Now a blood test can reveal concussion

New test means less radiation exposure from CT scans

In 2015, Will Smith starred in “Concussion,” which told the true story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who, during a 2002 autopsy, discovered that former Pittsburgh Steelers centre Mike Webster had suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Years later, one study showed that 99 per cent of symptomatic NFL players autopsied brains revealed CTE, and another found that 43 per cent of retired players had signs of brain injuries.

Then in 2017 Dr. Omalu warned: “I’ve always said that every child who plays football has a 100 per cent risk of exposure to brain damage. And ... at a professional level, 100 per cent would have brain damage of some kind to some degree ... whether or not their brains are found to have CTE.”

So it’s good news that a breakthrough blood test, called the Banyan Brain Trauma Indicator, can quickly (currently in four hours, soon to be two) identify two blood proteins that determine if a person has a concussion.

The Food and Drug Administration says that the test can correctly predict a CT scan’s findings of intracranial lesions 97.5 per cent of the time and should significantly reduce unnecessary radiation exposure from scans while saving millions of dollars annually.

Although approved only for adults, one day soon it may help parents be ever more vigilant about protecting their children from the accumulated damage caused by sportsrelated brain injuries — which skyrocketed 200 per cent from 2001 to 2012.

In the meantime, make sure your kids’ coaches enforce brain-health guidelines. Go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Heads Up to Youth Sports: Parents” at

http://bit.ly/1MRhw0Q.

TO LOSE WEIGHT, EAT MORE SLOWLY

When Luke (Paul Newman) downed 50 hard-boiled eggs in 60 minutes in the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke,” he set the bar for cinematic lessons on the evils of eating too much too fast. While that scene may be surpassed in grossness by the blueberry-pie-eating contest in the 1986 movie “Stand by Me” or Daryl Hannah munching down a whole lobster (shell and all) in 1984’s “Splash,” to us Luke still is the best example of a bad example. By egg 32, a fellow prisoner says Luke’s stomach is bloated, “Just like a ripe watermelon that’s about to bust itself open.” And there’s science to back up that bloated claim.

A study published in the BMJ reveals that cramming food in your mouth at a fast clip is associated with obesity and a larger waist circumference. Over six years, out of more than 59,000 people with Type 2 diabetes, researchers found that only 22 per cent of slow eaters were obese, while 45 per cent of fast eaters were. And slow eaters had a lower body mass index and smaller waist circumference.

Are you a speedy eater? Try taking 30 or more minutes to get through every meal. Eat with a friend or family member, and take time to make conversation. Skip drive-thru breakfasts; eat at home. Step away from your desk at lunch. Drink water between bites. You’ll give your “I’m full” hormone (leptin) time to signal that you’ve had enough, reducing your intake. You’ll notice that you’re enjoying the flavours of food more, too.

EATING TO BEAT ELEVATED LDL CHOLESTEROL

The hardworking poor in ancient Egypt dined mostly on vegetables such as onions, garlic, leek, lentils, cabbage, radish, turnip, lupines, tomatoes and cucumber; fruits like figs, grapes and pomegranates; and proteins, including whole grains and some poultry. Too bad the upper classes didn’t stick with the same heart-loving diet. A study of mummies’ cardio systems revealed that wealthy Egyptians ate a lot of fatty meats from cattle, geese and ducks, used plenty of salt for food preservation — and had loads of atherosclerosis.

So if you want to be smarter than King Tut (“Rockin’ for a mile/ He ate a crocodile,” sang Steve Martin), try these five foods to keep your lousy LDL cholesterol in check:

1. Aim for two to three servings per day of high-fibre whole grains such as steel-cut oats, barley and wheat. They help clear out LDL fats.

2. Other high-fibre foods are important: Legumes, like beans and peas, and vegetables such as okra and eggplant that are loaded with soluble fibre, do the job, too.

3. Pectin-containing fruits, like apples and citrus, help lower LDL with their soluble fiber.

4. Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, sea trout) help lower circulating triglycerides and help you maintain healthy cholesterol levels by substituting healthy oils for sat fats in red and processed meats.

5. Replace butter and hydrogenated oils (trans fats) with mono- and polyunsaturated oils such as EVOO, grapeseed and peanut oil. They help maintain healthy LDL levels and boost heartlovin’ HDL levels.

DODGING HIDDEN DANGERS IN HOUSEHOLD CLEANSERS WITH HOMEMADE ALTERNATIVES

In the late 1950s and 1960s June Cleaver and Donna Reed ruled over fantasy homes in which there was virtually no dirt. That relentlessly homesweet-home fantasy shifted in the 1980s with “Roseanne,” and more recently “Mom” and “Modern Family.” But still, you rarely see anyone on TV scrubbing floors, scouring tubs or seriously de-greasing a stovetop (unless it’s for laughs).

Nonetheless, chances are you’ve got plenty of highpowered cleaning supplies under your sink. The average American household spends around $160 a year on bleachbased and antibacterial products, aerosol sprays and powdered cleaners filled with noxious fumes and toxic chemicals that linger in your air longer than you can imagine.

How harmful are they? A new 20-year study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine found that frequent housecleaners — whether they do it for a living or for themselves — experience lung damage equivalent to a 20-year, pack-a-day cigarette habit! Fortunately, alternatives do exist.

1. Vinegar: eradicates scum, grease, grime. Spray on shower tiles; let sit for 30 minutes; rinse. Wash linoleum with vinegar-water mixture; windows, too!

2. Salt: a natural abrasive. Use Kosher salt and the juice of half a lemon on cutting boards to clean deeply.

3. Baking soda: a proven virus-killer, it deodorizes and cuts through grime. Mix 1/2 cup baking soda with 1/4 cup vinegar to clean toilets and drains.

4. Straight lemon juice: KOs mold and mildew.

5. Grapefruit extract: Combine 20 drops with two cups of water in a spray bottle to clean all your surfaces.

TAKING A BITE OUT OF CHRONIC PAIN

In 1908 chemist Ikeda Kikunae isolated an ingredient in sea kelp that gave flavour to konbu dashi, a Japanese broth. He turned it into a powdered additive — monosodium glutamate. The Suzuki Chemical Company began marketing it in 1909 under the brand name Ajinomoto, meaning “essence of taste.” For decades it has been considered a natural flavour-enhancer. More recently, it’s been tagged for triggering headaches and other unsettling symptoms. And these days there’s debate about whether this additive, which is also found naturally in foods such as aged cheeses and soy sauce, is either umami (savory) or unwelcome.

According to a new study by researchers from American University, Michigan University and Meru University of Science and Technology in Kenya, even when MSG doesn’t cause that classic cascade of symptoms, glutamate may fuel chronic pain. Eliminating it from your diet may do more to ease your discomfort than taking acetaminophen!

Unfortunately, taking glutamate out of your diet isn’t as simple as avoiding MSG, which appears on labels as monosodium glutamate. Glutamate comes with a variety of names when used as an additive:

• autolyzed yeast, yeast food/nutrient; • autolyzed plant protein; • hydrolyzed protein/fat/oat flour;

• hydrolyzed protein, protein-fortified, or enzyme-modified;

• soy protein isolate/protein concentrate;

• whey protein/isolate/concentrate;

• sodium caseinate/calcium caseinate.

Since chronic pain can be hard to vanquish without dependence on over-thecounter or prescription pain relievers that can trigger side effects and addiction, it makes sense to give a glutamate-free diet a chance to help you ease your pain. This is the real “G” food to avoid — not gluten.