The Gary Null Show

HEALTH NEWS
 

Study reveals how different plant saponins alleviate ischemic stroke

The bacteria on your tongue could be linked to your brainpower

Staying Active Could Have Two Major Benefits for People With Parkinson’s, Scientists Find

How spinach protects the brain while tap water may pose a hidden risk

Frequent and unintentional daytime napping linked to higher dementia risk in older adults

 
 

Study reveals how different plant saponins alleviate ischemic stroke

Zheijiang University (China), October 12 2026 (News-Medical)

Ischemic stroke accounts for approximately 85% of all strokes and remains a major cause of death and long-term disability. Current treatments can restore blood flow in eligible patients, but therapeutic options remain limited, particularly for protecting threatened brain tissue and supporting recovery. Two types of ginseng -- Panax notoginseng and Panax ginseng have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine and are commonly associated with "activating blood" and "replenishing qi," respectively. Modern studies have reported anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects for their saponins.

A study published in Targetome reports that the two saponin preparations alleviate ischemic brain injury through shared neuroprotective effects but preferentially regulate vascular-cytoskeletal and mitochondrial-metabolic pathways, respectively.

The researchers established permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in male C57BL/6 mice and administered low or high doses of P. notoginseng saponins (PNS) or P. ginseng saponins (PGS), with edaravone serving as a positive control. Twenty-four hours later, they assessed neurological deficits, infarct volume, tissue damage, neuronal integrity, and apoptosis; a separate experiment monitored survival for seven days. At 200 mg·kg, PNS and PGS lowered neurological scores from 3.67 in untreated model mice to 2.00 and 2.17, respectively. PNS reduced average infarct volume from 30.73% to 11.70%, comparable to the drug edaravone, while PGS reduced it to 13.33%. Seven-day survival increased from 25% in model mice to 75% with PNS and 50% with PGS.

 

The bacteria on your tongue could be linked to your brainpower
 

University of Exeter (UK), October 12 2026 (Medical Xpress)

Whether you're a quick or slow thinker depends on several factors, such as the efficiency of the brain's wiring and the amount of gray matter in specific control centers. But there may be another, rather surprising influence, and that's the bacteria in your mouth. Scientists have found an association between the mix of microbes on your tongue and how well the brain performs cognitive tasks as we age.

Previous studies have shown that poor oral health and gum disease are linked to cognitive impairment. Other research has found that nitrate from the food we eat can influence blood flow to the brain and cognitive performance.

The research team recruited 15 younger adults and 15 older adults.
Each volunteer completed a set of 10 tests that assessed memory, processing speed and focus. The researchers collected tongue swabs and blood and saliva samples. They then sequenced the DNA in the swabs to identify which bacteria were present.

People with higher levels of Prevotella histicola in their mouth showed faster reaction times on different cognitive tasks. But the results for another microbe, Haemophilus parainfluenzae, were mixed. Older adults had higher levels of bacteria tied to gum disease, such as Treponema and Tannerella.

 

Staying Active Could Have Two Major Benefits for People With Parkinson’s, Scientists Find

University of Cincinnati, October 13 2026 (SciTech Daily)

People with Parkinson’s disease who stay more physically active may experience slower declines in memory, thinking, and movement abilities, according to a study that followed participants for up to seven years. Researchers found that greater activity was consistently associated with more favorable outcomes.

The study included 294 adults with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease, whose average age was 66. Participants reported how much time they spent being physically active each week, including activities at work, around the house, and during recreation. Participants were classified into three groups: those active for up to four hours weekly, those active for four to eight hours, and those exceeding eight hours.

On a 30-point cognitive assessment, where lower scores indicate poorer performance, the least active participants experienced an estimated average decline of 0.478 points per year. The middle group declined by 0.090 points annually, while the most active group showed almost no average decline, at just 0.007 points per year.

 

How spinach protects the brain while tap water may pose a hidden risk

Edith Cowan University (Australia), October 11 2026 (Natural News)

 
In a finding that underscores a critical nuance in nutritional science, a landmark 27-year study has revealed that not all nitrates are created equal. Researchers tracking over 54,000 adults discovered that the chemical compound nitrate, found in both spinach and tap water, has starkly opposite associations with dementia risk depending on its source. The research, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, suggests that while nitrate from vegetables is linked to a lower likelihood of dementia, nitrate from processed meats and drinking water—even at levels deemed safe by regulators—is associated with a higher risk.

 
 

A 27-year study found that nitrate from vegetables is linked to a lower risk of dementia, while nitrate from processed meats and tap water is associated with a higher risk.

 

Vegetables deliver nitrate with antioxidants that promote its conversion to beneficial nitric oxide. Processed meats contain compounds that can steer nitrate toward forming harmful molecules linked to brain cell damage.

 

Increased dementia risk was associated with nitrate levels in drinking water far below current U.S. safety limits, suggesting regulations set for acute infant poisoning may not protect against long-term brain health risks.

 

Consuming about 64 mg of nitrate daily from vegetables—equivalent to roughly half to one-and-a-half cups of raw leafy greens—was linked to the lowest dementia rates.

Vegetables deliver nitrate packaged with protective antioxidants like vitamin C and polyphenols. These compounds help steer nitrate toward forming beneficial nitric oxide while blocking its conversion into harmful molecules called N-nitrosamines, which animal studies have linked to brain cell damage.

 

Meat, however, presents a riskier biochemical package. It contains elements like heme iron and specific proteins that can promote the formation of those damaging N-nitrosamines. This creates a scenario where the same initial compound—nitrate—can lead to vastly different outcomes in the brain.

Researchers found elevated dementia rates associated with nitrate concentrations between 1.8 and 5.1 milligrams per liter. These levels are roughly one-tenth of the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safety limit of 44 mg/L, a standard set decades ago primarily to prevent acute infant illness, not long-term brain health in adults.The primary source of water nitrate is agricultural fertilizer runoff.

 

Frequent and unintentional daytime napping linked to higher dementia risk in older adults
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, October 13 2026 (Euerkalert)

 

Daytime napping is common among older adults. New research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that how often, how intentionally, and how long older people nap may be linked to their risk of developing dementia.

The study, published in The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, followed 995 U.S. Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older who were free of dementia at the start of the study in 2013 and tracked them for up to 10 years.

The researchers found that participants who napped frequently—defined as most days or every day—had a 48% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who rarely or never napped, even after accounting for demographic factors, health conditions, and nighttime sleep characteristics such as sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and a measure of obstructive sleep apnea risk. 

Unintentional napping—defined as falling asleep without meaning to rather than planning a nap—was associated with a 39% higher risk of dementia. Napping for 30 minutes or less was also linked to a 40% higher risk.

Part 3 of - How To Become Self-Sufficient Instead Of Co-Dependent - you can read the full article on Gary Null Substack https://garynull.substack.com/publish/post/220402566?back=%2Fpublish%2Fposts%2Fpublished

HEALTH NEWS
 

New review identifies pistachios as a promising whole food for sleep research

Dietitians Say Boiling Sweet Potatoes May Help Manage Blood Sugar Better Than Roasting or Baking

Very severe long COVID linked to differences in lung and mouth microbiomes

Using AI for just 10 minutes erodes your ability to persist at hard things

Late-night snacking may affect liver health

 
 

New review identifies pistachios as a promising whole food for sleep research

Augusta University Medical College of Georgia, October 6 2026 (News-Medical)

Nearly one-third of U.S. adults report sleeping less than seven hours a night, below the minimum amount recommended for most adults, while nearly one in five has trouble staying asleep most days or every day. At the same time, nearly one-third of Americans say they are seeking improved sleep from foods, beverages or nutrients. 

Pistachios have attracted researchers' attention because they naturally bring together several nutrients and plant compounds connected to sleep. Now, a new narrative review published in Nutrition Research Reviews identifies pistachios as a promising whole food for sleep research and explores how their nutrient profile may influence processes related to sleep quality, falling asleep, staying asleep and regulation of the sleep–wake cycle.

Pistachios provide tryptophan, vitamin B6 and magnesium, which the body uses in the production of serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is involved in sleep regulation and is also used to make melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate the sleep–wake cycle. Pistachios also contain phytomelatonin, the form of melatonin produced by plants, although its absorption and effects from eating pistachios have not been established in people.

Pistachios provide vitamin B6 and magnesium, which are involved in the production and function of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a brain chemical that helps quiet nerve activity and plays a role in regulating sleep.

A one-ounce serving of pistachios provides about 71 milligrams of tryptophan, roughly 20% of the daily amount recommended for a 154-pound adult. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid the body uses to make serotonin, a brain chemical involved in sleep regulation, and melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate the sleep–wake cycle.

The authors of this review concluded that pistachios could represent a promising wholefood intervention for improving sleep due to their unique combination of nutrients and bioactives, and map a clear path to additional research needed.

 

Dietitians Say Boiling Sweet Potatoes May Help Manage Blood Sugar Better Than Roasting or Baking
University of West Indies (Jamaica), October 10 2026 (Natural News)

 

 
Boiling sweet potatoes may offer advantages for blood sugar management compared with roasting, baking, or frying. The report described boiling as the easiest cooking method and one that may help prevent large post-meal blood sugar spikes.
 

The glycemic index, or GI, is a scale that ranks carbohydrate-containing foods by how quickly they raise blood sugar after eating.

Boiling sweet potatoes may be better for blood sugar than baking or roasting, according to dietitians. The result is a sweeter, denser vegetable with a different effect on blood glucose than a boiled sweet potato.

 

Researchers compared a baked or roasted potato to a raisin and a boiled potato to a grape. That moisture difference is one reason the two preparations behave differently in the body.

 

Research on carotenoid retention suggests boiling generally preserves these compounds well compared with some higher-heat methods, though results vary by sweet potato variety and the antioxidant being measured. One study found that boiling unpeeled medium-sized sweet potato roots for 30 minutes resulted in a 14 to 59 percent reduction of total carotenoid content across four sweet potato cultivars. Other research on orange-fleshed sweet potato reported a true retention of all-trans-beta-carotene ranging from 70 percent to 80 percent with longer boiling times.

 

Very severe long COVID linked to differences in lung and mouth microbiomes
University of Dundee (UK), October 10 2026 (Medical Xpress)

People with long COVID have distinct differences in the mix of bacteria that live in their mouths and lungs, according to a study of more than 700 people published in the European Respiratory Journal. The research also shows that these differences in the lung microbiome are linked to respiratory symptoms, as well as the cognitive and digestive problems known to occur in long COVID.

Researchers say their findings may shed light on why some people develop long COVID and could point to new ways to treat the condition. Prior studies have shown some changes in the gut microbiome with long COVID, but COVID is a lung disease and so it makes sense to look to see if the lung microbiome is changed in long COVID."

Researchers divided the participants into four groups based on how severe their symptoms were five months after being discharged from the hospital. These were "very severe," with serious physical, mental and cognitive impairments; "severe," with serious mental and physical impairments but no cognitive problems; "moderate," with primarily cognitive difficulties; and "mild," with few symptoms and good recovery.

Six months after patients were discharged, researchers collected saliva samples from their mouths and sputum samples from their lungs and used DNA sequencing to identify which microbes were present.

This showed that people with very severe long COVID had clear differences in the microbiome in their mouths and lungs compared with people who did not have severe long COVID.  It also showed that there were differences linked to specific symptoms, including reduced lung function (meaning your lungs cannot hold as much air as normal or air cannot flow in and out of your lungs as easily as normal), neurocognitive symptoms (including "brain fog," difficulties with memory, attention and concentration) and gut symptoms (including pain, nausea, diarrhea and loss of appetite). Among the changes associated with long COVID symptoms was an overabundance of bacteria that produce lactic acid.

 

Using AI for just 10 minutes erodes your ability to persist at hard things
University of California at Berkeley, October 9 2026 (Eurekalert)

 

Brian Christian has spent 20 years thinking about how artificial intelligence will change our minds and our world. His 2020 book The Alignment Problem has been praised as one of the best on AI, and like many scientistss.

Christian was part of a team behind a landmark study that found that spending just 10 minutes relying on an AI tool significantly impairs our ability to focus and persist with difficult tasks. 

To test how quickly people’s focus and persistence plummeted, researchers designed a series of randomized controlled trials and recruited 1,222 participants online. 

For the first experiment with 354 participants, one group was tasked with solving 15 basic fraction problems without help, while another had ChatGPT open on the side to use for assistance and to even ask for the answer. The group with AI access started off more accurately than the group without it. Then, after 12 problems, researchers took away the AI tool. Almost immediately, the people in that group stopped solving questions accurately. 

A similar thing happened when they ran the experiment on a second, larger group of 667 participants. Whereas the AI users got answers wrong or gave up entirely when the AI assistance was withdrawn, the group without AI stuck with the task and were more successful at the end.

Researchers then ran a third experiment with 201 participants and an SAT reading comprehension prompt. The results echoed those from the fraction problems: When the AI tool was removed, persistence and accuracy dropped. 

The findings backed up what anecdotes and surveys have increasingly found in recent years: An overreliance on AI for answers erodes our cognitive fitness. When AI produces answers in seconds, we get used to that speed; anything that takes longer feels inefficient. And relying on AI also removes what the team called “productive struggle,” which can lead people to find their research strengths and passions.

 

Late-night snacking may affect liver health

Oregon Health & Science University, October 9 2026 (News-Medical)

New research led by Oregon Health & Science University suggests you should think twice about indulging in a late-night snack if you'd like to preserve liver health.

The study, published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, documents an increase in the correlation between people who reported late-night eating - defined as eating after dinner or after bedtime - and a heightened risk of two types of liver disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and cirrhosis.

Researchers analyzed three large, preexisting nationwide datasets. They extracted diet and lifestyle habits self-reported by almost 200,000 participants in all three studies, grouped them by eating behaviors, and then looked for correlations to people who reported fatty liver disease or cirrhosis.

They found a 20% to 30% increase in all forms of liver disease among the group of people who reported late-night eating compared to those who did not.

HEALTH NEWS
 

New review identifies pistachios as a promising whole food for sleep research

Dietitians Say Boiling Sweet Potatoes May Help Manage Blood Sugar Better Than Roasting or Baking

Very severe long COVID linked to differences in lung and mouth microbiomes

Using AI for just 10 minutes erodes your ability to persist at hard things

Late-night snacking may affect liver health

 
 

New review identifies pistachios as a promising whole food for sleep research

Augusta University Medical College of Georgia, October 6 2026 (News-Medical)

Nearly one-third of U.S. adults report sleeping less than seven hours a night, below the minimum amount recommended for most adults, while nearly one in five has trouble staying asleep most days or every day. At the same time, nearly one-third of Americans say they are seeking improved sleep from foods, beverages or nutrients. 

Pistachios have attracted researchers' attention because they naturally bring together several nutrients and plant compounds connected to sleep. Now, a new narrative review published in Nutrition Research Reviews identifies pistachios as a promising whole food for sleep research and explores how their nutrient profile may influence processes related to sleep quality, falling asleep, staying asleep and regulation of the sleep–wake cycle.

Pistachios provide tryptophan, vitamin B6 and magnesium, which the body uses in the production of serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is involved in sleep regulation and is also used to make melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate the sleep–wake cycle. Pistachios also contain phytomelatonin, the form of melatonin produced by plants, although its absorption and effects from eating pistachios have not been established in people.

Pistachios provide vitamin B6 and magnesium, which are involved in the production and function of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a brain chemical that helps quiet nerve activity and plays a role in regulating sleep.

A one-ounce serving of pistachios provides about 71 milligrams of tryptophan, roughly 20% of the daily amount recommended for a 154-pound adult. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid the body uses to make serotonin, a brain chemical involved in sleep regulation, and melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate the sleep–wake cycle.

The authors of this review concluded that pistachios could represent a promising wholefood intervention for improving sleep due to their unique combination of nutrients and bioactives, and map a clear path to additional research needed.

 

Dietitians Say Boiling Sweet Potatoes May Help Manage Blood Sugar Better Than Roasting or Baking
University of West Indies (Jamaica), October 10 2026 (Natural News)

 

 
Boiling sweet potatoes may offer advantages for blood sugar management compared with roasting, baking, or frying. The report described boiling as the easiest cooking method and one that may help prevent large post-meal blood sugar spikes.
 

The glycemic index, or GI, is a scale that ranks carbohydrate-containing foods by how quickly they raise blood sugar after eating.

Boiling sweet potatoes may be better for blood sugar than baking or roasting, according to dietitians. The result is a sweeter, denser vegetable with a different effect on blood glucose than a boiled sweet potato.

 

Researchers compared a baked or roasted potato to a raisin and a boiled potato to a grape. That moisture difference is one reason the two preparations behave differently in the body.

 

Research on carotenoid retention suggests boiling generally preserves these compounds well compared with some higher-heat methods, though results vary by sweet potato variety and the antioxidant being measured. One study found that boiling unpeeled medium-sized sweet potato roots for 30 minutes resulted in a 14 to 59 percent reduction of total carotenoid content across four sweet potato cultivars. Other research on orange-fleshed sweet potato reported a true retention of all-trans-beta-carotene ranging from 70 percent to 80 percent with longer boiling times.

 

Very severe long COVID linked to differences in lung and mouth microbiomes
University of Dundee (UK), October 10 2026 (Medical Xpress)

People with long COVID have distinct differences in the mix of bacteria that live in their mouths and lungs, according to a study of more than 700 people published in the European Respiratory Journal. The research also shows that these differences in the lung microbiome are linked to respiratory symptoms, as well as the cognitive and digestive problems known to occur in long COVID.

Researchers say their findings may shed light on why some people develop long COVID and could point to new ways to treat the condition. Prior studies have shown some changes in the gut microbiome with long COVID, but COVID is a lung disease and so it makes sense to look to see if the lung microbiome is changed in long COVID."

Researchers divided the participants into four groups based on how severe their symptoms were five months after being discharged from the hospital. These were "very severe," with serious physical, mental and cognitive impairments; "severe," with serious mental and physical impairments but no cognitive problems; "moderate," with primarily cognitive difficulties; and "mild," with few symptoms and good recovery.

Six months after patients were discharged, researchers collected saliva samples from their mouths and sputum samples from their lungs and used DNA sequencing to identify which microbes were present.

This showed that people with very severe long COVID had clear differences in the microbiome in their mouths and lungs compared with people who did not have severe long COVID.  It also showed that there were differences linked to specific symptoms, including reduced lung function (meaning your lungs cannot hold as much air as normal or air cannot flow in and out of your lungs as easily as normal), neurocognitive symptoms (including "brain fog," difficulties with memory, attention and concentration) and gut symptoms (including pain, nausea, diarrhea and loss of appetite). Among the changes associated with long COVID symptoms was an overabundance of bacteria that produce lactic acid.

 

Using AI for just 10 minutes erodes your ability to persist at hard things
University of California at Berkeley, October 9 2026 (Eurekalert)

 

Brian Christian has spent 20 years thinking about how artificial intelligence will change our minds and our world. His 2020 book The Alignment Problem has been praised as one of the best on AI, and like many scientistss.

Christian was part of a team behind a landmark study that found that spending just 10 minutes relying on an AI tool significantly impairs our ability to focus and persist with difficult tasks. 

To test how quickly people’s focus and persistence plummeted, researchers designed a series of randomized controlled trials and recruited 1,222 participants online. 

For the first experiment with 354 participants, one group was tasked with solving 15 basic fraction problems without help, while another had ChatGPT open on the side to use for assistance and to even ask for the answer. The group with AI access started off more accurately than the group without it. Then, after 12 problems, researchers took away the AI tool. Almost immediately, the people in that group stopped solving questions accurately. 

A similar thing happened when they ran the experiment on a second, larger group of 667 participants. Whereas the AI users got answers wrong or gave up entirely when the AI assistance was withdrawn, the group without AI stuck with the task and were more successful at the end.

Researchers then ran a third experiment with 201 participants and an SAT reading comprehension prompt. The results echoed those from the fraction problems: When the AI tool was removed, persistence and accuracy dropped. 

The findings backed up what anecdotes and surveys have increasingly found in recent years: An overreliance on AI for answers erodes our cognitive fitness. When AI produces answers in seconds, we get used to that speed; anything that takes longer feels inefficient. And relying on AI also removes what the team called “productive struggle,” which can lead people to find their research strengths and passions.

 

Late-night snacking may affect liver health

Oregon Health & Science University, October 9 2026 (News-Medical)

New research led by Oregon Health & Science University suggests you should think twice about indulging in a late-night snack if you'd like to preserve liver health.

The study, published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, documents an increase in the correlation between people who reported late-night eating - defined as eating after dinner or after bedtime - and a heightened risk of two types of liver disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and cirrhosis.

Researchers analyzed three large, preexisting nationwide datasets. They extracted diet and lifestyle habits self-reported by almost 200,000 participants in all three studies, grouped them by eating behaviors, and then looked for correlations to people who reported fatty liver disease or cirrhosis.

They found a 20% to 30% increase in all forms of liver disease among the group of people who reported late-night eating compared to those who did not.

It's Friday,  and Gary takes calls from his listeners and reads part four of his latest essay Saving Civilization Before Our Own Beliefs and Behaviors Destroy It.