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The mucosal layer in the small intestine degrades with age in rats, allowing digestive enzymes to slowly escape and leak into organs outside the intestine, including the liver, lung, heart, kidney and brain. As the enzymes are unable to distinguish tissues from food, they break down collagen and destroy many receptors on cell membranes, such as the insulin receptor which leads to type 2 diabetes. The researchers call this process autodigestion. Digestion requires powerful enzymes that are synthesized in the pancreas. They are delivered from the pancreas into the lumen of the small intestine, where they digest all the food...

Can you eat your way out of a kidney disease? Perhaps you can—according to a new study. Associate Professor Markus Rinschen has shown that the intake of the amino acid lysine, an over-the-counter food supplement, protects laboratory animals from kidney damage. The study was primarily conducted on rats with high blood pressure—hypertension—and associated kidney disease. But a small pilot study confirms that the amino acid could have similar effect in humans, without definite evidence for clinical effects on kidney disease. "We discovered that there is an accelerated transformation of the amino acid lysine in humans and animals with kidney disease....

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians have noted that certain patients are at especially high risk of developing severe illness or dying from coronavirus infection. Type 2 diabetes—a condition affecting more than 10 percent of the U.S. population— is one of the main risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness. New research from U-M uncovers why this might be and offers hope for a potential therapy. The culprit appears to be an enzyme called SETDB2. This same enzyme has been implicated in the non-healing, inflammatory wounds found in people with diabetes…. "We think we have a reason for why these patients are...

Research conducted at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine suggests that higher intake of specific nutrients is associated with lower brain iron concentration and better cognitive performance in older adults. The study was recently published in the Neurobiology of Aging and highlights the important balance of non-heme iron for optimal neuronal function. Excess non-heme brain iron has been associated with neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. High levels of brain iron can also be seen in normal aging, where they have been correlated with poor cognitive performance. A key question is whether age-related increases in brain...

Treatment with arginine, one of the amino-acid building blocks of proteins, enhanced the effectiveness of radiation therapy in cancer patients with brain metastases. The study reported arginine, which can be delivered in oral form, prior to standard radiation therapy in 31 patients who had brain metastases. Nearly 78 percent had a complete or partial response in their brain tumors over the follow-up period of up to four years, while only 22 percent of the 32 patients who received a placebo prior to radiotherapy had such a response. The trial was designed to gauge the effectiveness of arginine as a "radiosensitizer"...

Huitlacoche is a fungus that consumes its host — corn — and transforms it into another food altogether. If you’ve never seen it before, it might be a startling sight. But look beyond the unfamiliar, and you’ll find a treat. In fact, for the past couple of weeks, a scrum of excited chefs has surrounded the McGrath Family Farms table at the Santa Monica farmers market due to the unexpected appearance of fresh huitlacoche (pronounced whee-tla-KOH-cheh), a fungus caused by ustilago maydis, which feeds on ears of corn. Called corn smut or Mexican truffle, the fungus is considered a delicacy...

Research indicating Lysine, which is used to treat herpes (a virus), can be beneficial in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2.