Too many inflammatory foods; map a creature’s brain; diabetes care around the globe – Morning Medical Update

Not just heartburn

A new study found 57% of American adults regularly eat diets with lots of pro-inflammatory foods that can have a negative effect on chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. What’s good: grains, green, leafy vegetables, legumes, fatty fish and berries. What’s bad: for a lot of people, those foods may be costly or unavailable. Here’s the study and a news release on it.

A neuronal wiring diagram of the adult fly brain. The adult fly brain comprises 139,000 neurons and more than 50 million synapses. Credit: Tyler Sloan for Murthy and Seung Labs, Princeton University.
_{© National Institutes of Mental Health}

Starting small with brain research

Scientists have created the first complete map of the neural connections of the common fruit fly brain. It’s a tiny animal but this is the largest and most complete connectome, or brain wiring diagram, of an adult animal. Why is it important? “The diminutive fruit fly is surprisingly sophisticated and has long served as a powerful model for understanding the biological underpinnings of behavior,” one researcher said. Here is an explainer from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Diabetes care across the world

How does generosity affect health? The nonprofit Unbound is seeking patients with diabetes in the United States to contribute financially and offer peer mentorship through correspondence to patients with diabetes in the Philippines. The results will be compiled as part of a new research study to find out if those can improve patient health and well-being. More information is here.