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B Vitamins May Protect Against Damaging Effects of Air Pollution Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola February 12, 2024

B vitamins are important for cognition and mental health, but research suggests they may have other important functions as well. A small-scale human trial found B vitamins may help protect against air pollution.

At high doses, B vitamins were actually able to "completely offset" damage incurred by fine particulate matter. A small-scale human trial found high doses of vitamins B6, B9 and B12 in combination completely offset damage caused by very fine particulate matter in air pollution

Four weeks of high-dose supplementation reduced genetic damage in 10 gene locations by 28% to 76%, protected mitochondrial DNA from the harmful effects of pollution, and even helped repair some of the genetic damage

Several vitamin B deficiencies have the ability to produce symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders and can be a valuable adjunct in the treatment of attention deficit disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, dementia and more

Poor air quality can cause serious damage to your lungs, heart and other organ systems. One of the most dangerous air pollutants is very fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers — about one-thirtieth the width of a human hair — in diameter.

B Vitamins Help Prevent Damage From Air Pollution

The featured trial, the first of its kind, involved just 10 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 60. In the first round, they were exposed to clean air and given a placebo to establish a baseline. In the next round of tests, they inhaled concentrated smog for two hours. Blood samples were collected after each test.

In the next stage of the experiment the participants received a daily supplement of 2.5 milligrams (mg) of folic acid (B9), 50 mg of vitamin B6 and 1 mg of B12 for four weeks before inhaling "hazardous levels" of PM2.5 pollution (PM2.5 concentrated to more than 250 micrograms per cubic meter of air).

It's worth noting the dosages used in this study were very high. The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily intake of just 400 micrograms (mcg) of folate (B9), 1.3 to 1.7 mg of B6 and 2.4 mcg of B12.

This isn't the first time much higher than normal doses of B vitamins have been shown to have distinct health benefits. Interestingly, four weeks of high-dose supplementation:

Reduced the genetic damage incurred in 10 gene locations by 28% to 76% Protected mitochondrial DNA from the harmful effects of PM2.5
Helped repair some of the genetic damage caused by pollution

According to lead researcher Jia Zhong:
"Where we quantify the effect, it is almost close to a complete offset on the epigenome of the air pollution. On the mitochondrial DNA side, it also offset a big proportion of it

Biologically, B vitamins in the diet are expected to have the same effect on the epigenome as pill-based supplements ... I would suggest maintaining a healthy, balanced diet with sufficient sources of B vitamins, epigenome as pill-based supplements ... I would suggest maintaining a healthy, balanced diet with sufficient sources of B vitamins."

Common food preservative has unexpected effects on the gut microbiome

Food manufacturers often add preservatives to food products to keep them fresh. The purpose of these preservatives is to kill microbes that could break down and otherwise spoil the food. Common additives like sugar, salt, vinegar and alcohol have been used as preservatives for centuries, but modern-day food labels now reveal more unfamiliar ingredients such as sodium benzoate, calcium propionate, and potassium sorbate.

Bacteria produce chemicals called bacteriocins to kill microbial competitors. These chemicals can serve as natural preservatives by killing potentially dangerous pathogens in food. Lanthipeptides, a class of bacteriocins with especially potent antimicrobial properties, are widely used by the food industry and have become known as "lantibiotics" (a scientific portmanteau of lanthipeptide and antibiotics).

Despite their widespread use, however, little is known about how these lantibiotics affect the gut microbiomes of people who consume them in food.

Microbes in the gut live in a delicate balance, and commensal bacteria provide important benefits to the body by breaking down nutrients, producing metabolites, and—importantly—protecting against pathogens. If too many commensals are indiscriminately killed off by antimicrobial food preservatives, opportunistic pathogenic bacteria might take their place and wreak havoc—a result no better than eating contaminated food in the first place.

Read: Brain-Gut Axis and Your Health

Zinc Has an Unexpected Sleep Benefits

I found this to be interesting and thought it made a lot of sense. It's a video but its only 3:18 Minutes so you don't have to spend the next half hour hearing about the whole history of this find.
Well, I hate those videos.

There are also some more videos on zinc if you wish to go further, just scroll down.

Watch Zinc and Sleep

B Vitamins May Protect Against Damaging Effects of Air Pollution Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola February 12, 2024

B vitamins are important for cognition and mental health, but research suggests they may have other important functions as well. A small-scale human trial found B vitamins may help protect against air pollution.

At high doses, B vitamins were actually able to "completely offset" damage incurred by fine particulate matter. A small-scale human trial found high doses of vitamins B6, B9 and B12 in combination completely offset damage caused by very fine particulate matter in air pollution

Four weeks of high-dose supplementation reduced genetic damage in 10 gene locations by 28% to 76%, protected mitochondrial DNA from the harmful effects of pollution, and even helped repair some of the genetic damage

Several vitamin B deficiencies have the ability to produce symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders and can be a valuable adjunct in the treatment of attention deficit disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, dementia and more

Poor air quality can cause serious damage to your lungs, heart and other organ systems. One of the most dangerous air pollutants is very fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers — about one-thirtieth the width of a human hair — in diameter.

B Vitamins Help Prevent Damage From Air Pollution

The featured trial, the first of its kind, involved just 10 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 60. In the first round, they were exposed to clean air and given a placebo to establish a baseline. In the next round of tests, they inhaled concentrated smog for two hours. Blood samples were collected after each test.

In the next stage of the experiment the participants received a daily supplement of 2.5 milligrams (mg) of folic acid (B9), 50 mg of vitamin B6 and 1 mg of B12 for four weeks before inhaling "hazardous levels" of PM2.5 pollution (PM2.5 concentrated to more than 250 micrograms per cubic meter of air).

It's worth noting the dosages used in this study were very high. The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily intake of just 400 micrograms (mcg) of folate (B9), 1.3 to 1.7 mg of B6 and 2.4 mcg of B12.

This isn't the first time much higher than normal doses of B vitamins have been shown to have distinct health benefits. Interestingly, four weeks of high-dose supplementation:

Reduced the genetic damage incurred in 10 gene locations by 28% to 76% Protected mitochondrial DNA from the harmful effects of PM2.5
Helped repair some of the genetic damage caused by pollution

According to lead researcher Jia Zhong:
"Where we quantify the effect, it is almost close to a complete offset on the epigenome of the air pollution. On the mitochondrial DNA side, it also offset a big proportion of it

Biologically, B vitamins in the diet are expected to have the same effect on the epigenome as pill-based supplements ... I would suggest maintaining a healthy, balanced diet with sufficient sources of B vitamins, epigenome as pill-based supplements ... I would suggest maintaining a healthy, balanced diet with sufficient sources of B vitamins."

Common food preservative has unexpected effects on the gut microbiome

Food manufacturers often add preservatives to food products to keep them fresh. The purpose of these preservatives is to kill microbes that could break down and otherwise spoil the food. Common additives like sugar, salt, vinegar and alcohol have been used as preservatives for centuries, but modern-day food labels now reveal more unfamiliar ingredients such as sodium benzoate, calcium propionate, and potassium sorbate.

Bacteria produce chemicals called bacteriocins to kill microbial competitors. These chemicals can serve as natural preservatives by killing potentially dangerous pathogens in food. Lanthipeptides, a class of bacteriocins with especially potent antimicrobial properties, are widely used by the food industry and have become known as "lantibiotics" (a scientific portmanteau of lanthipeptide and antibiotics).

Despite their widespread use, however, little is known about how these lantibiotics affect the gut microbiomes of people who consume them in food.

Microbes in the gut live in a delicate balance, and commensal bacteria provide important benefits to the body by breaking down nutrients, producing metabolites, and—importantly—protecting against pathogens. If too many commensals are indiscriminately killed off by antimicrobial food preservatives, opportunistic pathogenic bacteria might take their place and wreak havoc—a result no better than eating contaminated food in the first place.

Read: Brain-Gut Axis and Your Health

Zinc Has an Unexpected Sleep Benefits

I found this to be interesting and thought it made a lot of sense. It's a video but its only 3:18 Minutes so you don't have to spend the next half hour hearing about the whole history of this find.
Well, I hate those videos.

There are also some more videos on zinc if you wish to go further, just scroll down.

Watch Zinc and Sleep