I am a mechanical engineer born in 1953 with a lifetime interest in outdoor activities and fitness. My lovely wife of 44 years, Karen, and I live in Morgan Hill, Ca, a bit south of the San Francisco Bay Area. I have gone through and rehabbed from three major surgeries: two hip replacements, and a … Continue reading Welcome
Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet, Covid, and Other Infectious Disease
One personal anecdote I have is that for the since switching to a whole-food plant-based (wfpb) diet in early 2017 (more than four years ago), I have not had any colds or the flu. I used to get either one at least once a year, even though I've always gotten a flu shot. That didn't … Continue reading Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet, Covid, and Other Infectious Disease
Dietary fiber reduces brain inflammation during aging
In his book Fiber Fueled, which I recently reviewed, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz stresses the importance of the gut microbiome generating healthy short-chain fatty acids when consuming plant foods with lots of soluble fiber. One of these is butyrate. This important new study shows butyrate reduces inflammation in the brain, which should help with healthy brain aging. Great post, thanks, Tony
As mammals age, immune cells in the brain known as microglia become chronically inflamed. In this state, they produce chemicals known to impair cognitive and motor function. That’s one explanation for why memory fades and other brain functions decline during old age. But, according to a new study from the University of Illinois, there may be a remedy to delay the inevitable: dietary fiber.
Dietary fiber promotes the growth of good bacteria in the gut. When these bacteria digest fiber, they produce short-chain-fatty-acids (SCFAs), including butyrate, as byproducts.
“Butyrate is of interest because it has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties on microglia and improve memory in mice when administered pharmacologically,” says Rodney Johnson, professor and head of the Department of Animal Sciences at U of I, and corresponding author on the Frontiers in Immunology study.
Although positive outcomes of sodium butyrate – the…
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Staying Healthy To Be of Service
If you want to live life at its fullest, do everything possible to keep your body in vibrant health in order to give back to life a little of what it has given you- Eknath Easwaran (Words to Live By) The time spent on some of the things that promote good physical and mental health, … Continue reading Staying Healthy To Be of Service
Exercise Fights Off Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
https://www.parkinson.org/Understanding-Parkinsons/Treatment/Exercise/Neuroprotective-Benefits-of-Exercise Previously I described an inspiring video about Larry, who kept active by using a recumbent bicycle despite advance symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, so I was interested to see a new study that investigated how exercise helps with symptoms of Parkinson's disease. I learned about it on Clarence Bass's site, his discussion is here. One … Continue reading Exercise Fights Off Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease
Home Stretch To Exercise Stress Test
I'll be having a treadmill stress test on June 16, a week from this coming wednesday. Today I did one of my last training sessions "peaking" for it. I'll do one more in a couple of days, then "taper", all of which is treating this upcoming challenge as if it were a race. This is … Continue reading Home Stretch To Exercise Stress Test
Keep Active, Even a Little, To Stave Off Disability
A recent study shows that even a little bit of physical activity makes it much less likely we will be physically disabled as we age. "Mobility disability" is defined by the authors as inability to climb a flight of stairs, or walk more more than a block. This would certainly lead to impaired quality of … Continue reading Keep Active, Even a Little, To Stave Off Disability
The “Old Goats” Are Back!
I mentioned previously that I ride with a group called "South County Old Goats" that's part of Almaden Cycle Touring Club. But that has been on hiatus during Covid. We started back up again a few weeks ago and it's great to be out with friends again. I've ridden with some of them for more … Continue reading The “Old Goats” Are Back!
Regenerative Grazing
When I started doing research on regenerative grazing on the internet I was surprised to see "regenerative grazing debunked" come up as a suggested topic. I thought why is this even controversial? It turns out some of the arguments in favor of it are controversial, especially how much carbon dioxide can soil building through better … Continue reading Regenerative Grazing
Local Ride in Nice Weather
The weather has been pretty nice lately, spring like and not too hot. But it has been windy enough to make biking challenging. My local group is back to riding together. We still try to stay "socially distanced" although all have been vaccinated. On a recent ride we went out to the end of Redwood … Continue reading Local Ride in Nice Weather
Healthy Food From Unconventional Farmers
Grain By Grain This is the fascinating story of Dr. Bob Quinn's career, that also contains an important nutritional nugget about heritage wheat for people with foods sensitivities. I'll summarize that first, then describe his decades of contributions. I had read in the past that some people who think they have gluten sensitivities may actually … Continue reading Healthy Food From Unconventional Farmers
