GUT health
❌ 5 Gut Health Hacks To AVOID
When it comes to gut health hacks, half the advice you hear online will cost you money on supplements that don’t work while the rest may even damage your health rather than improve it.
So here are 5 gut health myths doing the social media rounds that simply have to be a “no” from me and why:
1️⃣ Bone broth
Beloved of a certain type of (usually) muscular influencer, bone broth is made by boiling bones and other connective tissue, typically from chicken beef or fish for anything up to 24 hours.
You end up with a savoury stock that might give you a few extra grams of protein and might be very comforting, but, beyond that… not much more.
There’s no strong evidence that bone broth has any effect on the gut lining, IBS symptoms or inflammatory bowel disease. And the collagen just gets broken down into amino acids and used wherever your body needs it.
2️⃣ Catch-all probiotics
This is a classic case of one-size-fits-nobody. Clinical trials always use specific strains of bacteria as that’s the only way to be sure what effect each individual bacteria has.
This means any probiotic use has to be targeted. One specific bacteria, taken at a specific dose for a specific purpose. Otherwise you’re just pissing in the wind.
3️⃣ Single-Strain fiber supplements
A good fiber supplement needs to nourish the whole gut and a single-strain fiber supplement just can’t do it. A single strain will ferment in one part of the gut, leaving the rest starving.
On the other hand, studies (PMID: 34923911) have shown that a combination of fast and slow-fermenting fibers have synergistic effects on certain short-chain fatty acid production and improved metabolic markers in some people.
4️⃣ Collagen Powders
See no. 1 above. Yes, collagen powders can be a source of protein, but once they’re inside your body they get treated in the same way as all proteins - broken down into amino acids and used for repair and recovery wherever they’re needed. Nothing special.
5️⃣ Going-gluten free (without a medical diagnosis)
Unless a doctor has suggested you cut out gluten, there will almost certainly be no benefit to you of eating less gluten. The real problem is all the nutrients you’ll miss out on by not eating gluten-containing food. This includes fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that are typically found in whole wheat and other grains.
All in all, your safest bet for overall gut health is to eat a varied diet, including 30 plants per week, that gives you at least 30g of fiber per day.
Easier said than done.
That’s where LOAM comes in. LOAM is a blend of 6 different fibers that will feed all parts of your gut. It dissolves into anything - hot or cold, food or drink - and delivers 10g of fiber in the time it takes you to drink your morning coffee. And unlike most supplements, it has two clinical studies backing it up.
Click here to save 10% on your purchase of LOAM
GENERAL HEALTH
🤮The Hidden Health Risks of Toxic People
The villain in Harry Potter is obviously Voldemort, but there are plenty of other antagonists.
None more so than Dolores Umbridge.
Passive-aggressive, condescending, nitpicking, if you looked up the word ‘hassle’ in the dictionary, you’d find a picture of her face glaring right back at you.
However, hasslers - people who create stress, conflict, obligations or emotional strain - are more than just a pain in the butt. According to a new study, (PMID 41706901) they may be positively deadly.
Researchers asked 2,345 adults how many “hasslers’’ they had in their network and analysed their DNA samples to determine their biological age - the age at which their body seems to be working, rather than their actual age.
Here are the highlights:
- Nearly 30% of participants reported at least one problematic relationship in their network, with 10% reporting two or more
- Women, individuals who suffered childhood adversity and people with poor health were more likely to report having a hassler in their network
- Having just one hassler corresponds to a 9-10 months greater biological age
- More hasslers were associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, inflammation, multiple morbidity (multiple chronic health conditions), higher BMI and a higher waist-to-hip ratio
Importantly, these effects are cumulative. So reducing the effect of one will have a positive impact, but adding just one will make everything worse.
Finally, not all hasslers are made equal. Family hasslers were found to have stronger effects on ill health than non-family hasslers although that didn't include spouses, presumably because spousal relationships provide support and comfort as well as stress.
So, how can you deal with hasslers in your life?
Dealing With Hasslers
- Stop normalising hassler relationships: it’s literally your health at stake
- Vulnerable individuals should especially be aware of who in their network is a positive force and who isn’t.
- Non-family hasslers might be the easiest to disengage from: choose the least important relationship to let go of
- For family hasslers, decide on clear boundaries and stick to them
The key takeaway here is that it’s the cumulative effect of hasslers that negatively affects health. Reducing that burden will pay dividends.
REFLECTIONS
💭 How What You Expect Makes Your Reality
In 1960s America it was common for all schoolchildren to be given an IQ test at the start of the year.
One year, the teachers in one elementary school in California were told something different from normal.
The test their students had just taken was no ordinary IQ test. It was diagnostic.
It didn’t just tell the teacher which students in their class had the highest IQ, it predicted who was going to make the most academic progress that year.
“Look out for these kids; they’re going to be your academic bloomers” the teachers were told.
“The other names on the list…well, less said about them, the better”.
A year later, guess what?
The children who’d been labelled academic bloomers had increased their IQ scores by an incredible 27 points*, compared to a 12-point increase for the control group.
I say control group, because, of course this was a psychology experiment and the IQ test didn’t predict anything. The kids had been randomly assigned to be either an "academic bloomer" or not.
This study is a classic of psychology because it shows the powerful effect of expectations.
The “academic bloomers” didn’t increase their IQ thanks to genes, hard work or teaching excellence. They increased because their teachers expected them to increase.
It’s incredible what people can achieve when someone else expects it of them.
And that ‘other’ person can be you.
Right now, I expect myself to be a supportive husband, a great father, someone who shows up for the gym.
And while that doesn’t mean I won’t ever screw up, I also expect myself to be the kind of person who gets up after a setback and starts again.
So think carefully about your expectations because, for better or worse, you may well live up to them.
* Children of all different ages were tested and a 27-point increase was the highest recorded effect. Other increases were lower than this.
👋 Who are you again? I’m Karan Rajan - a doctor and curious explorer of all things health and wellness. I'm the founder of LOAM Science, a microbiome company aiming to create the best fiber product in the world! I host the Dr Karan Explores Podcast, where I talk to experts in science and medicine to cut through the BS of modern health advice. If you'd like an easy way to dig through the archive, you can ask me any questions about the podcast and talk to my digital librarian here. I've also written two books "This Book May Save Your Life" and "This Is Vital Information". I'm the Chief of Science of Throne, a smart gut health tracking device.
If you feel strongly about some health things or just want to say hi? Hit reply... I’d love to hear it and hear from you! (yes I read every reply!!!)
