WIL Weekly #53
Are you depressed or magnesium-deficient? Sun promotes weight loss and more...
This is my free weekly newsletter covering 5 interesting points from the week. Subscribe (if you haven’t already) if you’d like to get it in your inbox each week!
1. Curing depression in under a week with magnesium
2006 Study: Rapid recovery from major depression using magnesium treatment
This study presents case histories where people recovered from major depression in less than 7 days by using 125-300mg of magnesium (magnesium glycinate and magnesium taurinate) with each meal and at bedtime.
Excellent quote from the study on what may be going on:
Magnesium deficiency is well known to produce neuropathologies. Only 16% of the magnesium found in whole wheat remains in refined flour, and magnesium has been removed from most drinking water supplies, setting a stage for human magnesium deficiency. Magnesium ions regulate calcium ion flow in neuronal calcium channels, helping to regulate neuronal nitric oxide production. In magnesium deficiency, neuronal requirements for magnesium may not be met, causing neuronal damage which could manifest as depression. Magnesium treatment is hypothesized to be effective in treating major depression resulting from intraneuronal magnesium deficits.
2. Want to lose fat and prevent heart disease? Get in the sun.
Albeit in mice, this is an impressive study. The highlights speak for themselves:
・Mice eating a high fat high sugar diet gained 33% less body fat when exposed to UV.
・UV prevents fat accumulation even after the start of a high fat high sugar diet.
・Liver-protecting triglycerides are significantly elevated in solar UV-exposed mice.
・Exposure to our optimised solar UV regime significantly reduces atherosclerosis.
3. LSD ameliorates autism (in dogs)
September 2024 paper: Disrupted Human–Dog Interbrain Neural Coupling in Autism-Associated Shank3 Mutant Dogs
…dogs with Shank3 mutations, which represent a promising complementary animal model of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), show a loss of interbrain coupling and reduced attention during human–dog interactions. Such abnormalities are rescued by the psychedelic lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
Interestingly enough, when humans gaze at and pet dogs, the front and parietal regions of both brains increase in synchronization as measured by EEG. The strength of this synchronization increases the more the person and the dog hang out. When dogs have (dog) autism it’s harder for them to achieve this “interbrain coupling” and they pay less attention to humans. However, giving such dogs LSD ameliorates this. The researchers suggest that LSD is promising “for the amelioration of social impairment in patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
4. Glycine increases lifespan through autophagy?
2023 review: Glycine and aging: Evidence and mechanisms
Recently, glycine was found to boost longevity in genetically heterogenous mice. This simple amino acid similarly extends lifespan in rats and improves health in mammalian models of age-related disease. While compelling data indicate that glycine is a pro-longevity molecule, divergent mechanisms may underlie its effects on aging.
This review explains that sarcosine, or methylglycine, declines with age in multiple species and is capable of inducing autophagy both in vitro and in vivo. They say that glycine may prolong life by activating autophagy.
5. Issue with protein and weight loss: Protein makes you too full?
Getting enough electrolytes, protein, and sun makes a massive difference in mood. Add exercise and be well.
TIL dogs can have autism!?