A nice cut of filet mignon won't soon serve as a recommended alternative to warm milk or a dose of melatonin for insomnia, but new research adds to the plump pillow of evidence indicating that protein intake influences how soundly we sleep.

In a study of arousability in flies and mice (both require sleep as much as humans), Harvard Medical School investigators found that a protein-rich diet increases the likelihood that they would snooze well and deeply.

In flies, the scientists found that dietary proteins activated cells in the insects' gut that secrete a protein that signals neurons regulating response to mechanical vibrations. In other words, it was harder to shake them awake. Mice behaved similarly, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear.

Neither increased sugar nor fat consumption produced the same grogginess.

Brain Glue

Clumps of protein called beta-amyloid are widely considered an indicator and driver of Alzheimer's disease. But some people who have these so-called plaques don't have Alzheimer's. New research suggests the reason might be due to cells called astrocytes, which make up the majority of cells in the human central nervous system. Their abundance (five times the number of neurons) prompted scientists to dub them "brain glue."

Astrocytes are responsible for neuroprotective tasks such as clearing away excess neurotransmitters and regulating various brain functions. When astrocytes respond to injury or damage, they produce a protein called GFAP, but too much GFAP may be bad for one's health. Among patients studied who had elevated GFAP, high beta-amyloid levels meant higher levels of phosphorylated tau, a protein that accumulates within the neurons of Alzheimer's patients and causes neuronal death.

If GFAP levels correlate to brain health, researchers may have another tool to precisely measure and target earlier stages of Alzheimer's.

Body of Knowledge

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is caused when an eyeball is longer than typical from front to back, resulting in the resting eye focusing the image of a distant object at a point in front of the retina (resulting in a blurred image).

Get Me That, Stat!

More than half of young adults in the United States have "bad" LDL cholesterol levels high enough to increase their lifetime cardiovascular risk, but only 40% have had their cholesterol checked in the last five years.

Counts

27 — Percentage increase in pre-pregnancy diabetes rates from 2016 to 2021

Source: National Center for Health Statistics

Stories for the Waiting Room

Evidence continues to mount detailing the devastating health disparities affecting Black Americans, who die at earlier ages. In the latest analysis, published in JAMA, Black Americans suffered 1.63 million excess deaths and lost more than 80 million years of life between 1999 and 2011, compared to white Americans. The pandemic only worsened those numbers.

Doc Talk

Galactagogue — a substance that promotes breast milk production. Foods that are known to boost breast milk production are called galactogues and include yams, carrots, fennel and sesame seeds, chickpeas, brewer's yeast, nuts and oats.

Phobia of the Week

Chiroptophobia — fear of bats (not chiropractors, unless they wear capes and have sharp teeth)

Best Medicine

I had a neck brace fitted years ago and I've never looked back.

Observation

"I always take Scotch whiskey at night as a preventive of toothache. I have never had the toothache; and what is more, I never intend to have it." — American humorist, writer and entrepreneur Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910). Better known as Mark Twain, Clemens died of a heart attack at the age of 74, presumably cavity-free.

Medical History

This week in 1848, the first U.S. patent for a surgical or dental operating chair with adjustable elevation, tilt of the seat and back, and footrest was issued to M.W. Hanchett of Syracuse, New York.

Med School

Q: Can doctors self-prescribe?

A: Yes, but it depends on the prescription, the circumstances and the physician's location. In most states, it's illegal for a doctor to self-prescribe controlled substances, such as opioids, Adderall, Xanax or anything else with a high potential for abuse and/or addiction.

There are fewer laws against self-prescription of noncontrolled substances, such as medications for high blood pressure, diabetes or asthma. Birth control and antibiotics fall into this category, too.

Nonetheless, the American Medical Association's code of ethics strongly discourages doctors from attempting to heal themselves.

Epitaphs

"Here lies one of the funniest men around. It's funny they let him live so long." — Headstone of Warren Wesley Berkenbile (1921-1991), who may not have in fact been "one of the funniest men around" but might have laid such claim in his hometown of Davenport, Iowa

To find out more about Scott LaFee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Clément Falize at Unsplash