Is Alzheimer's Linked to this Common Virus?

Hi and welcome to this week’s look at headlines in natural health on iHealthTube.com…

The herpes virus affects most people by the time they reach old age and typically it shows up as things like cold sores.  But could it be behind Alzheimer’s disease?

A professor in England thinks that could be the case… in fact Professor Ruth Itzhaki says 50 percent or more of Alzheimer’s cases could be linked to herpes simplex one.  She previously showed that cold sores show up more frequently in people with APOE-4… a gene that typically means increased risk of Alzheimer’s.  She has also found that the risk of dementia is much greater in those infected with herpes simplex… but also that anti-herpes antiviral treatment causes a dramatic decrease in the number of subjects affected by herpes simplex who later develop dementia.

More work is needed to define a link between the herpes virus and Alzheimer’s… but the professor said she’s enthusiastic about treatment prospects.

Getting enough fiber in our diets has a number of health benefits… but where you get that fiber from can make a big difference.  The food industry has been enriching foods with refined fibers… like inulin and promoting those products as health promoting… but a new study raises serious concerns about their safety.

A study out of Georgia looked at feeding mice a diet enriched with refined inulin and it’s affect on obesity.  While the diet did fend off obesity… the mice started to develop jaundice… and after six months… many developed liver cancer.  The inulin used in the study came from chicory root… something normally not in a person’s diet… it also went through a chemical process as part of the extraction.  One of the lead authors said the fiber from enriched foods may not result in the same benefits seen eating whole foods naturally rich in soluble fiber.

If you’re a man who’s considering having a child in the near future… hitting the gym might be a good idea, for you and your baby.

A new study out of Ohio showed that a father’s exercise has a big impact on the metabolic health of the child, well into adulthood.  The team studied mice and found that adult offspring of males who exercised had improved glucose metabolism, decreased body weight and decreased fat mass.  The fathers were fed either a normal diet or a high-fat diet.  Even the offspring of high-fat diets had improved metabolic health if their fathers exercised.

The author said moderate exercise for the father, even for a month before conception, could have a strong effect on the health of their child down the road.

That’s what’s making headlines in natural health this week.  Make sure to go to iHealthTube.com and sign up for our free email newsletter so you stay connected to the very latest!