Latest Science of Health

The 2025 Dirty Dozen (Pesticide Treated Foods)

Lithium deficiency and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease

Simple supplement could prevent muscle loss from weight-loss drugs

“Glycoprotein shows potential for treating both ‘leaky gut’ and severe depression

Early intake of the antidepressant fluoxetine alters brain development

 

The 2025 Dirty Dozen (Pesticide Treated Foods)

Buy organic when possible, especially these offenders:

• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Kale, Collards, Mustard Greens
• Grapes
• Peaches
• Cherries
• Nectarines
• Pears
• Apples
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Potatoes

The EWG’s Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce:

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

 

Lithium deficiency and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease

A study published in the journal Nature found that lithium (Li) is dynamically regulated in the brain and contributes to cognitive preservation during ageing. “Of the metals we analyzed, Li was the only one that was significantly reduced in the brain in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to AD.

Replacement therapy with lithium orotate, which is a Li salt with reduced amyloid binding, prevents pathological changes and memory loss in AD mouse models and ageing wild-type mice. These findings reveal physiological effects of endogenous Li in the brain and indicate that disruption of Li homeostasis may be an early event in the pathogenesis of AD. Li replacement with amyloid-evading salts is a potential approach to the prevention and treatment of AD.”

Nature 645, 712–721 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09335-x

Dr. Reinhardt: Lithium is naturally found in small amounts in soils. Studies dating to the early 1900s found areas with trace lithium (found in drinking water) had lower rates of aggression in residents, compared to areas where there was no lithium. Studies have found that trace doses of lithium improve absorption of certain amino acids, specifically glycine. Many people lack the internal genetics to create enough glycine (primariliy from serine), and it is a semi-essential nutrient, particularly for those that are ADHD. Studies also show that dementia commonly results from long term glycine deficiency. Interestingly, low dose lithium (and glycine) are put in pig, chicken and other commercial animal feed by Ralston Purina! I believe everyone should take low dose lithium, which is completely safe and has no known adverse side effects. I take a dose every day, from Amazon, https://amzn.to/4ohvEaH

 

Simple supplement could prevent muscle loss from weight-loss drugs

Semaglutide—the active ingredient in weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus—cause significant loss of skeletal muscle mass and can account for nearly 40% of the total weight loss. But the heart  loses muscle mass as well, and can cause permanent damage. Semaglutide appears to impair the mitochondria, which generate energy for the muscles. Without this energy, the muscle can waste away. This process happens when the body is starved and begins to break down muscle for fuel. When you give animal models ketones, it protects the mitochondria from being impaired. The ketones make the mitochondria more active, healthier.

Dr. Reinhardt: While drug companies are rushing to come up with a patentable ketone boosting drug you can already buy a supplement that the body converts into ketones, mimicking the elevated levels of ketones in the blood: BHB (β-hydroxybutyrate). I recommend everyone taking  weight-loss drugs to add BHB to their routine.  Amazon’s most effective BHB supplement is Keto ACV BHB Capsules, available at https://amzn.to/46GQb2z

Glycoprotein shows potential for treating both ‘leaky gut’ and severe depression

What if a protein could be injected to help heal both “leaky gut” and severe depression? New research from the University of Victoria (UVic), published in Chronic Stress*, shows that a glycoprotein called reelin may one day be able to do just that.
Reelin is a large extracellular matrix glycoprotein essential for brain development and synaptic plasticity. In adults, reduced reelin expression or signaling has been linked to various neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, autism, depression, Alzheimer’s disease).
The study found that chronic stress decreased Reelin in the intestines of preclinical models, and that a single injection of 3 µg of reelin normalized levels. Previous studies have shown that individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder have less reelin in their brains, as do rodents exposed to chronic stress, and that a single intravenous injection of 3 µg of reelin can produce antidepressant-like effects in these rodents. They have also shown reelin to be necessary for proper gut lining renewal.
“Taken together, these results may have important implications for the management of major depressive disorder”

Dr. Reinhardt: Reelin is suppressed by several factors including: glococorticoids (such as cortisol, known to rise with chronic stress, predisone and other drugs in this class), sstrogen deficiency (menopause, aromatase inhibitors), hypothyroidism, insulin resistance / diabetes, aging, systemic infection / chronic inflammation, alcohol ingestion, valproic acid (during development), methamphetamine / amphetamines (Ritalin, others in this class), organophosphate pesticides, chronic exposure to nicotine, high homocysteine (stress, B12 deficiency), folate deficiency, chronic sleep deprivation, and sedentary lifestyle.
ALL of these have been linked to “depression”. What if many cases of “depression” are actually only a deficiency in reelin?
The following factors are thought to increase reelin: physical exercise (especially aerobic), SSRIs (fluoxetine, sertraline, escitalopram, which could be their main mechanism of action!), lithium, sodium butyrate, curcumin / resveratrol / quercetin, omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA),Coenzyme Q10, NAC, α-lipoic acid. estrogen (and phytoestrogens like genistein), Thyroid hormone (T3), green tea polyphenols (EGCG), ginkgo biloba extract, Ashwagandha, bacopa monnieri, and turmeric.
ALL of these have been found to releave “depression”. What if many cases of “depression” are actually only a deficiency in reelin?
What to do
Currently, there is no routine clinical test available for measuring reelin levels in humans (neither in blood nor cerebrospinal fluid) that is approved or standardized for diagnostic use. There is no approved drug, injection, or supplement that contains reelin, nor any medication that directly acts as a reelin replacement therapy.
BUT you can boost reelin yourself, by avoiding the down-regulators and embracing the up-regulators!

*An Intravenous Injection of Reelin Rescues Endogenous Reelin Expression and Epithelial Cell Apoptosis in the Small Intestine Following Chronic Stress. Chronic Stress. 2025;9. doi:10.1177/24705470251381456

 

Early intake of the antidepressant fluoxetine alters brain development

A rat study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry recently found that exposure to fluoxetine (Prozac™) both during gestation and breastfeeding significantly affected brain development in offspring. “The results gathered by this research team hint at the possibility that a mother’s intake of FLX during pregnancy could have long-term effects on the development of their offspring’s brain, potentially increasing the risk that they will develop neurodevelopmental or psychiatric disorders. To have clinical implications, however, they should be validated in human populations.”
Dr. Reinhardt: Fluoxetine is what is called a “prodrug”, meaning it has to be altered in the body to affect the serotonin effect. It is much slower acting. All “anti”depressants increase serotonin levels in the brain beyond what nature intended. It seems likely that other “anti”depressant drugs, acting much more quickly to increase serotonin, could do even more damage to developing children. The “serotonin hypothesis” is debated, although most experts consider it a failure in explaining depression. Is it time for these chemicals be banned?