SHR

Metabolic profiles of male meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans It isn’t far-fetched to think that individuals with difference dietary habits might have different metabolic profiles. However, this issue has not been well investigated, leading Schmidt et al to investigate the differences in concentrations of circulating metabolites in middle-aged healthy men from the Oxford component of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford). Using data from a food-frequency questionnaire, the researchers randomly selected 91-97 men per group who could be classified as meat eaters, fish eaters (who do not eat meat but do eat fish), vegetarians (who eat neither meat nor fish), and vegans (who do not eat meat, fish, dairy products, or eggs). Of the 118 total metabolites analyzed, concentrations of 12 sphingolipids (86%), 61 glycerophospholipids (79%), 6 acylcarnitines (67%), 2 biogenic amines (67%), and 12 amino acids (63%) varied across the 4 diet groups. In the...

Generally speaking, eating solid food is more satiating than drinking liquid calories. There are notable exceptions, such as soup and whey protein, but most people aren’t drinking those when they want to quench their thirst. Rather, many individuals consume sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and accumulating evidence suggests that liquid carbohydrates are indeed less satiating than their solid counterparts and may lead to weight gain in the general population. A consideration of our evolutionary history may help to explain why. For all but the last 11,000 years or so, the predominant fluids we consumed were breast milk and water. Milk doesn’t run into the same issues as SSBs because only 36% of its calories come from carbohydrates, with the remaining being fat and whey and casein proteins. Water doesn’t run into problems because it is, well, water. We did not evolve consuming SSBs and it would make no logical sense for them to...

Monsanto and Chemical Engineers are rejoicing right now. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has just concluded their own assessment of the cancer causing effect of glyphosate (Roundup.) They have concluded that it’s unlikely to cause DNA damage or to be genotoxic1. This is in direct opposition to the World Health Organization's (WHO) recent conclusion. Much of the discrepancy between the two organizations is due to the different ways they have assessed the popular herbicide made by Monsanto. The WHO has looked at the available data and research on various formulation that include glyphosate.  The EFSA has looked solely at the available research on glyphosate alone. Don’t Run Out and Buy Monsanto Stock Just Yet While the WHO's calling for glyphosate to carry the “probable carcinogen” warning was a blow to Monsanto, this is not the thrust of the problem with the popular herbicide as seen by scientist who are doing...

We all have moments of indulgence and overeating, and in the grand scheme of things this won’t have much effect on anything because there will be other days where we under-eat to balance out long-term energy balance. However, there are circumstances where the overeating can be chronic. The most well-known example is obesity, which is simply the result of a chronic energy surplus. (I use the term “simply” very loosely because although obesity is essentially the same as a chronic energy surplus, there can be many reasons for why the surplus exists, thus making obesity a multifaceted disease. But I digress.). Another example may be a bodybuilder or generic athlete interested in building muscle, where an energy surplus to promote anabolism is necessary. Under these circumstances, the body is going to be primarily in “storage” mode and this arguably makes what you eat more important. One aspect of diet that may...

Wait until you try this recipe! While Turmeric is the star of this show, you can’t disregard the supporting characters which are Ginger, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Pineapple, Greek Yogurt, Coconut Milk and of course Whey Protein. Adding Turmeric and Ginger to your diet is one of the best things that you can do for your health so, I am constantly on a quest to do just that. Both Turmeric and Ginger are powerful anti-oxidants, while Cinnamon may help improve glucose and lipid levels. Both Turmeric and Ginger have powerful anti-Inflammatory properties while Pineapple has been shown to aid in digestion. And bonus, it adds a touch of sweetness to the mix. The Coconut Milk not only adds a great flavor and a touch of frothiness but it also adds the necessary fat to increase the bio-availability of these super star ingredients. I guess I could go on and on about the health...

I have lots of friends who tell me they like to have a glass of bourbon or a couple glasses of wine in the evening because it helps them "wind down" and they sleep better. I even know a physician whom I have a lot of respect for who told me he's been doing this for years. We very rarely drink alcohol any more. Last night Alisa and I entertained a team member, Jeff Thompson, here in Louisville and then we went to the Kentucky Muscle event. We each had a couple glasses of wine and then I had a cup of decaf coffee with a shot of Sambuca after my meal (hey.. I'm Italian.. It's our thing). We stayed out later than I'm accustomed to since I'm in bed as a rule by 9:00PM. We didn't get home until around 10:30PM. I sleep with my FitBit so it tracks my...

More protein, more VAT? Abdominal obesity is a stronger risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases than whole-body obesity, and this is believed to be mediated by the accumulation of visceral adipose tissue (VAT), which is basically fat that accumulates around organs rather than under the skin. Despite evidence suggesting VAT is predominately affected by the non-caloric qualitative aspects of diet, little is known about the association between macronutrient composition of diet and VAT. Moslehi et al from Iran sought to fill this knowledge gap. Using a cohort of 1254 participants, the researchers estimated the effects of substituting 5% of energy from one type of macronutrient by 5% of energy from another macronutrient on the change in VAT over 3-years. Surprisingly (at least to me), increased VAT was significantly associated with increased protein at the expense of any other macronutrient in women and increasing MUFA at the expense of protein and PUFAs in...

So while taking my morning stroll through the internet’s stories and social media post;  I decided to stop by the world of vegan bodybuilding.  I wasn’t looking to pick a fight, but I just wanted to know more of them, and what they talk about.  I was a vegetarian myself for 5 years but I wasn’t’ into bodybuilding (I was actually into distance running).  Here some take-aways. Folks confuse building a physique with losing weight.  I saw several before and after photos that were simply, “good cuts.”  The guys/girls were ripped but had no more muscle than they started out with.If you eat enough plant protein- you “must” be able to maintain some sort of muscle.  Though this is far from optimal – if you’re not trying to build much; something is working right (sort of).  Some use soy protein, pea protein, hemp protein, or a combination of them all.Genetics, Genetics,...

Despite the well-established benefits of exercise for improving health, the largest and most stubborn barrier for individuals to overcome is adherence. Because lack of time is a common excuse, increasing attention has been given to modes of training that require relatively little time. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) describes exercise characterized by brief intermittent bursts of vigorous activity, interspersed by periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. Considerable evidence currently exists to support a role for HIIT as a time-efficient training method for inducing cardiovascular and muscular adaptations that are linked with improved health outcomes. Thus, HIIT may be a reasonable solution for time-constrained inactive individuals. Two recent studies support this view. The first study involved 23 sedentary, overweight-obese young men from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and randomized them to complete a 6-week HIIT or moderate-intensity continuous training (MIT) program with no other dietary or physical activity guidelines. The HIIT protocol...

Lutein is a prevalent carotenoid in nature that plays an essential role in plant health by harvesting blue light and protecting the chloroplasts from oxidative damage. Humans and other primates are unique in that we are the only animals to selectively accumulate lutein in the retina of the eye and brain. Accumulation within the retina bestows us with a normal yellow macular pigmentation and protects the eye against blue light and oxidative damage. In what is surely the largest experimental trial to date to investigate age-related macular degeneration (AMD), supplementing lutein alongside other antioxidants reduced the progression of AMD to its advanced forms by 10% compared to the antioxidants alone. Within the brain, lutein is the most prevalent carotenoid where it is believed to be neuroprotective through its role as an antioxidant. As outlined by a team of investigators from three Universities that seeks to understand the uptake and bio-localization of...