head Start (a free program to promote school readiness for children ages 0-5 from low-income families) and other parents recruited nationally were surveyed to measure parental and child levels of food insecurity as well as mental well-being. In parents, stress, anxiety, and depression were measured, and in children, sadness, fear, anger, and positive affect or positive emotions were measured.

The results showed that food insecure parents and children experienced declines in their mental well-being compared to those who were food secure. Parents had higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, and children experienced higher levels of sadness, fear, and anger, and had lower positive affect. Multi-child households were associated with lower levels of sadness and fear in the children, likely due to the opportunities for socialization among themselves compared to single-child households where the children were often isolated from their friends for months.

Overall, this study emphasizes the negative influence that food insecurity has on mental health and well-being in both children and adults. It further illustrates the need to improve food security in order to improve and promote mental well-being across generations.

Contributed by Carly Duffy, MPH, RD

Reference

Ling J, Duren P, Robbins LB. Food insecurity and mental well-being among low-income families during COVID-19 pandemic. Am J Health Promot. 2022;8901171221089627. doi:10.1177/08901171221089627

Vitamin E supplementation and exercise-induced muscle damage

Exercise makes muscles stronger and more resistant to fatigue by generating reactive oxygen species (also called free radicals) and inflammation that up-regulate endogenous (naturally occurring in your body) antioxidant enzymes. However, this physiological process also can result in muscle damage, particularly with intensive exercise. Delayed-onset muscle soreness, stiffness, and weakness are hallmarks of exercise-induced muscle damage marked by increased levels of muscle enzymes creatinine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH).

Many antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients have been investigated for their ability to mitigate such exercise-induced muscle damage. A recent meta-analysis set out to determine the effects of vitamin E supplementation as a nutritional strategy for preventing exercise-induced muscle damage. Randomized clinical trials including healthy participants ages 18-65 who were given pre-exercise supplementation of vitamin E were included in the meta-analysis. Vitamin E dosing in the studies ranged from 300 to 1,318 IU per day. The effects of vitamin E on CK, LDH, oxidative stress, and inflammation were analyzed.

Vitamin E supplementation resulted in lower post-exercise levels of CK and oxidative stress immediately following exercise. These effects were most pronounced in athletes and at vitamin E doses of 500 IU per day or less. Similarly, post-exercise LDH concentration was also decreased following vitamin E supplementation. Exercise-induced inflammation was not affected by vitamin E supplementation. Interestingly, higher doses of vitamin E were associated with increased total mortality, and those with the lowest doses (500 IU or less) experienced greater protective effects on exercise-induced muscle damage, oxidative stress, and overall health.

Thorne’s Ultimate E contains 500 IU vitamin E per softgel.

Contributed by Jennifer L. Greer, ND, MEd

Reference

Kim M, Eo H, Lim JG, et al. Can low-dose of dietary vitamin E supplementation reduce exercise-induced muscle damage and oxidative stress? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrients. 2022;14(8):1599. doi: 10.3390/nu14081599.

Coffee might benefit individuals with liver fibrosis

Coffee has been shown in previous studies to benefit individuals with liver fibrosis, which can be a common problem in patients with chronic hepatitis. In this current study, 2,065 untreated and 1,727 treated patients with chronic hepatitis B were evaluated for various lifestyle factors and were associated with risk of fibrosis. Three non-invasive biomarker tests were used to assess fibrosis: (1) aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), (2) fibrosis-4 calculator (FIB-4), and (3) gamma glutamyltransferase to platelet ratio (GPR). All three methods involve assessing liver enzyme to platelet ratios. FIB-4 also takes into account the age of the patient.

Higher coffee consumption was associated with a lower risk of elevated fibrosis markers in a dose dependent manner. Three cups or more of coffee daily compared to no coffee resulted in an odds ratio of: 0.16, 0.35 and 0.62 (p ≤ 0.002) of fibrosis based on APRI, FIB-4 and GPR assessments, respectively – reflecting a 16 to 62 percent reduction in fibrosis risk marker elevation with higher coffee consumption.

Contributed by Kathi Head, ND

Reference

Barré T, Fontaine H, Ramier C, et al. Elevated coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of elevated liver fibrosis biomarkers in patients treated for chronic hepatitis B (ANRS CO22 Hepather cohort). Clin Nutr. 2022;41(3):610-619. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2022.01.016.

Brazil nuts and cashews improve cardiometabolic risk factors

Numerous studies have looked at the health benefits of nuts for cardiovascular and other diseases. But cashews and Brazil nuts have not been among the nuts most often studied. In this current eight-week study, 40 women with cardiometabolic risk factors were randomly divided into two groups: (1) calorie-restricted diet plus nuts (30 g cashews and 15 g Brazil nuts daily) or (2) control group – calorie-restricted diet only. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, lipids, blood sugar, endothelial function, and body composition were measured before and at the end of the study.

At the end of eight weeks, serum selenium levels were significantly higher in the women eating nuts. This should come as no surprise since Brazil nuts are the food with the highest amount of selenium. Total body fat was decreased, while lean muscle mass was increased in the nut group compared to the control group. In addition, soluble adhesion molecule VCAM-1 decreased in the nut group compared to control – a sign of improved endothelial function. Blood pressure, lipids, and glucose profiles remained unchanged.

Contributed by Kathi Head, ND

Reference