https://www.fieldgulls.com/2017/2/11/14514604/russell-wilson-nanobubbles-water-seahawks-recovery-benefits-science-harvard-studies
In August 2015, Rolling Stone published an article about Russell Wilson which included this now infamous passage:
Wilson is an investor in Reliant Recovery Water, a $3-per-bottle concoction with nanobubbles and electrolytes that purportedly helps people recover quickly from workouts and, according to Wilson, injury. He mentions a teammate whose knee healed miraculously, and then he shares his own testimonial."I banged my head during the Packers game in the playoffs, and the next day I was fine," says Wilson. "It was the water."
Wilson stood by his claim, sending out the following tweet:
Sports writers were quick to pounce. Barry Petchesky at Deadspin didn’t interview any neuroscientists, but still called it a scam. Michael David Smith at ProFootballTalk didn’t cite any peer reviewed studies, but still called it snake oil.
From there it was easy for readers to latch on; after all,
“nanobubbles” sounds funny and when you hear it you probably think of
champagne or a carbonated soft drink. Nearly two years after the Rolling
Stone article it continues to be a punchline for fans and even
journalists on television and social media.
I decided to do what no journalist bothered to do: I actually read the peer reviewed science on nanobubbles.
And I learned that anyone who thinks nanobubbles are a scam, snake oil,
or just pseudoscience is completely ignorant of what they actually are.
That’s okay, that’s why I am writing this now. Let’s learn the reality
of what you’re saying when you say “Must be the #Nanobubbles.”
Since
2010, oxygen nanobubbles have been the focus of studies and clinical
trials at institutions like Harvard, Oxford, Rush, and NYU, for
conditions across the neurological disease spectrum, including
Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and multiple sclerosis.
Positive results have been reported in vitro as well as in
transgenic mice and human subjects, in everything from brain activity to
muscle recovery to the treatment of cancerous tumors. Much of the
research on nanobubbles was presented at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in 2014, and I’ve highlighted some of the most relevant findings below:
Hyperphosphorylated tau protein is a hallmark finding of traumatic brain injury (TBI)
In December 2012, Dr. Ann McKee, an expert in
neurodegenerative disease at Boston University School of Medicine who
was featured in the FRONTLINE documentary League of Denial, published the study “The spectrum of disease in chronic traumatic encephalopathy”
after analyzing the post-mortem brains of 85 subjects with histories of
repetitive concussions. She found that one of the hallmark pathological
findings of concussive hits was the accumulation of toxic or abnormal
proteins - particularly hyperphosphorylated tau protein:
“There is an ordered and predictable progression of hyperphosphorylated tau abnormalities through the nervous system in chronic traumatic encephalopathy that occurs in conjunction with widespread axonal disruption and loss.”
Dr. Bennet Omalu reported similar findings in his 2005 study, “Chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a National Football League player,”
when he found “diffuse amyloid plaques as well as sparse
neurofibrillary tangles and tau-positive neuritic threads in neocortical
areas” of the brain. Pathological aggregation of tau protein has been
observed in a host of neurodegenerative brain diseases as well as
post-TBI/concussion.
In addition, an October 2016 study published in Neurology
found that in athletes who had suffered a concussion, those who took
longer to return to play had higher levels of tau protein in their blood
following the trauma than players who were cleared to return to play
sooner.
Nanobubbles reduce tau protein phosphorylation in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease
In August 2014, Khushbu Modi, PhD and Arundhati Jana, PhD
at the Rush University School of Medicine Department of Neurological
Sciences were the primary authors of the study “A
Physically-Modified Saline Suppresses Neuronal Apoptosis, Attenuates
Tau Phosphorylation and Protects Memory in an Animal Model of
Alzheimer's Disease” in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE.
They found that RNS60 (Revalesio Corp.’s oxygen nanobubble formulation -
the same stuff found in Recovery Water) inhibited tau phosphorylation
in human neuronal cells in vitro, and attenuated tau
phosphorylation in the hippocampus of transgenic Alzheimer mice when
administered via intraperitoneal injection:
“Given the evidence that phosphorylated tau protein can lead to the destabilization of microtubules, impaired axonal transport and eventually neuronal death, it is generally believed that inhibition of tau phosphorylation induced by Aβ may be a useful therapeutic strategy for the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. Here we demonstrate that RNS60 is capable of attenuating tau phosphorylation in Aβ-insulted cultured neurons and in vivo in the hippocampus of 5XFAD mice.”
In other words, researchers in this study demonstrated
that the active ingredient in Recovery Water helped prevent the same
pathological process - the hyperphosphorylation of tau protein - that is
a hallmark of mild traumatic brain injury.
In August 2015, Rolling Stone published an article about Russell Wilson which included this now infamous passage:
Wilson is an investor in Reliant Recovery Water, a $3-per-bottle concoction with nanobubbles and electrolytes that purportedly helps people recover quickly from workouts and, according to Wilson, injury. He mentions a teammate whose knee healed miraculously, and then he shares his own testimonial."I banged my head during the Packers game in the playoffs, and the next day I was fine," says Wilson. "It was the water."
Wilson stood by his claim, sending out the following tweet:
Sports writers were quick to pounce. Barry Petchesky at Deadspin didn’t interview any neuroscientists, but still called it a scam. Michael David Smith at ProFootballTalk didn’t cite any peer reviewed studies, but still called it snake oil.
From there it was easy for readers to latch on; after all,
“nanobubbles” sounds funny and when you hear it you probably think of
champagne or a carbonated soft drink. Nearly two years after the Rolling
Stone article it continues to be a punchline for fans and even
journalists on television and social media.
I decided to do what no journalist bothered to do: I actually read the peer reviewed science on nanobubbles.
And I learned that anyone who thinks nanobubbles are a scam, snake oil,
or just pseudoscience is completely ignorant of what they actually are.
That’s okay, that’s why I am writing this now. Let’s learn the reality
of what you’re saying when you say “Must be the #Nanobubbles.”
Since
2010, oxygen nanobubbles have been the focus of studies and clinical
trials at institutions like Harvard, Oxford, Rush, and NYU, for
conditions across the neurological disease spectrum, including
Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and multiple sclerosis.
Positive results have been reported in vitro as well as in
transgenic mice and human subjects, in everything from brain activity to
muscle recovery to the treatment of cancerous tumors. Much of the
research on nanobubbles was presented at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in 2014, and I’ve highlighted some of the most relevant findings below:
Hyperphosphorylated tau protein is a hallmark finding of traumatic brain injury (TBI)
In December 2012, Dr. Ann McKee, an expert in
neurodegenerative disease at Boston University School of Medicine who
was featured in the FRONTLINE documentary League of Denial, published the study “The spectrum of disease in chronic traumatic encephalopathy”
after analyzing the post-mortem brains of 85 subjects with histories of
repetitive concussions. She found that one of the hallmark pathological
findings of concussive hits was the accumulation of toxic or abnormal
proteins - particularly hyperphosphorylated tau protein:
“There is an ordered and predictable progression of hyperphosphorylated tau abnormalities through the nervous system in chronic traumatic encephalopathy that occurs in conjunction with widespread axonal disruption and loss.”
Dr. Bennet Omalu reported similar findings in his 2005 study, “Chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a National Football League player,”
when he found “diffuse amyloid plaques as well as sparse
neurofibrillary tangles and tau-positive neuritic threads in neocortical
areas” of the brain. Pathological aggregation of tau protein has been
observed in a host of neurodegenerative brain diseases as well as
post-TBI/concussion.
In addition, an October 2016 study published in Neurology
found that in athletes who had suffered a concussion, those who took
longer to return to play had higher levels of tau protein in their blood
following the trauma than players who were cleared to return to play
sooner.
Nanobubbles reduce tau protein phosphorylation in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease
In August 2014, Khushbu Modi, PhD and Arundhati Jana, PhD
at the Rush University School of Medicine Department of Neurological
Sciences were the primary authors of the study “A
Physically-Modified Saline Suppresses Neuronal Apoptosis, Attenuates
Tau Phosphorylation and Protects Memory in an Animal Model of
Alzheimer's Disease” in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE.
They found that RNS60 (Revalesio Corp.’s oxygen nanobubble formulation -
the same stuff found in Recovery Water) inhibited tau phosphorylation
in human neuronal cells in vitro, and attenuated tau
phosphorylation in the hippocampus of transgenic Alzheimer mice when
administered via intraperitoneal injection:
“Given the evidence that phosphorylated tau protein can lead to the destabilization of microtubules, impaired axonal transport and eventually neuronal death, it is generally believed that inhibition of tau phosphorylation induced by Aβ may be a useful therapeutic strategy for the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. Here we demonstrate that RNS60 is capable of attenuating tau phosphorylation in Aβ-insulted cultured neurons and in vivo in the hippocampus of 5XFAD mice.”
In other words, researchers in this study demonstrated
that the active ingredient in Recovery Water helped prevent the same
pathological process - the hyperphosphorylation of tau protein - that is
a hallmark of mild traumatic brain injury.
Oxygen nanobubbles inhibit the expression of neuroinflammatory molecules in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease, and cross the blood-brain barrier
Saurabh Khasnavis, PhD at Harvard Medical School in March 2014 was the primary author of the study “Protection
of dopaminergic neurons in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease by a
physically-modified saline containing charge-stabilized nanobubbles” in the peer-reviewed Journal of NeuroImmune Pharmacology.
He found that RNS60 inhibited the expression of proinflammatory
molecules both in cultured microglial cells as well as in the substantia
nigra region of the mouse brain in vivo. In the study’s
abstract, Khasnavis writes, “these results strongly suggest a promising
therapeutic role of this simple modified saline in Parkinson’s Disease
and other neuroinflammatory disorders.”
But perhaps the more important research finding in this
study as it pertains to Wilson’s claim is that oxygen nanobubbles cross
the blood-brain barrier:
“Within 3 hours of intraperitoneal RNS60 administration, we observed the activation of class 1A PI3K and the upregulation of IκBα, signature events of RNS60, in vivo in the nigra. Therefore, it is likely that RNS60 enters the brain.”
Oral administration of oxygen nanobubbles reduces tumor hypoxia in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer and attenuates muscle damage in human subjects
In December 2016, researchers at Oxford University published the study “Reducing Tumour Hypoxia via Oral Administration of Oxygen Nanobubbles” in PLoS ONE.
They found that oral administration of oxygen nanobubbles resulted in a
reduction of 75% and 25% in the transcriptional and translational
expression of the HIF1α gene in pancreatic tumor mice, a gene
which is normally only expressed at high levels in hypoxic conditions.
In June 2013, Paul Borsa, PhD at the University of Florida published the
study Oral consumption of electrokinetically modified water attenuates muscle damage and improves postexercise recovery in the peer-reviewed Journal of Applied Physiology.
Borsa found that plasma concentrations of creatine kinase and
high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were significantly lower in the
study group who had consumed Reliant Recovery Water compared to the
placebo group. (These two studies aren’t quite as relevant to Wilson’s
claim as it relates to concussions, but I included them anyway since
they give important insight into how nanobubbles affect cell signaling
and gene expression.)
In December 2016, the ALS Foundation announced
$1 million in funding to support a clinical trial testing the efficacy
of RNS60 on reducing neuroinflammation. Nanobubbles even caught the
attention of Rodolfo R. Llinás, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of
Physiology and Neuroscience at the NYU School of Medicine, who has been
called “a founding father of modern brain science.” Llinás, like most
people, was initially “highly skeptical” of nanobubbles, but after conducting his own study, reported in 2014 that RNS60 increased ATP production, enlarged mitochondria, and improved synaptic transmission in squid neurons.
Llinás hypothesizes that nanobubbles create this ATP
production boost by crossing the outer cell membrane as well as the
mitochondrial membrane, then releasing their oxygen directly into the
organelle’s interior, preventing the creation of toxic free radicals in
the cell. His lab at NYU is now conducting a human Phase II clinical trial
to measure the effects of oral consumption of Reliant Recovery Water on
brain activity (Phase I clinical trials to determine safety of RNS60
were completed in 2011 and 2012).
inhibit the expression of neuroinflammatory molecules in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease, and cross the blood-brain barrier
Saurabh Khasnavis, PhD at Harvard Medical School in March 2014 was the primary author of the study “Protection
of dopaminergic neurons in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease by a
physically-modified saline containing charge-stabilized nanobubbles” in the peer-reviewed Journal of NeuroImmune Pharmacology.
He found that RNS60 inhibited the expression of proinflammatory
molecules both in cultured microglial cells as well as in the substantia
nigra region of the mouse brain in vivo. In the study’s
abstract, Khasnavis writes, “these results strongly suggest a promising
therapeutic role of this simple modified saline in Parkinson’s Disease
and other neuroinflammatory disorders.”
But perhaps the more important research finding in this
study as it pertains to Wilson’s claim is that oxygen nanobubbles cross
the blood-brain barrier:
“Within 3 hours of intraperitoneal RNS60 administration, we observed the activation of class 1A PI3K and the upregulation of IκBα, signature events of RNS60, in vivo in the nigra. Therefore, it is likely that RNS60 enters the brain.”
Oral administration of oxygen nanobubbles reduces tumor hypoxia in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer and attenuates muscle damage in human subjects
In December 2016, researchers at Oxford University published the study “Reducing Tumour Hypoxia via Oral Administration of Oxygen Nanobubbles” in PLoS ONE.
They found that oral administration of oxygen nanobubbles resulted in a
reduction of 75% and 25% in the transcriptional and translational
expression of the HIF1α gene in pancreatic tumor mice, a gene
which is normally only expressed at high levels in hypoxic conditions.
In June 2013, Paul Borsa, PhD at the University of Florida published the
study Oral consumption of electrokinetically modified water attenuates muscle damage and improves postexercise recovery in the peer-reviewed Journal of Applied Physiology.
Borsa found that plasma concentrations of creatine kinase and
high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were significantly lower in the
study group who had consumed Reliant Recovery Water compared to the
placebo group. (These two studies aren’t quite as relevant to Wilson’s
claim as it relates to concussions, but I included them anyway since
they give important insight into how nanobubbles affect cell signaling
and gene expression.)
In December 2016, the ALS Foundation announced
$1 million in funding to support a clinical trial testing the efficacy
of RNS60 on reducing neuroinflammation. Nanobubbles even caught the
attention of Rodolfo R. Llinás, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of
Physiology and Neuroscience at the NYU School of Medicine, who has been
called “a founding father of modern brain science.” Llinás, like most
people, was initially “highly skeptical” of nanobubbles, but after conducting his own study, reported in 2014 that RNS60 increased ATP production, enlarged mitochondria, and improved synaptic transmission in squid neurons.
Llinás hypothesizes that nanobubbles create this ATP
production boost by crossing the outer cell membrane as well as the
mitochondrial membrane, then releasing their oxygen directly into the
organelle’s interior, preventing the creation of toxic free radicals in
the cell. His lab at NYU is now conducting a human Phase II clinical trial
to measure the effects of oral consumption of Reliant Recovery Water on
brain activity (Phase I clinical trials to determine safety of RNS60
were completed in 2011 and 2012).
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