But there’s more…

Research is revealing that one of our favorite types of drinks can counteract the effects of certain antibiotics, particularly against a specific bacterium responsible for some common and already difficult-to-treat infections.

And you know what happens when you take an antibiotic and it doesn’t fully kill the germ; it can supercharge the germ’s resistance even more.

Here’s what you need to know about which drink you should avoid when taking antibiotics. (Hint: it’s not alcohol).

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Re-think what you drink on antibiotics

After the examination of 94 different substances, researchers at the Universities of Tübingen and Würzburg were able to prove that everyday substances can influence how bacteria, such as E. coli, respond to antibiotics.

One of the worst offenders the researchers discovered when it comes to compromising the work of antibiotics is caffeine.

E. coli infections most often occur in your GI system or urinary tract, but can also migrate to cause infections in the bloodstream, prostate and gallbladder.

That means caffeinated drinks, like the coffee, tea and sodas (if you’re still drinking those) we rely on for a little extra energy, could decrease the power of antibiotics to help fight infections.

According to the scientists, that’s because caffeine triggers genetic regulators that control bacterial transport proteins. These transport proteins act as pores for the bacteria, determining what can and can’t get inside the cell.

Basically, caffeine closes down these pores to antibiotics like ciproflaxin, weakening their effectiveness.

“Caffeine triggers a cascade of events starting with the gene regulator Rob and culminating in the change of several transport proteins in E. coli, which in turn leads to a reduced uptake of antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin,” explains researcher Ana Rita Brochado.

The scientists say that this contributes to what’s called ‘low-level’ antibiotic resistance, which is not due to classic resistance genes, but to regulation and environmental factors.

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How not to make antibiotics useless

Clearly, if you’re taking antibiotics, avoiding caffeine is a must to help ensure they’re as effective as you need them to be. So, at least until you’re done with the medication, lay off the caffeinated drinks.

Additionally, there are a few ways to help antibiotics work as they should when you do have to take them:

• Taking omega-3s – Researchers at Flinders University discovered that omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in fish oil, can make germs’ membranes more permeable to antibiotics. This makes the bacteria less resistant to the medicine.
• Adding in cranberry – A Canadian study found that cranberry extract made it easier for antibiotics to enter the bacteria that cause UTIs, pneumonia, and gastroenteritis. It also disrupted the mechanism that bacteria use to eliminate the antibiotic.
• Drinking green tea – Research has shown that a compound in green tea — epigallocatechin (EGCG) – is capable of making an antibiotic called aztreonam work against a dangerous, resistant bacterium again. In fact, the two compounds together were far more effective at killing the bacteria than either was alone.
• Eating more fiber – Research has shown that dietary fiber plays a crucial role in preventing the overgrowth of harmful gut bacteria, including E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Also, remember to support your gut microbiome when taking antibiotics. Probiotics help repopulate the gut microbiome after a round of antibiotics, but taking them regularly yields even better benefits…

Previous research shows that probiotics reduce the likelihood of getting common infections like respiratory infections and stomach bugs. They also reduce the duration and severity of these infections.

Sources:

E. coli infection – Cleveland Clinic

Your morning coffee could secretly be weakening antibiotics – ScienceDaily

The post The drink that makes antibiotics useless (and it’s not alcohol) appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

There’s no doubt that caffeine can raise your blood pressure and heart rate.

But consuming moderate amounts of caffeine daily also has been linked to supple arteries and reduced risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation.

Now there’s more good heart health news for those of us who love our coffee, tea and cocoa…

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Caffeine and your blood vessels

Vascular disease, damage of blood vessels and their resulting consequences — heart attack and stroke — are among the leading causes of death in the general population.

These risks are even higher in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. This is due to the diseases themselves and some of their treatments, particularly derivatives of cortisone.

Until now, doctors have recommended avoiding risk factors to protect against vascular dysfunction. These recommendations included:

• Halting inflammation
• Decreasing cortisone medications
• Not smoking
• Reducing cholesterol
• Getting blood pressure under control

However, researchers from Sapienza University of Rome found suggestions that caffeine actively helps endothelial progenitor cells. This group of cells helps regenerate the lining of blood vessels and is involved in vascular growth.

A diet rich in vitamins D (found in oily fish and eggs) and A (found in many fruits), as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids, and low in sodium, appears to play a role in reducing the inflammatory burden. Scientists have been curious if caffeine belongs on that list.

Caffeine exerts its anti-inflammatory effect by binding with receptors expressed on the surface of immune cells.

The researchers studied 31 lupus patients who did not have traditional cardiovascular risk factors using a seven-day food questionnaire. After a week, the investigators took the patients’ blood to measure the health of their blood vessels. They found that patients who consumed caffeine had better vascular health, as measured by endothelial cells, which form the innermost layer of blood vessels.

“The present study is an attempt to provide patients with information on the possible role of diet in controlling the disease,” says Fulvia Ceccarelli, the paper’s lead author. “It will be necessary to confirm the results through a longitudinal study, aimed at assessing the real impact of coffee consumption on the disease course.”

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There is a daily limit

Keep in mind that most health agencies recommend you consume no more than 400 mg of caffeine a day. Given that a typical eight-ounce cup of coffee contains 95 mg of caffeine, that means limiting your intake to roughly four of these cups.

However, the smallest coffee size at many coffee shops is 12 ounces, and the largest can exceed 20 ounces. If you tend to get your coffee fix there or use an oversized mug at home, you need to bear the size in mind.

Also, if you’re a fan of espresso drinks, bear in mind that they contain a compound that can negate coffee’s heart benefits and are often loaded with added fat and sugar. You may want to stick with brewed coffee to reap the full benefits of caffeine.

If you want to moderate your caffeine consumption, a good way to do so is to replace a cup or two of coffee with black or green tea. A cup of black tea contains approximately 47 mg of caffeine, while a cup of green tea contains around 33 mg.

Sources:

Caffeine is a heart-healthy habit — EurekAlert!

Caffeine improves systemic lupus erythematosus endothelial dysfunction by promoting endothelial progenitor cells survival — Rheumatology

How Much Caffeine Is In a Cup of Coffee? — Food Network

How much caffeine is in tea? — GoodFood

The post The truth about caffeine and your blood vessels appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

This means that a person born in 2000 could, on average, live 30 years longer than someone born in 1900, reaching an age of around 80. However, we may have reached an upper limit on human longevity.

In certain countries, including the U.S., the average lifespan has declined slightly in recent years, partly due to our inability to slow the effects of aging, such as frailty, dementia, heart disease and sensory impairments.

Still, scientists continue to explore ways to mitigate the impacts of aging, including high-intensity exercise, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and supplements such as astaxanthin, pyrroloquinoline quinone and grape seed extract. Each of these methods is believed to activate distinct “longevity switches” in the body, potentially extending lifespan.

Recently, however, researchers may have identified the simplest and most ancient longevity switch of all…

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The impact of caffeine on AMPK

We’ve long known about the potential life-lengthening benefits of coffee, including reduced risk of age-related diseases. However, we haven’t been entirely clear on the mechanism behind it all.

A few years ago, researchers at Queen Mary University of London found that caffeine helps cells live longer by acting on a growth regulator called TOR, or Target of Rapamycin. This biological switch, which tells cells when to grow based on the availability of food and energy, has been controlling energy and stress responses in living things for over 500 million years.

In a recent study, the same research team sought to investigate the effect of caffeine on fission yeast, a single-celled organism closely related to human cells. In doing so, they were surprised to learn that caffeine doesn’t act directly on TOR. Instead, it activates the AMPK system, which acts as a sort of cellular energy monitor and is evolutionarily conserved in both yeast and humans.

“When your cells are low on energy, AMPK kicks in to help them cope,” explains Dr. Charalampos (Babis) Rallis of Queen Mary University of London, the study’s senior author. “And our results show that caffeine helps flip that switch.”

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How caffeine supports our cells

Using the yeast model, the researchers demonstrated that caffeine’s effect on AMPK influences how cells grow, repair their DNA and respond to stress. All of these factors are tied to aging and disease.

“These findings help explain why caffeine might be beneficial for health and longevity,” says Dr. John-Patrick Alao, the postdoctoral research scientist leading this study. “And they open up exciting possibilities for future research into how we might trigger these effects more directly — with diet, lifestyle or new medicines.”

Interestingly, AMPK is also a target of metformin, a common diabetes medication being studied in conjunction with the antifungal agent rapamycin for its potential to extend human lifespan.

Clearly, more research is needed before we can definitively say that caffeine helps us live longer. However, we do know that caffeine has several other health benefits.

For instance, caffeine can help you burn more fat while exercising and fight off Alzheimer’s disease. It protects heart health by lowering LDL cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation. It can also lead to reduced dementia risk, prevention of the brain deterioration caused by Parkinson’s disease, lower risk of type 2 diabetes and reduced odds of colon cancer recurrence.

With all these positives, it’s safe to say that you’ll want to keep up your morning coffee habit, or adopt one if you don’t currently indulge.

That said, if you find that the caffeine in coffee makes you too jittery, try a cup of green tea instead, as I do. I find the caffeine in green tea to have a much lighter touch. And the antioxidants in green tea may help ward off cancer, protect your eyesight and balance your blood sugar, all things that can go a long way in helping you live a long, healthy life.

Sources:

Scientists reveal your morning coffee flips an ancient longevity switch — ScienceDaily

Dissecting the cell cycle regulation, DNA damage sensitivity and lifespan effects of caffeine in fission yeast — Microbial Cell

Human Longevity May Have Reached its Upper Limit — Scientific American

What doctors wish patients knew about falling U.S. life expectancy — AMA

The post The cellular longevity switch tripped by caffeine appeared first on Easy Health Options®.