Apr 29, 2025 05:11 PM
(This post was last modified: Apr 29, 2025 05:34 PM by C C.)
New study warns excessive cinnamon intake may reduce effectiveness of prescription drugs
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellnes...cle-851927
INTRO: Researchers at the University of Mississippi investigated how cinnamaldehyde, cinnamon's main active compound, behaves in the body. Their findings suggest that while cinnamon is safe in small doses, higher concentrations could affect how some medicines are metabolized, potentially reducing their effectiveness.
According to a study published in the journal Food Chemistry, cinnamaldehyde activates receptors that may accelerate the breakdown of certain medications. The process can lead to medications being eliminated from the body faster than intended. "We know that cinnamaldehyde has the potential to activate these receptors, which can create the risk of drug interactions," said Bill Gurley, a principal scientist at the University of Mississippi's National Center for Natural Products Research and one of the study's authors. "This is something that can happen, but until we conduct a clinical study, we don't know exactly what will happen."
The researchers emphasize the importance of consulting healthcare providers before using cinnamon as a dietary supplement, especially for individuals with chronic health conditions.... (MORE - details)
Substance use accelerates brain aging through distinct molecular pathways, groundbreaking study reveals
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1081839
EXCERPTS: In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview, researchers from UTHealth Houston have uncovered crucial evidence that substance use disorders (SUDs) accelerate biological aging in the brain through distinct molecular mechanisms...
[...] One of the study's most significant findings was that different substances appear to accelerate brain aging through distinct biological pathways.
In alcohol use disorder, researchers found altered expression of genes involved in protein phosphorylation, signal transduction, and glutamatergic synapse function. For opioid use disorder, transcriptional regulation, neurodevelopment, and immune-inflammatory processes emerged as key drivers of accelerated aging. Stimulant use disorder showed distinct patterns related to oxidative stress, hypoxia responses, and cell adhesion pathways.
Dr. Walss-Bass emphasizes the importance of these findings: "We've discovered that accelerated aging in substance use disorders is not a uniform process. Each substance appears to hijack the brain's natural aging rhythm through unique molecular mechanisms, though some pathways are shared across different substance types."
Despite the differences between substances, the research identified some common biological mechanisms across all SUDs. Neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction appeared to play crucial roles in accelerated aging regardless of the specific substance used.
"Our integrative analysis suggests that mitochondrial function, the powerhouse of the cell, is central to maintaining cellular energy homeostasis and regulating oxidative stress responses," notes Dr. Gabriel Fries, co-corresponding author of the study. "When substance use disrupts these processes, it can accelerate the biological aging of neural tissue."
The findings have profound implications for public health, addiction medicine, and treatment approaches. If substance use induces premature biological aging, it should be viewed not merely as a behavioral choice but as an accelerant of neurodegeneration.... (MORE - missing details, no ads)
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellnes...cle-851927
INTRO: Researchers at the University of Mississippi investigated how cinnamaldehyde, cinnamon's main active compound, behaves in the body. Their findings suggest that while cinnamon is safe in small doses, higher concentrations could affect how some medicines are metabolized, potentially reducing their effectiveness.
According to a study published in the journal Food Chemistry, cinnamaldehyde activates receptors that may accelerate the breakdown of certain medications. The process can lead to medications being eliminated from the body faster than intended. "We know that cinnamaldehyde has the potential to activate these receptors, which can create the risk of drug interactions," said Bill Gurley, a principal scientist at the University of Mississippi's National Center for Natural Products Research and one of the study's authors. "This is something that can happen, but until we conduct a clinical study, we don't know exactly what will happen."
The researchers emphasize the importance of consulting healthcare providers before using cinnamon as a dietary supplement, especially for individuals with chronic health conditions.... (MORE - details)
Substance use accelerates brain aging through distinct molecular pathways, groundbreaking study reveals
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1081839
EXCERPTS: In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview, researchers from UTHealth Houston have uncovered crucial evidence that substance use disorders (SUDs) accelerate biological aging in the brain through distinct molecular mechanisms...
[...] One of the study's most significant findings was that different substances appear to accelerate brain aging through distinct biological pathways.
In alcohol use disorder, researchers found altered expression of genes involved in protein phosphorylation, signal transduction, and glutamatergic synapse function. For opioid use disorder, transcriptional regulation, neurodevelopment, and immune-inflammatory processes emerged as key drivers of accelerated aging. Stimulant use disorder showed distinct patterns related to oxidative stress, hypoxia responses, and cell adhesion pathways.
Dr. Walss-Bass emphasizes the importance of these findings: "We've discovered that accelerated aging in substance use disorders is not a uniform process. Each substance appears to hijack the brain's natural aging rhythm through unique molecular mechanisms, though some pathways are shared across different substance types."
Despite the differences between substances, the research identified some common biological mechanisms across all SUDs. Neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction appeared to play crucial roles in accelerated aging regardless of the specific substance used.
"Our integrative analysis suggests that mitochondrial function, the powerhouse of the cell, is central to maintaining cellular energy homeostasis and regulating oxidative stress responses," notes Dr. Gabriel Fries, co-corresponding author of the study. "When substance use disrupts these processes, it can accelerate the biological aging of neural tissue."
The findings have profound implications for public health, addiction medicine, and treatment approaches. If substance use induces premature biological aging, it should be viewed not merely as a behavioral choice but as an accelerant of neurodegeneration.... (MORE - missing details, no ads)