Newsletter #009: Alarming Levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in Meat 🦠
Happy weekend and welcome to the latest HumanOS newsletter! We hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July. As we alluded to last week, Dan and the team were in the EU doing some important work with the US military, so we’ve been a bit preoccupied. This week, Greg spoke with Tommy Wood on the Nourish Balance Thrive podcast about his research in circadian biology, his favorite tips for improving sleep, and provided some expert guidance on tea and British biscuits (which are apparently very different from biscuits in America).
We also highlighted an array of important studies that were recently released via social media, including sitting for much of the day increases the risk of death and working out may not fully compensate; our gut microbiota is becoming less diverse, perhaps irreversibly; eating breakfast doesn’t seem to have a discernible impact on body weight (for a deeper dive into the health impact of breakfast skipping and food timing in general, check out this blog and podcast).
Us as Guests
- Greg Potter: How to Entrain Your Circadian Rhythm for Perfect Sleep and Metabolic Health. Via Nourish Balance Thrive.
This Week’s Research Highlights
🦠 Nearly 80% of meat in U.S. supermarkets contains antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can cause serious infections that are difficult to treat, as they are resistant to commonly used antibiotics. According to a study by the Environmental Working Group, antibiotic-resistant bacteria were found on found that 79% of ground turkey samples, 71% of pork chops, 62% of ground beef, and 36% of chicken. The presence of these bacteria in meat raises concerns about the overuse of antibiotics in food animal production, as well as the potential for antibiotic-resistant infections in humans who consume the contaminated meat.
🥞 Eating breakfast (as opposed to skipping) does not have discernible benefits for body mass, body fatness, waist circumference, and other relevant anthropometrics
A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials investigated the effects of eating versus skipping breakfast on obesity-related outcomes. The study found that there were no significant differences between the group that ate breakfast and the group that skipped breakfast in terms of body weight, body fat, waist circumference, and other obesity-related measures. The study analyzed 8 articles that met their criteria and included a total of 381 participants. The meta-analyzed outcomes showed that changes to the meta-analytic estimates are expected to be small. The study concluded that there is currently no evidence to support the general recommendation to eat breakfast for obesity-related anthropometric outcomes. The study's findings are important because previous observational studies had suggested that skipping breakfast is associated with higher weight.
💪 Muscular strength was found to be inversely and independently associated with all-cause mortality
Muscular strength is an important part of being fit and healthy. Being weak can make it harder to do things and can lead to health problems. The goal of these researchers was to see if muscular strength can predict if someone might die from a disease. They looked at 23 studies from 1980 to 2014 that studied the connection between muscular strength and dying (from any cause or from a specific cause) and found that people with more muscular strength were less likely to die, even after considering other things that might affect the results like how active they were or how good their lungs and heart were. They also found the same thing for heart disease, but deteremined that more studies are needed in this particular area. They didn't find enough proof that low muscular strength predicts death from cancer. In all these studies, they determined that people who had more muscular strength were less likely to die.
🥗 β-hydroxybutyrate and butyrate modulate metabolism, and inflammation, and physical performance.
Combining two substances, exogenous ketone β-hydroxybutyrate, and short-chain fatty acid butyrate, may have significant benefits for people following a ketogenic diet. These substances may help to regulate metabolism and inflammation, leading to improvements in physical performance. Exogenous ketones are ketones that are taken externally to provide the body with an additional source of energy, while butyrate is a type of fatty acid that is produced by bacteria in the gut and is known to have anti-inflammatory properties. The text implies that the combination of these two substances may be particularly effective for people following a ketogenic diet, which is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet designed to induce a state of ketosis in the body.
Podcasts We Loved This Week
- Stephan Guyenet: How To Retrain Your Brain To Beat Food Addiction. Via the Legendary Life Podcast with Ted Ryce.
- Megan Sumeracki and Cindy Nebel. Learning to Learn. Via Jesse Lawler of Smart Drug Smarts.
- Wendy Suzuki. The brain-changing benefits of exercise. Via TED (so, not technically a podcast, but you can listen to it!)
Products We Are Enjoying
Acacia Senegal.
Ginny says: If you’re concerned about the diversity of your gut microbiota, this might be worth a shot. Soluble fibers like acacia function as prebiotics, meaning that they stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, and fuel the production of metabolites like short-chain fatty acids. Acacia has the added advantages of being neutral in taste and texture, and easy on the stomach for people with gut issues. The brand that I’ve linked here is what I use, mainly because it is the cheapest that I’ve seen per ounce (let me know if you find a better source). Try adding 10-15 grams to a smoothie or oatmeal.