Translation: Smoking ruins productive sleep, leading to cognitive dysfunction, mood disorders, depression and anxiety.
“This study has found a common pathway whereby cigarette smoke impacts both pulmonary and neurophysiological function.
Further, the results suggest the possible therapeutic value of targeting this pathway with compounds that could improve both lung and brain functions in smokers,” said Irfan Rahman, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Centre in Rochester, N.Y. “We envisage that our findings will be the basis for future developments in the treatment of those patients who are suffering with tobacco smoke-mediated injuries and diseases.
Rahman and colleagues found that tobacco smoke affects clock gene expression rhythms in the lung by producing parallel inflammation and depressed levels of brain locomotor activity.
Short- and long- term smoking decreased a molecule known as SIRTUIN1 (SIRT1, an anti-aging molecule) and this reduction altered the level of the clock protein (BMAL1) in both lung and brain tissues in mice.
A similar reduction was seen in lung tissue from human smokers and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They made this discovery using two groups of mice, which were placed in smoking chambers for short-term and long-term tobacco inhalation.
One of the groups was exposed to clean air only and the other was exposed to different numbers of cigarettes during the day. Researchers monitored their daily activity patterns and found that these mice were considerably less active following smoke exposure.
Scientists then used mice deficient in SIRT1 and found that tobacco smoke caused a dramatic decline in activity but this effect was attenuated in mice that over expressed this protein or were treated with a small pharmacological activator of the anti-aging protein.
Further results suggest that the clock protein, BMAL1, was regulated by SIRT1, and the decrease in SIRT1 damaged BMAL1, resulting in a disturbance in the sleep cycle/molecular clock in mice and human smokers.
However, this defect was restored by a small molecule activator of SIRT1.
“If you only stick to one New Year’s resolution this year, make it quitting smoking,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.
“Only Santa Claus has a list longer than that of the ailments caused or worsened by smoking. If you like having a good night’s sleep, then that’s just another reason to never smoke.”
Drinking red wine in moderation may prolong your life
There have been a lot of reports over the years claiming some red wine may improve your health. Actually, enjoying some red wine in moderation may prolong your life, reports Doctor’s Health Press.
It has been found in a recent study that moderate drinkers have been living longer than people who abstain from drinking.
Over a 20-year period a team of researchers from the University of Texas followed over 1,800 volunteers who were between the ages of 55 to 65 at the outset of the study.
The research team studied both moderate drinkers, abstainers and heavy drinkers in their clinical trial. The study also compared teetotalers, or people who had drank in the past but who no longer drink, and those who had a history of never drinking alcohol, with moderate drinkers and heavy drinkers.
Moderate drinkers were considered to be those who had one to three drinks a day, while heavy drinkers were considered to be those who had four or more drinks per day.
The results showed at the end of the study period, slightly over 30 per cent of the teetotalers survived, in comparison to survival by 40 per cent of the heavy drinkers and almost 60 per cent of the moderate drinkers.
The researchers concluded that although you still should approach alcohol drinking with caution, it appears it’s okay to enjoy a glass of red wine with your evening meal. Red wine could help lower cholesterol levels and have a positive effect on heart health.
Research has indicated that moderate consumption of alcohol improves cardiovascular health, reports Yale New Haven Hospital. In 1992 researchers at Harvard included moderate alcohol consumption as one of the “eight proven ways to reduce coronary heart disease risk.”
But, research has suggested that red wine is specifically the most beneficial to your heart health. The cardioprotective effect of red wine has been attributed to antioxidants present in the skin and seeds of red grapes.
More recently researchers have found that moderate red wine consumption may be beneficial to more than just your heart health. One study has found that the antioxidant resveratrol, which is found in abundance in the skin of red grapes, may inhibit tumor development in some cancers.
Another study has indicated that resveratrol helps in the formation of nerve cells, which experts think may be helpful in the treatment of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. So, if you feel like it, enjoying some red wine in moderation may actually help you live a healthier and longer life.
How being sociable can boost brain
If you have lots of friends, this could go to your head. A study has shown that bits of the brain are bigger and better connected in people who have lots of friends.
And the more sociable they are, the bigger the brain boost.
The finding comes from Oxford University scientists who asked 18 men and women how many friends they had met, spoken to on the phone or emailed in the past month.
The average number of friends contacted was around 20 but some were in touch with more than 40 people. Others only made contact with ten pals.
Scans showed that around half a dozen brain regions were bigger in those who were more sociable - and the more friends someone had, the larger the areas were.
One of the sociability regions was the anterior cingulate cortex, an area we use to keep track of what other people are doing.
The scans showed that connections between this area and another that we use to work out how others are thinking and feeling were particularly strong in sociable types.
The Society for Neuroscience’s annual conference also heard that there were strong connections between the various areas involved in sociability.
Researcher MaryAnn Noonan said: “In more sociable humans, perhaps these communication pathways are more like motorways than windy country roads, making information processing more efficient and better.”
With earlier work in monkeys producing similar results, the researchers think it is not the case that sociable people are simply born with brains that are better wired for friendship.
Instead, they believe that people with lots of friends use certain brain regions more often, leading to them growing to keep up with the social demands.
Dr. Noonan said: “If I hedged my bets, I’d say the brain is changing in response to social network size. But that is not to say that there isn’t a genetic influence, so that if you come from a sociable family, your brain is predisposed to that.”
It is hoped that learning more about how the brain reacts in social situations could lead to new treatments for autism, schizophrenia and other conditions in which people struggle to interact with others.
However, sociable types should note that the finding doesn’t mean that they have bigger brains overall. It is thought that other brain regions, which aren’t used when they are out socialising, shrink in compensation.
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