CK Profile picture
14 Sep, 4 tweets, 2 min read
Heart disease stems from a combination of:

- inflammation
- elevated oxLDL cholesterol/lipids
- impaired methyl waste clearance (homocysteine)
- impaired reverse cholesterol transport (HDL)
- dysregulated iron/calcium metabolism
Interestingly, the reduction in heart disease seen with many statins in clinical trials may stem as much from their anti-inflammatory effects as their reduction in cholesterol synthesis, this study found positive effects even in those with normal LDL
nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…
More and more studies suggest that reducing inflammation is an important exis of heart disease prevention, similar to lipid markers
nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…
And of course, iron overload is one of the most under appreciated risk factors for heart disease, contributing to both oxidation of LDL and general inflammation
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32739111/
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

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More from @ck_eternity_

14 Sep
Unfortunately, despite niacin raising HDL significantly, it doesn't actually improve heart disease

It originally looked very promising as a treatment for heart disease, but over the past few decades it hasn't panned out despite extensive research
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
My theory is because in most individuals niacin raises HDL too much, putting it above the optimal range and actually increasing mortality

In theory, individuals with low HDL may still benefit by using niacin to put it back into this range
That said even in individuals with normal HDL niacin still does not increase heart disease, in the vast majority of cases it just has no effect, so there's no harm in taking it

Niacin is especially potent at increasing neuroplasticity, so there are many other mental benefits
Read 6 tweets
7 Sep
Dissociation in depression and other mental illness is usually a result of excess glutamate activity, which triggers the release of inhibitory compounds like dynorphin/KYNA to protect the brain

They block dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, limiting cognitive function
Dynorphin is actually in the endorphin class

It still relieves pain, but causes strong dysphoria, they've tried to create "non-addictive" pain meds that activate its receptor (the KOR) but most are rarely used as they often cause depressive symptoms
Dynorphin is also associated with trauma/PTSD especially

Since it blocks pain signaling while causing dysphoria, it disconnects the person from the traumatic experience

This again serves to prevent neurotoxic over-activation of neurons, another way the brain protects itself
Read 5 tweets
7 Sep
First off, let's look at the data extending back as far as possible

On the scale the dip looks almost meaningless, and likely had little impact on the daily caloric surplus that promotes obesity in the first place
I could take another zoomed in comparison like this and make the case that fat intake causes obesity, despite the fact that it doesn't inherently either

Graphs like these just arbitrarily connect effects of modernization with modern diseases, they're very weak evidence forms
Obesity is caused by taking in more energy than the body can metabolize

Metabolism can be affected by hormone status, circadian rhythm, muscle mass, etc, so these factors can reduce energy demand but caloric surplus is still the root cause
Read 6 tweets
28 Aug
A few additional points I didn't have room to cover in my PUFA thread yesterday:

This is a fantastic study that covers the differences in oil oxidation during frying, and how it's affected by other factors beyond just oil type
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
A few key points:

- food included in oil during frying often makes it more resistant to oxidation (for example this has been observed with potatoes)
- oils high in phenols like olive oil or black seed oil are the most resistant to oxidation
- vitamin E content of certain oils may play more of a role in how prone they are to oxidation than PUFA content
- the presence of certain metals (such as iron) around the oils, such as in pans, fryers, or perhaps even food may increase oxidation
Read 9 tweets
28 Aug
There's a lot of debate on PUFA, so I decided to dive into the research with an open mind and see if I can clarify a few things

In this thread I'll be looking at human data on PUFA and inflammation, oil oxidation timelines, and my own views on the subject

THREAD //
First off, many claim that both omega-3 and omega-6 fats are inherently inflammatory for a few different reasons

The most common explanations for this are that the oils are oxidized outside the body, that the oils oxidize in the body, and that they cause inflammation unoxidized
This meta-analysis looks at whether the omega-6 fats are inherently inflammatory in humans

They found that increasing dietary omega-6 does not increase inflammatory markers, and in fact many sources of these fats are anti-inflammatory
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29610056/
Read 35 tweets
27 Aug
Cytochromes I, II, and IV, in the electron transport chain all act as chromophores for different parts of the sunlight spectrum

Interestingly the odd protein out, cytochrome III, does not seem to act as a traditional proton pump but rather through electromagnetic proton transfer
Mitochondria evolved as individual cells, so they still show some components of this like harnessing their light environment to drive extra ATP production
The mechanism that is still most relevant today is cytochrome IV, as it responds to infrared light

As I've mentioned before, infrared light penetrates into 60-100% of cells in the human body with full body sun exposure
Read 6 tweets

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