New research on oxidative stress and inflammatory signals in the blood may lead to better strategies for preventing several diseases.
A team of scientists from Emory University School of Medicine has conducted a study which shows that adding cysteine to intravenous or tube feeding of critically ill patients may reduce the impact of inflammation.
Cysteine, an amino acid found in most proteins in the body, is a measure of oxidative stress in the blood which has been connected with heart disease, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.
The higher the level of oxidative stress outside the cell, the more oxidized cysteine there is.
The Emory team treated mice with LPS, which mimics the inflammatory effect of bacteria on the human immune system and causes an increase in the level of IL-1 beta protein.
However, when they supplemented the mices diet with cysteine, IL-1 beta levels dropped, thus blunting the impact of the inflammation.
In a subsequent human study confirmed the results.
“Our research shows a direct link between the oxidative stress biomarker and pro-inflammatory cytokines, which have been linked to multiple age-related and chronic diseases,” says Dr. Dean P. Jones, professor of medicine and director of the Clinical Biomarkers Laboratory at Emory.
“This suggests that one could target [the biomarker] as a means to decrease [the impact of] age-related diseases and the acute inflammation of sepsis or lung injury,” he added.
Those suffering from inflammation may also benefit from lifestyle changes, including exercise, quitting smoking and routine screenings for high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.
