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Howard G. Smith, M.D. is a former radio medical editor and talk show host in the Boston Metro area. His "Medical Minute" of health and wellness news and commentary was a regular weekday feature on WBZ-AM, WRKO-AM, and WMRE-AM. His popular two-way talk show, Dr. Howard Smith OnCall, was regularly heard Sunday morning and middays on WBZ.

Dr. Smith has adopted audio and video podcasting as conduits for HEALTH NEWS YOU SHOULD USE. Based on the latest medical, health, and wellness literature these reports provide practical information you can use to keep yourself and your family healthy. Many reports have video versions, and Dr. Smith’s YouTube Channel may be found at: http://bit.ly/2rNw6XQ

Trained at Harvard Medical School and a long-time faculty member at Boston Children’s Hospital, he practiced Pediatric Otolaryngology for 40 years in Boston, Southern California, and in central Connecticut.  He is now based in New York City.

If you have questions or suggestions about this content, please email the doctor at drhowardsmith.reports@gmail.com or leave him a message at 516-778-8864.  His website is: www.drhowardsmith.com.

Please note that the news, views, commentary, and opinions that Dr. Smith provides are for informational purposes only. Any changes that you or members of your family contemplate making to lifestyle, diet, medications, or medical therapy should always be discussed beforehand with personal physicians who have been supervising your care.

Apr 5, 2019

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/-bMz1EdXGuk

As the search continues to understand why our arteries self-destruct as we age, it appears that the bacteria in our gastrointestinal systems may play a key role along with, of course, cholesterol.  Physiologists at the University of Colorado report that aging leads to more pathologic bacteria in the gut and more inflammatory metabolites like trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in the body to foster atherosclerosis-driven coronary artery disease and stroke.

The investigators used a mouse model and found that eliminating pathogenic gastrointestinal bacteria reduced circulating inflammatory substances such as TMAO and improved the health of the animals blood vessels.  

To apply this information for human benefit, they suggest that foods with beneficial bacteria such as yogurt, kefir, and kimchi as well as the consumption of fiber-rich foods will eliminate accumulations of harmful bacteria.  They also mention that olive oil, vinegar, and red wines are rich in dimethyl butanol, an agent blocks that production of the inflammatory TMAO.

Once again, we have proof that you are what you eat.  The reward at the end of the rainbow is a long, healthy life.

Vienna E. Brunt, Rachel A. Gioscia-Ryan, James J. Richey, Melanie C. Zigler, Lauren M. Cuevas, Antonio Gonzalez, Yoshiki Vázquez-Baeza, Micah L. Battson, Andrew T. Smithson, Andrew D. Gilley, Gail Ackermann, Andrew P. Neilson, Tiffany Weir, Kevin P. Davy, Rob Knight, Douglas R. Seals. Suppression of the gut microbiome ameliorates age-related arterial dysfunction and oxidative stress in mice. The Journal of Physiology, 2019; DOI: 10.1113/JP277336

#Atherosclerosis #microbiome #TMAO #yogurt #oliveoil #fiber