Newsletter #061: Creeping Obesity, Chocolate + Tomatoes, and Cashew Queso 🥣
Hello Friends!
Welcome to the newest edition of the humanOS newsletter! Here is where we share our work, plus the various studies and media that captured our attention this week. 🤓
This Week’s Research Highlights
🏖️ Weight gain associated with vacationing may lead to “creeping obesity” over time.
Researchers followed 122 adults who went on vacations ranging from one to three weeks. Study participants went to the lab for anthropometric measurements (weight, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio) before departing, and then one and six weeks after vacation. 61% of subjects gained weight while on vacation, with an average of nearly 1 pound added during their trips (though some added a lot more). This could contribute to a trend of creeping obesity, where small amounts of weight gain accumulate over time and ultimately lead to unhealthy body mass.
🍒 Raspberries improve vascular function through urolithin metabolites.
Researchers assessed flow-mediated dilation in ten healthy men after feeding them 200g and 400g of red raspberries, or a matched control beverage. Significant improvements in flow-mediated dilation (1.6-0.7%) were observed in both raspberry groups, even up to 24 hours after consumption. Plasma levels of urolithin metabolites, including ellagic acid, urolithin A-3-glucuronide, and urolithin A-sulfate, were found to correlate with observed improvements in endothelial function.
🍽️ An intensive diet and lifestyle program can rapidly reverse hypertension.
1132 men and women with hypertension were enrolled from 1988-1999 in an 18-day medically operated health improvement program involving a whole-food vegan diet and a constellation of other lifestyle changes. Systolic blood pressure dropped for the entire population within 18 days, from 142 to 119 (a reduction similar to intensive medication therapy). Two-thirds of the subjects were no longer hypertensive by the end of the intervention.
😪 Disrupted sleep in one's 50s and 60s likely raises risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Matthew Walker and colleagues performed PET scans on 101 subjects from the Berkeley Aging Cohort Study (BACS) to identify beta-amyloid and tau tangles in the brain. Adults reporting a decline in sleep quality in middle age exhibited more of these protein tangles. Furthermore, EEG revealed that impaired slow oscillation-sleep spindle synchronization, lower amplitude of <1Hz slow-wave-activity, and reduced sleep duration were all related to Alzheimer's pathology.
🍫 Daily intake of a prebiotic made from dark chocolate and lycopene boosts beneficial gut bacteria and reduces inflammation.
Researchers randomly assigned 30 volunteers to take different formulations of lycopene, dark chocolate, and dark chocolate with lycopene embedded in its matrix. By the end of the trial, there were dose-dependent changes in the gut microbiota profile, with an increase in relative abundance of Bifidobacteria. This increase in Bifidobacteria was accompanied by dose-dependent changes in markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in the blood, as well as (oddly enough) reversal of age-associated changes in the skin.
Podcasts We Loved This Week
- Michael Joyner, Ronald Evans, Katherine Milkman, & Marcas Bamman: The Zero Minute Workout. Via Freakonomics Radio.
- Keith Baar: Tendon Health, Rehab and Elastic Power Performance. Via Just Fly Performance Podcast.
- Amy Bender: How Does A Lack of Sleep Affect You (+ Sleep Tips)? Via Biohackers Lab.
Products We Are Enjoying
Siete Cashew Queso
Ginny says: This is one of the best non-dairy quesos I’ve ever had. Really simple ingredients (cashews, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, etc), and pretty darn healthy (just 35 kcal per 30g serving). I found it in the refrigerated dip section at Whole Foods, but you can also order it online.