People at risk of dementia can reduce their risk by improving their fitness, according to a study from Karolinska Institutet. The study shows that the risk can be reduced by up to 35%.
In the study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers used data from 61,214 dementia-free people, drawn from the UK Biobank database. The participants, who were aged between 39 and 70, were followed over a period of 12 years.
On enrollment, participants completed a six-minute cycle test to measure fitness, and neurological tests were done to estimate their cognitive function. The researchers also examined genetic predisposition to dementia.
During the 12-year follow-up period, a total of 553 people were diagnosed with dementia, representing 0.9%.
The results show that better fitness is linked to reduced dementia risk and improved cognitive function. According to Weili Xu, Professor of Geriatric Epidemiology in the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, good fitness can reduce the risk of all forms of dementia by up to 35%.
– Our findings suggest that maintaining good fitness may be a strategy for preventing dementia, even among people with high genetic susceptibility, she says in a press release.
The researchers also emphasize that this is an observational study, so it is not possible to determine cause and effect. The number of dementia cases may also have been underestimated, they add, as UK Biobank participants are generally healthier than the general population.
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The use of obesity medication increased significantly in Finland last year – many more Finns were treated for obesity compared to 2023. At the same time, opinions are divided on the effectiveness of the treatment.
A total of 75,000 Finns used medicines for weight loss or obesity treatment in 2024. This is an increase of 20% compared to 2023, according to the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). In five years, the number of users has increased more than elevenfold.
Semaglutide, sold under brands such as Ozempic and Wegovy, is the most popular. Originally designed as a drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, this type of medicine is not reimbursed if it is used for obesity alone. This means that Finns have to foot the bill themselves, which can be over €260 each month.
It is also unclear how effective this type of weight loss medication really is, but Pia Pajunen, an expert physician at Kela, says it is not a quick fix for losing weight.
– If you stop using the obesity medication, the weight often starts to increase again quickly. It’s important that both doctors and patients are aware that research shows these medications generally need to be used long-term, she says in a press release.
Extra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to a particularly increased risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease, according to a study from Lund University.
Ultra-processed food is food that has undergone extensive processing and contains a high proportion of added chemicals compared to “regular” processed food. This type of food is often cheap, heavily marketed and has become an increasingly important part of the Western diet in recent years.
In the study, published in Clinical Nutrition, researchers followed 27 670 participants from the Malmö Diet Cancer Study over 23 years, with funding from the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation.
The results show that a high intake of highly processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to an increased risk of premature death, death from cardiovascular disease and death from respiratory disease. There is an increased risk for women.
– Over-processed foods are often rich in salt, fat and added sugars, but often poor in fiber, vitamins and nutrients. Limiting intake can reduce the risk of premature death, says Emily Sonestedt, associate professor at Lund University and lead researcher of the study, in a press release.
Ultra-processed food is markedly different from what humans have been eating for thousands of years, but the long-term effects on health have yet to be studied in depth. However, links between this type of food have previously been made to depression and type 2 diabetes. At the same time, the researchers point out that more studies are needed on the subject.
– More research is needed to better understand how ultra-processed food affects the body. In future studies, we will be able to analyze current dietary data in the Swedish population and learn more about the relationship with cardiovascular disease, says Kristina Sparreljung, Secretary General of the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.
Sauerkraut may protect the intestinal lining from inflammation, according to an American study. During fermentation, the nutritional content of cabbage changes – including an increase in levels of lactic acid, amino acids, and other beneficial substances that are formed during the breakdown and can promote gut health.
Fermentation is a natural process where microorganisms like lactic acid bacteria and yeast break down sugars in food. This often results in the conversion of sugar into lactic acid or alcohol. The process not only helps preserve the food – it also produces probiotics, meaning live bacteria that are beneficial for the gut.
Fermented foods have been eaten for thousands of years around the world. For example, eating fermented vegetables makes the nutrients in the food easier for the body to absorb, and some studies show that vitamin levels can actually increase. There are also studies that suggest fermented foods can have positive effects on health, particularly for digestion and the immune system.
Sauerkraut better than raw cabbage
Researchers at the University of California Davis in the USA tested whether the nutrients in sauerkraut could help protect intestinal cells from inflammation-related damage. The study compared sauerkraut, raw cabbage, and the brine left over after the cabbage fermentation process.
The experiments were conducted on an artificial intestinal wall exposed to inflammation by adding so-called cytokines – which are known to damage the intestinal lining. These can be activated in the gut, for example, by consuming too much ultra-processed food or too much sugar or salt.
Fermentation increases beneficial substances
The results showed that sauerkraut can protect the intestinal lining from inflammation caused by cytokines. Raw cabbage and the brine, however, did not help protect the gut. It didn’t matter whether the sauerkraut was store-bought or homemade.
Chemical analyses show that fermentation changes the nutritional profile of cabbage and increases the amount of beneficial metabolites such as lactic acid, amino acids, and plant compounds, which in turn are linked to gut health. These changes may explain why fermented foods are often associated with digestive benefits.
– Some of the metabolites we find in the sauerkraut are the same kind of metabolites we’re finding to be made by the gut microbiome, so that gives us a little more confidence that this connection we found between the metabolites in sauerkraut and good gut health makes sense, says Professor Maria Marco in a press release.
The researchers have found hundreds of different metabolites that are formed during fermentation and that they are now working to determine which ones play the biggest role in supporting long-term gut health. The next step in the research is to conduct studies in humans to see if the gut-protective metabolites found in sauerkraut can have the same positive effects when included in the daily diet, as was shown in the lab.
– A little bit of sauerkraut could go a long way, she says. We should be thinking about including these fermented foods in our regular diets and not just as a side on our hot dogs.
The COVID vaccine AeroVax is not to be injected – but inhaled according to a method that will be tested in Canada with government funding. This is despite previous vaccines being linked to millions of reported side effects and vaccine injuries, including heart muscle inflammation, blood clots, and sudden deaths.
At McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, researchers have launched a phase 2 study of a new COVID vaccine that is not administered by injection but is instead inhaled.
The vaccine, named ChAd-triCoV/Mac, will now be tested on 350 participants from across the country, with $8 million in government funding, and researchers say they hope the new vaccine will provide stronger protection against infection than previous injection-based vaccines.
– While the current, needle-based COVID-19 vaccines have prevented a tremendous amount of death and hospitalization, they haven’t really changed a lot of people’s experience with getting recurrent infections, claims Fiona Smaill, professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and one of the study’s leaders.
– We’re looking to change that by providing robust protection directly at the site of infection, she declares.
Targets three virus proteins
The new vaccine differs from previous COVID vaccines in several ways. In addition to being administered as an aerosol inhalation, it targets three different proteins in the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. According to the researchers, this should improve protection against any future variants of COVID.
When a vaccine is inhaled, the body’s immune system reacts differently than when it is injected, which McMasters claims is more effective in preventing the infection itself.
Results from preclinical studies, together with unpublished data from the phase 1 study, suggest that the inhaled vaccine elicits a stronger immune response than traditional injections because it targets the airways where the virus first enters the body.
For those already vaccinated – but not recently ill
AeroVax is intended for people who have already received at least three doses of an mRNA vaccine. To participate in the study, participants must not have had COVID-19 or been vaccinated in the three months prior to registration. Participants must be between 18 and 65 years of age, free of lung disease, and able to attend all on-site testing sessions.
The study includes 350 participants from across Canada. Two-thirds will receive the vaccine and one-third a placebo. None of the participants know which group they belong to, which the researchers say is crucial for an objective evaluation.
– Randomization allows for objective comparison between those who received the vaccine and those who didn’t, which can tell us a lot about the level of protection the vaccine could provide and its side effects, Smaill continues.
Canadian Government Begins Testing Inhaled Covid mRNA ‘AeroVax’
“The Canadian government has begun ramping up testing for a chilling new Covid mRNA “AeroVax” that seeks to overcome “vaccine hesitancy” by using aerosols to “vaccinate” the general public.
The study is led by researchers at McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, and all development – from laboratory design to testing – is taking place in Canada.
– Every medicine or vaccine that we use and trust today has at one point gone through similar clinical trials processes, says Matthew Miller, director of the institute and a member of the research team.
– This is a highly regulated process with extensive oversight that ensures the safety of participants and will generate critical data to inform the next steps in development, he adds.
If the results are promising, the researchers plan to move on to a Phase 3 study with a larger group of participants – a step toward approval and market introduction.
Previous COVID vaccines were usually administered with a syringe. Photo: Canstockphoto
Millions of side effects
In this context, it is worth mentioning that since the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines began, millions of side effects and vaccine injuries, including deaths, have been reported globally – ranging from fever and nerve damage to blood clots, heart muscle inflammation, and sudden death.
Young men have shown an increased risk of heart inflammation, which has led to certain vaccines being withdrawn or restricted in several countries, and many have come forward to testify about long-term vaccine injuries that affect their ability to work and their quality of life – but their stories have been silenced or dismissed by the healthcare system.
Critics argue that authorities and vaccine manufacturers prioritized rapid distribution over transparency and safety, and that the long-term effects are still very poorly understood.
The vaccine is also believed to have had virtually no effect on the spread of infection, and US health authorities were eventually forced to admit that vaccinated people could carry as much of the virus as unvaccinated people. In Sweden, too, healthcare providers concluded that the vaccine did not stop the spread of COVID-19.
