HEALTH

Is Marijuana Bad for Health? Here’s What We Know So Far

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Marijuana’s health impacts—good and bad—are coming into focus

Image of marijuana leaves.

With decades of legal and social opprobrium fading fast, marijuana has become an extremely popular commercial product with more than 48 million users across the U.S. Health concerns, once exaggerated, now often seem to be downplayed or overlooked. For example, pregnant patients “often tell me they had no idea there’s any risk,” says University of Utah obstetrician Torri Metz, lead author of a recent paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association on cannabis and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Fortunately, legal reforms are also gradually making it easier to study marijuana’s health effects by giving U.S. scientists more access to the drug and a wider population of users to study. Although much research remains in “early stages,” the number of studies has finally been increasing, says Tiffany Sanchez, an environmental health scientist at Columbia University. As new results accumulate, they offer a long-overdue update on what science really knows about the drug.

The Bad

In addition to minor side effects that many users joke about—such as short-term memory loss—recent studies have linked marijuana to adverse health outcomes involving the lungs, heart, brain and gonads. For example, heavy marijuana consumption seems to increase the risk of clogged arteries and heart failure, and it may impact male fertility. Smoking weed likewise can lead to chronic bronchitis and other respiratory ailments (although, unlike tobacco, it hasn’t been definitively tied to lung cancer). And cannabis plants hyperaccumulate metal pollutants, such as lead, which Sanchez found can enter users’ bloodstreams.

Developing adolescent brains, particularly those predisposed to mental illness, may be most at risk from overconsumption. Although psychiatric effects are hotly debated, studies suggest that heavy weed use exacerbates—or may trigger—schizophrenia, psychosis and depression in youths and that it affects behavior and academic performance. “From a safety viewpoint, young people should definitely stay away from it,” says University of Ottawa psychiatrist Marco Solmi, lead author of a recent review of cannabis and health in the British Medical Journal.

24 states have legalized recreational marijuana, with 38 allowing medical use

Moreover, the drug can cross over to fetuses during pregnancy. Several studies have linked it to low birth weights, and researchers suspect it raises the likelihood of neonatal intensive care unit admissions and stillbirths. Some cannabis dispensaries have advertised their products as a cure for morning sickness, but Metz emphasizes that safer alternatives exist.

The Good

Of course, many adults use marijuana responsibly for pleasure and relaxation. Unlike with, say, opioids, there’s effectively zero risk of life-threatening overdose. Plus, “people get addicted with tobacco way faster,” says Columbia University epidemiologist Silvia Martins, who studies substance use and related laws.

Cannabis, and its derivatives, also may help alleviate pain—although some researchers contend that it performs little better than a placebo. It may also decrease chemotherapy-induced nausea, calm epileptic seizures, ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and serve as a sleep aid.

Recent studies have hinted that the drug might slightly reduce opioid dependency rates, although this, too, is disputed. There’s some evidence that weed users tend to be more empathetic, and researchers found that elderly mice get a mental boost from the drug. Still, experts caution against self-medicating: “You should ask your doctor,” Solmi says.

The Weird

Some of the recent research into marijuana is more lighthearted. One study, for instance, found that, just like people, nematode worms dosed with cannabis get the munchies.

Fasting increases health and lifespan in male mice

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At a Glance

  • Long periods of fasting between meals helped male mice live longer and healthier lives, regardless of the content of their diets.
  • More studies are needed to confirm these results and understand how different fasting periods may impact health.

Photo of an empty plate

Researchers are working to understand how fasting patterns affect health and lifespan.

Studies have suggested potential health benefits from long-term calorie restriction. In long-term calorie restriction, average daily caloric intake is kept below what is typical or habitual, but without malnutrition or deprivation of essential nutrients. Calorie restriction can be achieved through simply eating less overall, or through specific periods of fasting.

One decades-long study in rhesus monkeys found an extension of lifespan with calorie restriction. However, another did not. Differences between those two studies—including the type of food used—made comparisons difficult.

Researchers from NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA), led by Dr. Rafael de Cabo, wanted to better understand if the type of food eaten, and when it is eaten, alters how calorie restriction affects the body. They divided almost 300 male mice into two diet groups. One group was given a diet low in sugar and based more on whole foods. The other group’s diet was higher in sugar and more processed.

Within these two groups, the researchers divided the mice into three feeding regimens. One had access to a food dispenser at all hours of the day (ad libitum, AL). A calorie restricted (CR) group received 30% less food than the AL group, placed into their cage once a day at the same time. A meal fed, or MF, group was given the same amount of food as the AL mice on average, but were fed only once a day.

The mice were monitored over the course of their natural lives. Mice that died were examined for evidence of disease, including cancer and liver damage. The results were published on September 6, 2018, in Cell Metabolism.

The researchers had expected that mice eating the whole foods-based diet would have a survival advantage when calorie restricted. But this is not what they observed. Diet composition did not affect health and lifespans. However, the periods of fasting did.

Mice in the MF groups quickly learned that they would not have 24-hour access to food and developed the habit of eating quickly. Mice in the CR groups also finished their smaller meals rapidly. Therefore, the mice in these groups had extended periods of time without food.

Compared with mice in the AL groups, mice in the MF groups lived about 11% longer, even though their total food intake and body weights were similar. Mice in the CR group lived about 28% longer. Mice in the CR and MF groups also developed disease later than mice in the AL groups.

“Increasing daily fasting times, without a reduction of calories and regardless of the type of diet consumed, resulted in overall improvements in health and survival in male mice. Perhaps this extended daily fasting period enables repair and maintenance mechanisms [in the body] that would be absent in a continuous exposure to food,” Cabo says.

Studies in female mice, as well as in other animals, are needed to confirm these findings. More work will also be needed to explore how different lengths of fasting impact health. Finally, the impact of fasting on human health may differ in important ways.

A bowl of yogurt a day keeps mental health disorders away

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 Can eating yogurt help stave off mental disorders? Researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine believe so. In a new study, scientists discovered that a common bacterium found in fermented foods and yogurt, called Lactobacillus, plays a crucial role in managing stress, potentially aiding in preventing conditions like depression and anxiety.

This discovery could pave the way for innovative therapies targeting mental health.

For the study, researchers isolated Lactobacillus from the vast array of microorganisms present in our bodies, collectively known as the microbiota. This distinct focus on a specific bacterium marks a significant advancement in the effort to decipher the roles of individual microbes, presenting new avenues for developing treatments and cures for various mental and physical diseases.

“Our discovery illuminates how gut-resident Lactobacillus influences mood disorders, by tuning the immune system,” says Alban Gaultier of UVA’s Department of Neuroscience, the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG Center), and the TransUniversity Microbiome Initiative, in a university release. “Our research could pave the way towards discovering much-needed therapeutics for anxiety and depression.”

The human gut is naturally inhabited by a myriad of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, collectively forming the microbiota. Despite the initial alarm at the sheer number of microorganisms within us, scientists recognize their crucial role in immune system health, mental well-being, and overall health. Disruptions in the microbiota due to illness, poor diet, or other factors have been linked to numerous diseases, highlighting the importance of understanding and regulating these microscopic inhabitants.

Attempts to manipulate gut flora using beneficial bacteria (probiotics) have shown mixed results due to the complexity of the microbiome. With an estimated 39 trillion microorganisms within each individual, comprehending the specific roles and interactions among these organisms remains a daunting challenge for researchers.

How does Lactobacillus protect mental health?

Dr. Gaultier’s team used an innovative approach to focus on Lactobacilli. Previous research hinted at its potential to alleviate depression in lab mice, prompting further investigation. By utilizing a collection of bacteria called Altered Schaedler Flora containing Lactobacillus strains, the team could create mice with and without Lactobacillus, bypassing the need for antibiotics.

“We were aware from our prior research that Lactobacillus was beneficial in improving mood disorders and was lost following psychological stress, but the underlying reasons remained unclear, primarily due to the technical challenges associated with studying the microbiome,” says Dr. Gaultier.

The results were compelling. Researchers identified how Lactobacilli, specifically in the Lactobaccillacea family, regulate the immune mediator interferon gamma, which is vital in stress response regulation and depression prevention.

Gut health: Intestines sketch with gut bacteria

Armed with this knowledge, scientists are now positioned to develop novel ways to manage depression and related conditions where Lactobacillus plays a pivotal role. The prospect of specially formulated probiotic supplements to optimize Lactobacillus levels in patients with or at risk of depression holds promise for future treatments.

“With these results in hand, we have new tools to optimize the development of probiotics, which should speed up discoveries for novel therapies,” says researcher Dr. Andrea R. Merchak. “Most importantly, we can now explore how maintaining a healthy level of Lactobacillus and/or interferon gamma could be investigated to prevent and treat anxiety and depression.”

‘Love hormone’ oxytocin may reverse brain damage in Alzheimer’s disease

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Authors: “We expect that our findings will open up a new pathway to the creation of new drugs for the treatment of dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease.”

TOKYO – Although scientists know many of the underlying symptoms which trigger Alzheimer’s disease, a cure remains elusive. Now, a new study suggests that oxytocin, a hormone best known for promoting feelings of love and wellbeing, may reverse some of the damage the degenerative illness causes.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease causing the continuous deterioration of mental functions. Its primary symptoms include severely impaired thinking, memory loss, and confusion.

One of the primary culprits in Alzheimer’s is a protein known as amyloid β (Aβ). Researchers say Aβ clumps together to form plaques around neurons in the brain. These plaque build-ups disrupt normal neuron function and triggers the degeneration.

A great deal of research focuses on the accumulation of Aβ plaques in the brain’s hippocampus. This region is believed to be the brain’s primary learning and memory center.

Studies find plaque clumps in the hippocampus disrupt a characteristic of neurons called synaptic plasticity, or the ability of brain synapses to adapt to different levels of neural activity over time. Synaptic plasticity is thought to play a crucial role in both learning and retaining memory.

Proving the love hormone works

Researchers at the Tokyo University of Science confirm Aβ impairs synaptic plasticity after examining plaque build-ups in mouse hippocampal slices. Their study then adds oxytocin to the animal’s brains, which reveals the hormone can reverse impairments to those synapses. When researchers block oxytocin receptors, they find oxytocin can’t reverse the damage of Aβ proteins, confirming the love hormone’s benefits.

The team believes oxytocin might also reverse this damage by impacting calcium activity. Oxytocin is known to facilitate calcium influx in cells, which is thought to play a key role in neural signaling and memory formation. Moreover, previous studies also suggest that Aβ might suppress calcium activity.

Based on these findings, researchers blocked the receptors responsible for calcium transport across cell membranes. When they did so, oxytocin was again unable to reverse the negative effects of Aβ on synaptic plasticity.

The study authors suggest that oxytocin can benefit the brain through both of these channels, reversing Aβ protein damage.

Hope for millions

“This is the first study in the world that has shown that oxytocin can reverse Aβ-induced impairments in the mouse hippocampus,” says lead author Akiyoshi Saitoh in a media release. “At present, there are no sufficiently satisfactory drugs to treat dementia, and new therapies with novel mechanisms of action are desired.”

Saitoh adds oxytocin may give doctors hope of creating a drug which focuses on the memory disrupting effects of Alzheimer’s. The World Health Organization says there around 50 million people suffering with the disease across the globe.

“We expect that our findings will open up a new pathway to the creation of new drugs for the treatment of dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease.”

Excess belly fat in midlife may be associated with early markers of Alzheimer’s

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Some early Alzheimer’s disease-related brain changes, including beta-amyloid buildup and lower cortical thickness, were greater among middle-aged adults with abdominal obesity. Findings from the NIA-funded pilot study were published in Aging and Disease.

Close up of person in purple shirt measuring own belly with tape measure

Although midlife obesity is considered an Alzheimer’s risk factor, some studies suggest that high body mass index (BMI) — a measure of body fat based on height and weight — is not always associated with increased likelihood of developing the disease. In this study, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis explored whether abdominal obesity could be used to assess Alzheimer’s risk. Abdominal obesity occurs when more fat is stored deep in the belly compared to under the skin.

The research team analyzed BMI, insulin resistance, and brain scans from 32 cognitively normal, midlife adults (ages 40-60 years). They also used MRI to measure abdominal fat. This provided them with an alternative to using the BMI scale to assess obesity.

The researchers found that men had higher levels of abdominal obesity than women. However, they found no gender differences in BMI or insulin resistance, another obesity-related risk that may contribute to Alzheimer’s.

Analysis of brain scan data showed that higher BMI, abdominal obesity, and insulin resistance scores were associated with lower cortical thicknesses in the temporal lobe and other regions that are often damaged by Alzheimer’s.

In men, abdominal obesity was linked to higher levels of the hallmark protein beta-amyloid in the precuneus cortex, an area affected early by Alzheimer’s.

BMI, abdominal obesity, and insulin resistance were not found to be associated with tau buildup or brain volume, another key marker of Alzheimer’s. This may suggest that the association of abdominal obesity with beta-amyloid buildup and lower cortical thickness in midlife are early biomarkers, occurring before tau buildup and cognitive decline.

The findings of this pilot study support the idea that abdominal obesity may be used to assess Alzheimer’s risk. The researchers plan to recruit 20 participants for the next phase of research.

The road to Alzheimer’s disease could start with brain changes in the womb

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New research suggests that the origins of Alzheimer’s disease may go all the way back to when a patient is still in the womb, where abnormalities in brain development may lay the groundwork for this memory-depriving illness. These findings could potentially lead to a screening program that identifies at-risk individuals at birth.

Although there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, increasing attention is being paid to protective lifestyle changes, which include maintaining physical fitness and consuming a diet rich in fish, fruit, and vegetables. Neurodegenerative diseases are generally diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 60. However, it is believed that clinical symptoms emerge several decades after the onset of decline in specific brain cell connections.

A French team of scientists explain that this decline might stem from molecular-scale anomalies present from childhood, or potentially even earlier.

“We were interested in the amyloid precursor protein, or APP, which is highly expressed throughout the development of the nervous system,” says lead author Bassem Hassan of the Paris Brain Institute.

“It is an exciting research target as its fragmentation produces the famous amyloid peptides, whose toxic aggregation is associated with neuronal death observed in Alzheimer’s disease. We, therefore, suspect that APP may play a central role in the early stages of the disease,” Hassan continues in a media release.

Alzheimer's Disease

In many species, APP is involved in various biological processes, such as repairing cerebral lesions, orchestrating cellular response after oxygen deprivation or controlling brain plasticity.

APP is highly expressed during the differentiation and migration of cortical neurons, which are responsible for functions such as speech and swallowing – functions often compromised by dementia. The complex process of formation from stem cells begins in the fetus from five weeks gestation and is almost complete by 28 weeks.

“In humans, neurogenesis lasts particularly long compared with other species,” explains Khadijeh Shabani, a post-doctoral researcher at Paris Brain Institute. “Neural stem cells remain in a progenitor state for an extended period. Only later do they differentiate into glial cells, astrocytes, or oligodendrocytes that will form the architecture of the brain and spinal cord.”

Until now, it remained unclear how this balance between stem cell proliferation and differentiation into various cell types was regulated. Moreover, it was unknown whether the extended duration of human neurogenesis could potentially contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.

Historically, Alzheimer’s drugs have proved unsuccessful due to their prescription at a stage when the disease has already taken hold. However, this study, published in the journal Science Advances, paves the way for the development of medications that target APP in middle age – or even earlier.

The researchers utilized cell sequencing data from fetuses at 10 weeks and 18 weeks gestation to track APP expression during human brain development. They found that the protein was initially expressed in six cell types and later in 16 types.

By using gene editing to produce neural stem cells lacking APP expression and comparing these modified cells with those from fetuses, the researchers gathered important data.

“This comparison provided us with valuable data,” Shabani explains. “We observed that in the absence of APP, neural stem cells produced many more neurons, more rapidly, and were less inclined to proliferate in the progenitor cell state.”

brain astrocytes
Image of brain cell astrocytes

Specifically, APP regulates neurogenesis timing by influencing two finely-tuned genetic mechanisms – one chemical pathway controlling stem cell proliferation and another triggering the production of new neurons.

“In mouse models, neurogenesis is already very fast – too fast for APP deprivation to accelerate it further. We can imagine that the regulatory role of this protein is negligible in mice, while it is essential in the neurodevelopment of our species: to acquire its final form, our brain needs to generate huge quantities of neurons over a very long period, and according to a definite plan. APP-related abnormalities could cause premature neurogenesis and significant cellular stress, the consequences of which would be observable later,” suggests Hassan.

“Moreover, the brain regions in which early signs of Alzheimer’s disease appear also take the longest to mature during childhood and adolescence.”

There could be a direct link between the timing of human neurogenesis and the mechanisms of neurodegeneration. Given that the number of dementia cases worldwide is expected to triple to over 150 million by 2050 due to ageing populations, finding a therapy that targets the root cause is paramount in medical research.

APP appears to play a critical role in this respect, although further studies are necessary to confirm its centrality. Such research could significantly advance our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and the brain’s development, potentially leading to early identification methods and new treatments.

Medicine, pills on top of brain MRI scans
(© Katsiaryna – stock.adobe.com)

The Paris Brain Institute team’s findings have added a crucial piece to the Alzheimer’s puzzle. This work suggests a paradigm shift in our understanding, positioning the disease’s origins much earlier in life than previously assumed. If their hypothesis holds true, we may be able to detect those at risk at a much earlier stage, offering the potential for targeted preventative measures and therapies.

In a world where Alzheimer’s cases are set to skyrocket, the implications of this research are vast and could significantly alter our approach to tackling this debilitating disease. The promise of a therapy that intervenes at the cause, rather than just managing symptoms, represents a “holy grail” in medical research. With Alzheimer’s’ seeds potentially sown in the womb, this research offers a new understanding that could bring us closer to achieving this goal.

“These disturbances lead to the formation of a brain that functions normally at birth but is particularly vulnerable to certain biological events – such as inflammation, excitotoxicity or somatic mutations – and certain environmental factors such as a poor diet, lack of sleep, infections, etc.,” the study authors conclude.

“Over time, these different stresses could lead to neurodegeneration – a phenomenon specific to the human species and made particularly visible by the increase in life expectancy.”

Being Vegetarian May Depend On 3 Genes

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 Vegetarianism may come down to three genes, a new study explains. In the first study of its kind, scientists identified a group of genes that have a strong connection with eating a plant-based diet. A team from Northwestern Medicine believes that an individual’s genetic makeup could be influencing their ability to adhere to a strict vegetarian lifestyle.Plant-based meal, salad, vegetables

The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, paves the way for further investigations that could shape dietary recommendations and influence the production of meat substitutes.

“Are all humans capable of subsisting long term on a strict vegetarian diet? This is a question that has not been seriously studied,” says corresponding study author Dr. Nabeel Yaseen, professor emeritus of pathology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Interestingly, between 48 and 64 percent of those identifying as “vegetarians” admit to still consuming fish, poultry, or red meat. This discrepancy led Dr. Yaseen to ponder whether environmental or biological factors might supersede the intent to maintain a vegetarian lifestyle.

“It seems there are more people who would like to be vegetarian than actually are, and we think it’s because there is something hard-wired here that people may be missing,” Dr. Yaseen continues in a media release.

Longer genes could be the secret to the fountain of youth
Photo by Sangharsh Lohakare on Unsplash

To probe the potential genetic link, researchers analyzed UK Biobank genetic data of 5,324 strict vegetarians — those not consuming fish, poultry, or red meat — and compared it to 329,455 controls, all of whom were White. The study pinpointed three genes significantly tied to vegetarianism and another 31 with potential associations.

Several identified genes, including two top contenders (NPC1 and RMC1), play roles in lipid metabolism or brain function, according to the study.

“One area in which plant products differ from meat is complex lipids,” Yaseen says. “My speculation is there may be lipid component(s) present in meat that some people need. And maybe people whose genetics favor vegetarianism are able to synthesize these components endogenously.  However, at this time, this is mere speculation and much more work needs to be done to understand the physiology of vegetarianism.”

While religious and moral reasons often motivate vegetarianism, recent studies also vouch for its health benefits. Although the vegetarian population is growing, it remains a minority. For instance, only about 2.3 percent of U.K. adults identify as vegetarian.

According to Prof. Yaseen, an individual’s metabolic response to food, not just its flavor, can shape preferences. As an analogy, many don’t initially enjoy the taste of alcohol or coffee. Yet, as they come to appreciate the effects of alcohol or caffeine, they develop an acquired taste.

plant-based diet
(Photo by The Lazy Artist Gallery from Pexels)

“I think with meat, there’s something similar,” Yaseen adds. “Perhaps you have a certain component — I’m speculating a lipid component — that makes you need it and crave it.”

“While religious and moral considerations certainly play a major role in the motivation to adopt a vegetarian diet, our data suggest that the ability to adhere to such a diet is constrained by genetics,” the study author concludes.

“We hope that future studies will lead to a better understanding of the physiologic differences between vegetarians and non-vegetarians, thus enabling us to provide personalized dietary recommendations and to produce better meat substitutes.”

Why do we need sleep? It’s all about the brain’s reset button

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 What is the purpose of sleeping? Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis believe they have unraveled the mystery, proposing that sleeping acts as a reset button for the brain’s “operating system.” This novel theory, integrating concepts from physics and biology, suggests that sleep is essential for maintaining the brain’s optimal state for processing and thinking.

“The brain is like a biological computer,” says study author Keith Hengen, an assistant professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis, in a university release. “Memory and experience during waking change the code bit by bit, slowly pulling the larger system away from an ideal state. The central purpose of sleep is to restore an optimal computational state.”

woman sleeping while holding still active smartphone
woman sleeping while holding still active smartphone

This study closely observed the brain activity of sleeping rats to support this hypothesis. The theory hinges on a concept known as “criticality,” a state that balances order and chaos, maximizing information processing. Criticality, a term from physics, describes a complex system at the tipping point between complete regularity and randomness.

“At one extreme, everything is completely regular. At the other extreme, everything is random,” notes study co-author Ralf Wessel, a professor of physics at Washington University in St. Louis.

Researchers observed the brain activity of young rats during sleep and wakefulness. They tracked neural avalanches — cascades of brain activity — which demonstrated how information flows through the brain. They found that after restorative sleep, the brain exhibited avalanches of all sizes, indicating a return to criticality. As the rats stayed awake, these cascades shifted towards smaller sizes.

The study marks a departure from the long-held belief that sleep replenishes depleted chemicals. Instead, it posits that sleep is a systemic solution to a systemic problem, resetting the brain away from the extremes of too much order (rigidity) or chaos (randomness).

Man taking a nap and sleeping at his work desk

The concept of criticality was first developed in the late 1980s by physicists studying sand piles on a grid. These sand piles self-organized into a complex system, a metaphor for the neural avalanches in the brain. Hengen notes that every neuron, like an individual grain of sand, follows basic rules. When billions of neurons reach criticality, they create a complex and efficient system.

“Criticality maximizes a bunch of features that sound very desirable for a brain,” explains Hengen.

This multidisciplinary effort combines experimental data from biology with mathematical equations from physics, providing a novel perspective on the purpose of sleep.

“It’s a beautiful collaboration between physics and biology,” says Wessel, highlighting the unique blend of disciplines that led to this discovery.

Where do you feel love? Study reveals the emotion is all in your head

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The heart may be the “love muscle,” but a new study finds the feeling of love is all in the head. Aalto University researchers have identified where in the body people feel various types of love and the intensity with which they experience this emotion. They found that love forms a spectrum, with some types felt more intensely than others, and that the sensation of love tends to center in a person’s head.

“It was noteworthy, though not very surprising, that the types of love associated with close relationships are similar and are the most strongly experienced,” says Pärttyli Rinne, a philosopher who coordinated the study.

The research was a joint initiative between Rinne and Professor Emeritus Mikko Sams. Furthermore, doctoral researcher Mikke Tavast took charge of analyzing the data, while Enrico Glerean developed the research methods.

The researchers surveyed participants on their experiences of 27 distinct types of love, ranging from romantic and parental love to feelings for strangers, nature, God, and even oneself. Participants had to indicate on a body silhouette where they felt each type of love and how intensely they experienced it both physically and mentally.

To clarify, their findings, published in Philosophical Psychology, illustrated that all the love types were most intensely felt in the head. However, the intensity and spread varied in other body areas. Some types of love were felt only in the chest, while others radiated throughout the entire body. The more intense the love, the more widespread the feeling was in the body.

“‘Love between persons is divided into sexual and non-sexual. The types of love that are particularly close to each other are those that have a sexual or romantic dimension,” Rinne explains in a university release.

The types of love form a gradient in intensity and in how widely they're felt throughout the body
The types of love form a gradient in intensity and in how widely they’re felt throughout the body.

“It was also interesting to find a strong correlation between the physical and mental intensity of the emotion and its pleasantness. The more strongly a type of love is felt in the body, the more strongly it’s felt in the mind and the more pleasant it is,” Rinne adds.

“When we move from more strongly experienced types of love to less strongly experienced types, the sensations in the chest area become weaker. It may be that, for example, love for strangers or wisdom is associated with a cognitive process. It may also be that there are pleasant sensations in the head area. This is something that should be investigated further.”

Rinne also touched upon the cultural nuances in love experiences. For instance, if the study were conducted in a deeply religious community, love for God might be the most dominant feeling. Similarly, for parents in relationships, love for children could be the most potent emotion.

Kisspeptin injection could treat low libido, bring back desire for men and women

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A new hormone injection could treat low sex drive in both women and men, according to researchers in the United Kingdom. A team from Imperial College London says kisspeptin can boost sexual responses in men and women suffering distress as a result of their low libido.

Two studies, both published in JAMA Network Open, show that giving patients kisspeptin can boost sexual responses in people who have hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) – a condition where patients experience psychological distress due to their low sexual desire. Women taking part in the trial reported feeling “more sexy” during the kisspeptin treatment.

HSDD affects up 10 percent of women and roughly one in 12 men worldwide. It can have “devastating” psychological and social impacts. Study authors explain that kisspeptin is a naturally-occurring hormone which stimulates the release of other reproductive hormones in the body. The team previously demonstrated that kisspeptin can enhance responses to sexual stimuli and boost attraction brain pathways independent of other reproductive hormones like testosterone in men with intact sexual desire. Now, they’re investigating the effects in women and men with low sexual desire for the first time.

The two clinical trials involved 32 pre-menopausal women between the ages of 19 and 48, and 32 men with HSDD. In both studies, researchers scanned participants using brain MRI imaging, as well as blood and behavioral tests. Taking kisspeptin improved sexual brain processing in both women and men. This resulted in positive boosts in each person’s sexual behavior compared to those who did not receive the injections.

The clinical trials are the first to explore the ability of kisspeptin to boost sexual pathways in people suffering distress from low libido. The researchers believe that the results provide the groundwork for kisspeptin-based therapies for people with HSDD.

“Low sexual desire can be distressing and so result in HSDD. This can have a major detrimental impact on relationships, mental health, and fertility. Even though it is relatively common, treatment options in women are limited, carry significant side-effects and in some cases can be harmful to even try. And unfortunately, these treatments have limited effectiveness. In men there are currently no licensed treatments and none on the horizon. Therefore, there is a real unmet need to find new, safer and more effective therapies for this distressing condition for both women and men seeking treatment,” says Dr. Alexander Comninos from the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction at Imperial College London in a media release.

“Our two studies provide proof-of-concept for the development of kisspeptin treatments, as we provide the first evidence that kisspeptin is a potentially safe and effective therapy for both women and men with distressing low sexual desire,” Dr. Comninos continues.

“Additionally in men, we demonstrate that kisspeptin can have positive effects not only in the brain but also in the penis by increasing rigidity. Furthermore, kisspeptin was well-tolerated by both women and men with no side-effects reported, which is crucial from a drug development point of view. We now plan to take things forward to hopefully realize the potential of kisspeptin therapeutics in psychosexual disorders – sexual problems which are psychological in origin, such as unexplained low libido.”

“Our studies build on our previous work to assess the effectiveness of kisspeptin and its boosting effects in terms of arousal and attraction. It is highly encouraging to see the same boosting effect in both women and men, although the precise brain pathways were slightly different as might be expected,” adds Professor Waljit Dhillo, an NIHR Senior Investigator and co-senior study author.

“Collectively, the results suggest that kisspeptin may offer a safe and much-needed treatment for HSDD that affects millions of people around the world and we look forward to taking this forward in future larger studies and in other patient groups.”

The treatment creates more ‘happiness about sex’

During kisspeptin or placebo treatments, female participants underwent functional MRI scans while watching erotic videos and viewing male faces to see how these videos affected brain activity. Non-erotic exercise videos served as a control in the experiment. The team found that kisspeptin improved sexual and attraction brain activity in key brain areas in women.

Results also show that women suffering from distress due to low sexual function had greater kisspeptin-enhanced brain activity in the hippocampus — a key structure that scientists say plays a role in female sexual desire. Researchers found that the more kisspeptin activated the posterior cingulate cortex — another key behavioral brain area — when participants saw attractive male faces, the less sexual aversion the women had.

In the second study, 32 heterosexual men between 21 and 52 with HSDD underwent a similar study. However, the team also measured penile rigidity between January and September 2021. The study demonstrated that kisspeptin significantly boosted brain activity in the “sexual brain network,” while also increasing penile rigidity by up to 56 percent in comparison to taking a placebo.

Similar to the study with women, kisspeptin had greater effects in key brain regions in men who were more distressed by their low sexual desire. Psychometric analyses reveal that kisspeptin improved “happiness about sex” among men.

What do the patients say about the treatment?

“I got involved in the trial because I had previous problems with my sexual appetite and performance,” says a 44-year-old man named “Peter,” who took part in the trails.

“The issue had always been detrimental to sustaining relationships. I would often make excuses as to why my sexual appetite was low. For example, I would blame stress at work or tiredness as a reason instead of being honest. I had tried other performance supporting medication like Viagra. However, this proved ineffective as the issue was simply one of low desire. It was highly embarrassing and not something I felt able to talk to my previous partners about. I feared they would confuse it with lack of attraction to them,” the trial participant continues.

“I was keen to learn whether there was a solution to my problem and learn more about my condition.”

“I received the kisspeptin infusion in June 2021 and I noticed a difference in terms of my sexual desire. The week I had the kisspeptin infusion we conceived our son, who was born in March 2022. I had the best possible outcome as a result of the trial.”

“I also learnt a lot more about myself and my condition. I am really pleased to have contributed to this trial, which has been life-changing for me. I’m glad that others in a similar position could benefit from the treatment.”

“I took part in the trial as I was experiencing low sexual libido. Initially, I put it down to having small children and being exhausted as a result. However, this continued and started to impact my wellbeing. I wanted to see whether there was another reason for why I was feeling this way,” adds another trial participant and 43-year-old mom named “Eve.”

“I had two study visits in 2020 where I received the placebo and the kisspeptin infusions without knowing which one I was getting at the time. I did notice a bit of a difference once I received the kisspeptin infusion and it was fascinating to be part of the process,” Eve adds.

“I am glad that I took part in the study as many women wouldn’t like to admit they are experiencing this and may not seek help. I’m glad to know that kisspeptin could be a treatment option for other women.”

Dr. Comninos and Prof. Dhillo now plan larger studies in order to develop kisspeptin as a realistic treatment for both men and women dealing with sexual disorders.