Reducing oxygen levels may cure jet lag: study

October 21, 2016

Jerusalem, Oct 21: Reducing oxygen levels in an aeroplane cabin may help combat jet lag in travellers, suggests a new study which found that variation in oxygen levels can reset circadian clocks of mice and help them adapt eating, sleeping and running habits to the new time faster.

jetlag Presently, light, food and temperature are the best known cues that can influence circadian rhythms.

Lead author Gad Asher, scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and his colleagues studied that changing the concentration of oxygen in cells by just 3 per cent, twice a day, will synchronise mouse cells to a circadian rhythm.

They suspected protein HIF1a was the link between oxygen and the circadian clock because HIF1a plays both a role in oxygen homeostasis in cells.

They found that cells with low HIF1a levels will not synchronise in response to oxygen variations.

"It was extremely exciting to see that even small changes in oxygen levels were sufficient to efficiently reset the circadian clock," said Asher.

Researchers further explored oxygen's effect on circadian rhythms with jetlag experiments. Just like humans, mice are prone to jetlag after a sudden shift in daylight hours.

Mice were first left to eat, sleep and run on their wheels in air-controlled environments.

Altering oxygen levels alone did not change their circadian rhythms but once mice experienced a six-hour jump ahead in daylight hours, varying oxygen levels could help them adapt their eating, sleeping and running habits to the new time faster.

They also saw that a small drop in oxygen levels 12 hours before the six-hour daylight shift, or two hours afterwards, put the mice back on their circadian schedules faster and this too was dependent on HIF1a levels.

Presently, commercial airliners pressurise cabins to the same air density of a city 6,000-8,000 feet above sea level.

This low-pressure saves wear and tear on the airplane, but enough passengers suffer from airsickness in response to this drop in oxygen levels that some airlines are considering ways to increase the pressure on flights.

Researchers noted that passengers may feel better with higher pressurised cabins during flights, but may also lose a potential advantage of recovering from jetlag.

Understanding how oxygen influences the circadian clock goes beyond jetlag. Cardiovascular disease, COPD, shift work sleep disorder, and other common health problems can result in tissues with low oxygen levels.

"We show that oxygen works in mammals, specifically rodents, but it will be interesting to test whether oxygen can reset the clock of bacteria, plants, flies and additional organisms," said Asher.

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Probiotics may help ease depression claims Study

Agencies

July 8,2020

Probiotics that broaden the mix of helpful bacteria in the gut may help to ease depression, say researchers.

Foods that broaden the profile of helpful bacteria in the gut are collectively known as probiotics. These "good bacteria" can be taken as supplements, or found naturally in yoghurts or fermented foods.

For the findings, the research team from the University of Brighton in the UK searched for relevant studies published in English between 2003 and 2019, which looked at the potential therapeutic contribution of pre-and probiotics in adults with depression and/or anxiety disorders.

Out of an initial haul of 71 studies, just seven met all the criteria for inclusion. All 7 investigated at least one probiotic strain; four looked at the effect of combinations of multiple strains.In all, 12 probiotic strains featured in the selected studies, primarily Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, and Bifidobacterium bifidium.

One study looked at combined pre-probiotic treatment, while one looked at prebiotic therapy by itself. The studies varied considerably in their design, methods used, and clinical considerations, but all of them concluded that probiotic supplements either alone or in combination with prebiotics may be linked to measurable reductions in depression.

And every study showed a significant fall or improvement in anxiety symptoms and clinically relevant changes in biochemical measures of anxiety or depression with probiotic or combined pre-probiotic use.

Of the 12 different probiotics investigated, 11 were potentially useful, the findings showed.'Probiotics may help reduce the production of inflammatory chemicals, such as cytokines, as is the case in inflammatory bowel disease, the researchers suggested.

"They may help direct the action of tryptophan, a chemical thought to be important in the gut-brain axis in psychiatric disorders," they added.

In this way, with a better understanding of the mechanisms, probiotics may prove to be a useful tool across a wide range of conditions," the authors wrote.

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India’s food trends for a post-COVID-19 era

Agencies

April 28,2020

As the world grapples with the impact of the novel coronavirus, daily interaction with the outside world --- public and retail spaces, restaurants, educational institutions, and even with each other has been and will continue to be reoriented prioritising personal hygiene and public health.

The sensibilities are building towards and leading to major changes in how the country's food service industry is expected to operate.

Based on a recent consumer survey by restaurant tech platform, Dineout, Indian diners are now ranking safety assurances and premier hygiene as top factors when it comes to choosing a restaurant to dine in.

The survey by Dineout conducted across 20 cities revealed that in a post-COVID-19 era, 81 per cent diners will prefer digital menus at restaurants, while 77 per cent of people will continue to want to dine out.

The survey found that 23 per cent people would prefer continuing with delivery/takeaway and online payment becomes the most preferred option with 60 per cent votes.

Diner's response to Contactless Dining:

Over 96 per cent demand better waitlist management

81 per cent consumers would rather scan a QR on their phone to place an order instead of handling physical menus or tablet-based digital menus.

After a dining experience, 60 per cent prefer seamless wallet-based digital payments over cash/cards 85 per cent would choose a digital valet over waiting in possibly contaminated public spaces and 84 per cent would prefer offering digital feedback over physical feedback collection.

What do people want to eat?

The report also revealed that most of India has been craving Pizza since the lockdown, except in Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata where their popular and indigenous Biryani recipes reign supreme.

Which restaurants are diners waiting to go to?

77 per cent respondents claimed that they are waiting to dine out with friends and family once the lockdown is lifted.

Big Chill, Barbeque Nation and Social emerged as favourites in Delhi, while Mumbaikars picked Global Fusion, Poptates and Asia Kitchen. Bangaloreans miss going to pubs like Toit, Vapour and Barbeque Nation.

Aminia, Arsalan and Momo I Am emerge as the top picks in Kolkata.

Contrary to popular belief, Delhitties picked vegetarian over non-vegetarian food.

Bangaloreans and Lucknowis would rather have their drinks over food.

Besides the new parameters for restaurant selection, the factors deciding consumer delight have also seen a major overhaul as hygiene takes precedence. Consumers would prefer that the total number of reservations in a certain period be limited with the option to pre-select the seating, ample amounts of sanitisers at tables along with UV sanitised utensils whenever possible.

Hygiene ratings with detailed hygiene information, regular hygiene checks & usage of mask and disposable gloves by waiters are likely to be the new standard, with diners expecting service personnel to sanitise tables & chairs after every use.

Dineout recently unveiled the ï¿½contactless dining suite' to help restaurants survive and thrive in a post-COVID-19 world. The brand will also provide PPE Safety Kits to Restaurants to help ensure hygiene measures and is facilitating COVID free certification for restaurants through a licensed lab to ensure all microbiological tests are in place before restaurants restart post the lockdown.

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