TGF-beta inhibition and dementia????????

wookster

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http://www.csuchico.edu/agr/grsfdbef/he ... o3-o6.html


According to the University of Maryland, an inappropriate balance of these essential fatty acids (high omega-6/omega-3 ratio) contributes to the development of disease while a proper balance helps maintain and even improves health. A healthy diet should consist of roughly one to four times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. The typical American diet tends to contain 11 to 30 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 and many researchers believe this imbalance is a significant factor in the rising rate of inflammatory disorders in the United States.

[...]

The human brain has a high requirement for DHA. Low DHA levels have been linked to low brain serotonin levels, which are connected to an increased tendency for depression and suicide. Several studies have established a clear association between low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and depression. In fact, countries with a high level of omega-3 consumption have fewer cases of depression, decreased incidence of age-related memory loss as well as a reduction in impaired cognitive function and a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (Kalmijn et al., 1997a; Kalmijn et al., 1997b; Yehuda et al., 1996; Hibbeln, 1998; Hibbeln et al., 1995; Stoll et al., 1999; Calabrese et al., 1999; Laugharne et al., 1996).


 

abcdefg

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Sometimes I think science is completely full of crap. Omega 3s are will turn out to be completely worthless 20 years from now.
 

harold

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Well its all about tissue specificity. If you stopped tgf-beta signalling throughout the body I am sure you would no longer bald but you would probably also get cancer and die or something. Thats the problem with male pattern baldness. We would like to stop androgenic activity in the scalp but not in the reproductive system and brain. We are good at stopping androgenic activity but seemingly pretty hopeless at doing it locally, even on an area on the outer surface of our body.
Also when you look further and further downstream of androgens themselves in balding - at TGF-beta and other secondary signals you are going to see somethings that are involved in a lot ofcompletely different processes in different parts of the body. There will be some genes and proteins fairly specific to hair growth and others that are not. TGF-Beta is one of the latter.
hh
 

Pondle

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Without knowing much about the methodology behind some of these studies, do the researchers often confuse correlation with causation?

For example "countries with a high level of omega-3 consumption have fewer cases of depression, decreased incidence of age-related memory loss as well as a reduction in impaired cognitive function and a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease".

Sure, but there might be all kinds of other unobserved differences in diet, lifestyle and genetics as well.
 
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