Hidradenitis suppurativa genes - plus updated articles
Osteoporosis, Microplastics, and Gut Barrier - all go together.
New article!
Hidradenitis suppurativa: Genetic causes and possible solutions
Brand new article on genetic variants and pathways involved in hidradenitis suppurativa, which is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that causes lesions involving blocked hair follicles and exaggerated immune responses. If you know someone with HS, please share this article with them.
Updated article!
Osteoporosis: Genetic Susceptibility and Prevention Strategies
Osteoporosis is a degenerative bone disease that makes bones weaker and more likely to fracture easily. There are quite a few genetic variants that have been identified as increasing the risk of osteoporosis - and understanding these pathways may help you figure out the right plan to prevent bone degeneration, especially if it runs in your family.
New Longevity Lifehacks article:
Microplastics are a real problem for healthspan
In this new Longevity Lifehacks article, I explain several new research studies on why microplastics are a real problem for long-term health (like the incorporation into bone marrow, the brain, and atherosclerotic plaque -- as well as thinning the gut mucosal barrier). After hitting the research highlights, I go into some of the realistic things that I'm doing to reduce my exposure.
What I've been reading (new research studies):
1.) Negative effects of lifespan extending intervention on resilience in mice
Lifespan interventions, like calorie restriction, increase longevity in mice. This has been known for decades. Researchers recently decided to see if this increased longevity also increased resilience to negative events (like speed of wound healing, and surviving an infection). It turns out that the lifespan-extending interventions didn't roll back the clock in a way that gives the animals the same resilience that a younger animal has. This study has me questioning some of the lifespan interventions that turn back the biological age clock.
A new placebo-controlled clinical trial showed that 1g of nicotinamide riboside twice a day reduced lung inflammation in COPD patients.
3) Atlas of the plasma proteome in health and disease in 53,026 adults
This is an analysis of data on the proteome (protein expression in the body) compared to health traits or diseases. I haven't gotten all the way through this study yet, but GDF15 pops up as the top protein predictor of diseases (diabetes, infectious disease, peripheral artery disease, mood disorders, IBD, dementia, and more). GDF15 is produced in response to cellular stress, specifically with mitochondrial dysfunction. GDF15 is what causes someone to have a lack of appetite when they are sick/wounded (and causes vomiting during pregnancy).
Graphical abstracts for the visual learners
I was just told by my doctor yesterday that although I have minimum bone loss since a dexascan in 2021, I should add. more calcium and D. I already take D and also K-2, so I'm adding more calcium again. Thanks Debbie!