Posted on 06/05/2021 7:19:08 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
A natural food supplement reduces anxiety in mice, according to a new Weizmann Institute of Science study. The plant-derived substance, beta-sitosterol, was found to produce this effect both on its own and in synergic combination with an antidepressant known under the brand name Prozac.
In a series of behavioral experiments, mice given beta-sitosterol showed much less anxiety than the controls. They were, for example, less fearful than the controls when placed in an illuminated enclosure, daring to walk into its brightly lit center, whereas regular mice were careful to stay on the darker periphery, avoiding the stress of the bright light. Moreover, the mice receiving beta-sitosterol did not exhibit any of the side effects that might be expected from antianxiety medications—their locomotion was not impaired, and they did not refrain from exploring novel stimuli.
"One of the major problems with existing antianxiety medications is that they produce side effects, so if beta-sitosterol could help cut down the dosage of such medications, it might potentially also reduce the unwanted side effects," Panayotis says.
A great advantage of beta-sitosterol is that it is naturally present in a variety of edible plants, and it is thought to be safe, as it has been marketed for years as a nutraceutical. It is found in particularly large concentrations in avocados, but also in pistachios, almonds and other nuts, in canola oil, in various grains and cereals and more.
However, this does not mean that eating avocado can induce a calming effect, since it doesn't contain enough beta-sitosterol. "You'd need to eat avocado day and night to get the right dose—and you would be more likely to develop digestive problems than relieve your anxiety," Panayotis says.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
The paper found an equivalent dose for men (female rats proved difficult to tie down, due to their monthly cycle):
“We used the male mice data and FDA recommendations to calculate the human equivalent dose (HED) as 486 mg and the recommended starting dose as 48.6 mg (considering a standard body weight of 60 kg). This dosage is well in the range (∼2 g per day) of plant sterol dietary supplementation typically administered for cholesterol management.”
Get a gym membership...take up golf, learn to play the piano...
Thanks for posting.
Beer
Leisure suits.
Guns.
Too many calories in beer. I switched to whiskey. Yeah, it costs more but I drink less and get a little buzz going quicker. Three fingers over ice, that’s all I need.
I think many people are convinced by Psychiatrists that what they are experiencing is “sick” instead of saying “man up”...it’s only temporary...until the next nasty event. It’s all about the meds...and getting people on them and for a life time.
I have some in the cabinet. I never found it to be particularly helpful with BPH. I’ve found lycopene to be far more effective. For cholesterol, pycnogenol is quite effective, but there’s always room to add another to the stack, especially if it serves multiple purposes.
For anxiety though, L-Theanine is king. If high cortisol is part of your problem, Phosphaditylserene is extremely effective.
Regards,
Friend of mine just lost her mom and she's grieving. Her brother's a doctor, immediately put her on anti-depressants. Since she's still grieving, she's being told to increase the dosage. What can I say. He's a doctor, and her brother.
A hammock
About this experiment where mice disregard obvious danger areas and wander blithely around. Isn’t this just making them stupid on an evolutionary level?
In other words, this natural food supplement makes mice take stupid risks that make them more visible and vulnerable to predators. ;-D
I believe the study initially used a very high 100 mg/kg, I think directly injected, which was an amount that caused the mice to be fearless in one hour.
That would be almost 7,300 mg via a needle into your bloodstream for an equivalent.
I’ve found that regular exercise is a great anti-depressant.
Between my bikes and my kettlebells, I’ll never need a shrink. Plus it helps maintain my boyish figure.
An honest to goodness conservative POTUS would do the same.
Forming a conclusion from the controlled torture of mice under the influence of chemicals is not valid medicine.
How about removing the reason for the anxiety, rather than numbing the organism to the source of the anxiety and masking it with a chemical?
That extreme amount was to prove it affected the proper process.
The amount they used to achieve a normal response from the mice equated to less than 50 mg for a 160 pound person.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.