Creatine helps immune cells fight cancer

🙌 Happy Friday! 

Prunes might throw you into a strange sort of nostalgia, but I found a fresh study from Penn State University that found that eating just four to six prunes daily can help postmenopausal women preserve bone density.

Perhaps prunes are more than a folk constipation cure.

This is just one of many healthy aging surprises we’re reporting on this week, including: creatine as cancer defense; collagen works! (…sometimes), and psychedelic pain relief.

Beyond the ever-growing list of benefits of creatine—from more muscle mass to cognitive decline prevention and extending lifespan—new research from UCLA suggests that creatine can ‘supercharge’ the immune cells that fight cancer.

The study, published in iScience, shows that the creatine pathway in dendritic cells (a type of immune cell) is linked to a better cancer-fighting response.

When mice with melanoma received daily creatine injections, researchers observed:

Further testing in human cells suggests that creatine may specifically activate human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (immune cells used in cancer vaccines).

Creatine may support our immune system’s natural response to cancer, as well as improve cancer-fighting medical breakthroughs. But results don’t immediately translate to adults, as the study was only conducted in human cells and mice.

The key takeaway: An immune system with better reinforcements is more likely to respond to cancer treatment. And like GLP-1s, what was once regarded as an aesthetic drug could do so much more for longevity.

Does the path to pain relief start in the brain? A new University of Reading study found that a single dose of psilocybin—the psychedelic part of magic mushrooms—can significantly reduce nerve pain in mice.

Through altering how the brain processes pain, psychedelics are opening up a new way to treat chronic pain.

In a study published in Communications Biology, researchers observed that mice treated with a single dose of psilocybin experienced:

So, psilocybin may ‘unlock’ both physical and emotional pain-processing networks.

But mushrooms are still the black sheep of pain management.

Psilocybin is still federally illegal in most of the US (exceptions being Oregon and Colorado), and these are early animal studies, which are not proof that it works in people. Yet, small human trials suggest it’s an avenue worth following for greater health span, less pain, and better aging.

Collagen supplements have real healthy aging benefits in key areas, says Lee Smith, Professor of Public Health at Anglia Ruskin University, in a recent press release.

His team just conducted the largest-ever review of collagen supplements for healthy aging, and the evidence suggests that collagen has real promise in specific ways.

Those who use collagen for longer can expect more benefits in key healthy aging measures, note the authors. While they don’t recommend a dose, most studies use about 2.5 to 10 g of hydrolyzed collagen daily.

Cool paint: An experimental ‘smart paint’ that reflects up to 97% sunlight, which may cut cooling costs and combat heat stress.

The Alzheimer’s tipping point: An immune cell in the brain could explain why certain people are resilient against dementia.

An antibiotic that works: Halting the protein production process of drug-resistant bacteria could revolutionize antibiotic treatment.

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As wildfires intensify across Europe, Spanish farmers, policymakers, and researchers are rediscovering how smart land management that blends new and traditional growing practices can create a more resilient landscape, reports The New York Times.

Ripe with opportunity: Wine from fire-friendly vineyards is now officially earning the “Fire Wine” label (and truffles and honey are getting the “Fire Product” label), creating a blueprint that other fire-prone regions can follow.

Good for the earth, good for our health: Honey is a rich source of antioxidants and healthy aging compounds. Though wine’s health is part of a continuing debate, the bigger win is fewer wildfires, cleaner air, healthier lungs, and a better environment for generations.

This isn’t just about fires, but preserving heritage for generations. "We have to adapt for the next eight centuries," says Ramón Roquet, a Spanish truffle farmer.

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Highlighting your responses to last week's question.

We asked: When was the last time you ran?

It’s 50/50 between ‘This week’ and ‘I can’t remember.’ For some, running can be too high-impact, but others said they would do literally anything else—I get it! Maybe it’s time to consider the ninja shuffle instead.