by Cassie Story, RDN Abstract: Although it was not identified and isolated until the 1930s, vitamin C has been known to protect against and treat certain disease states since the 18th century. Ask any health care practitioner to recall the first nutrient deficiency they learned about, and vitamin C will likely top the list. Images of sailors in the 1700s returning to shore with bleeding gums, fatigue, and even death due to a deficiency in this potent, water-soluble, antioxidant micronutrient…

by Melissa Blake, ND Immune resilience has never been more important or desired than in the past year. As a result of a global pandemic, patients and practitioners alike are seeking effective solutions to ensure a robust immune defense. Outside of the current COVID-19 concerns, respiratory tract infections (RTIs) pose a significant burden and are, in children, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals, the most prevalent diseases globally.1 A well-balanced gut microbiota is associated with protection against various diseases, including respiratory infections,…

by Anu Desai, PhD Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a single-stranded molecule of genetic code found in all living cells. As a chemical intermediary, mRNA carries instructions from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in our chromosomes to cellular machinery in the cytoplasm of the cell to make proteins.1 Over the past decade, research and technological innovations progressed rapidly in the field of vaccine development enabling mRNA as a promising therapeutic tool. There has been research on mRNA vaccines for infectious agents, such as…

by Michael Stanclift, ND Many of us have been using omega-3 fats, such as fish oil, for managing inflammatory conditions. Interestingly, fish oil and special molecules made from them called specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) have big impacts on our immune system and play an important role in the activity of immune cells. The key lies in how fats such as the ones found in fish oil influence the behavior of the white blood cells (WBCs) of our immune system. Our…

by Anu Desai, PhD Pollution and toxic elements Environmental pollution and toxins from plastics, pesticides, smoke, contaminated water, and food have the potential to greatly impact human health.1 These toxic loads cause inflammatory and autoimmune responses, including neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and multiple sclerosis (MS).2-4 More recently, some efforts have been made to minimize the exposures to pollutants in the long run, such as: using BPA-free plastics, attempting to reduce greenhouse gasses, and incorporating clean-energy…

by Noelle Patno, PhD What is lactoferrin? Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein found in most body fluids (including saliva, tears, bile, small intestine secretions, vaginal secretions, and more) and highly similar across species. First identified in bovine milk in 1939, it was later isolated from human milk in 1960 and other fluids as well as blood plasma (specifically, the immune cells called neutrophils). The highest concentration may be found in human colostrum at 8 mg/mL with breast milk levels at…

by Noelle Patno, PhD Lactoferrin (LF) has been advocated by researchers1–3 as a potential method to prevent or treat COVID-19. These recent reviews promote a hypothesis that the natural, endogenous compound which has shown antiviral capabilities for other viruses including SARS-CoV may be effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus as well. With over 70 years since the discovery of this glycoprotein, this iron-scavenging milk protein now deserves greater attention. The current literature demonstrates that LF has many anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and even…

As part of this conversation, Gabrielle Fredman, PhD describes what is meant by the failure of resolution, and the mechanisms that can drive this failure in atherosclerosis. Dr. Fredman ends by outlining the potential for specialized pro-resolving mediator (SPM) therapies in the management of vascular disease. Gabrielle Fredman, PhD is Associate Professor at Albany Medical College, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology. From the 16th International Conference on Bioactive Lipids in Cancer, Inflammation and Related Diseases, October 2019 in St…

by Milene Brownlow, PhD Nutritional psychiatry is a rapidly growing medical field studying the connection between the role food and diet quality plays in  how we feel.1 We intuitively understand the body-mind connection and how it affects our day-to-day. We get butterflies in our stomach when nervous, our heart races when we are excited, and our mindset quickly goes south when we have digestive problems. This connection has led researchers to investigate lifestyle modifications that may optimize mental and cognitive…

by Molly Knudsen, MS, RDN From a culinary perspective, mushrooms are a very polarizing food. You either love or despise them, and you either order a meal based on their inclusion or veer far away from it. There are rarely feelings of indifference. However, the notion that medicinal mushrooms are beneficial for health isn’t as divisive as their presence on the dinnerplate. Typically taken in as an extract, fungal varieties considered to be a medicinal mushroom have been used in…