Gut health
🩹A Surprisingly Simple Fix For Joint Pain
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating illness suffered by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. With an ageing population and increasing levels of obesity, this number is only going to increase.
Typical treatment involves medication to control pain and exercise to improve mobility, but what if a fiber supplement could do both?
117 participants (PMID 41829888) were randomly allocated to receive either:-
- 20g of dietary fiber
- physiotherapy (standard treatment for OA)
- dietary fiber AND physiotherapy
- or a placebo
for six weeks and were then tested on their experience of pain, grip strength, and had their levels of short chain fatty acids and GLP-1 measured.
The results are fascinating:-
1️⃣ Participants in the first two conditions experienced less pain than placebo, but didn’t seem to have any synergistic effects.
2️⃣ Physiotherapy improved one of the strength measures, while the fiber supplement improved 3 overall measures, including grip strength - one of the most reliable indicators of longevity and overall health we have.
3️⃣ Dietary fibre (but not physiotherapy) increased butyrate production, and GLP-1 was linked to improved grip strength suggesting a gut-muscle link.
4️⃣ Dietary fiber had significantly lower dropout rates than physiotherapy - 3.6% vs 21%.
That last one is really important.
The best intervention is always the one you can continue with for the long-term. Given a choice between adding a fiber supplement to your coffee or 20 minutes of physiotherapy, which one would you choose?
Despite being the world’s biggest fiber-cheerleader, sometimes even I’m impressed by what it can do.
If you’re suffering from osteoarthritis, taking a daily fiber supplement could be a surprisingly simple but effective addition to your treatment plan. It’s never going to replace medical advice or treatment, but given it’s low risk and cheap, it could be a seriously useful adjunct for some people.
This is another reminder the gut doesn’t just digest food. It’s implicated in pain, muscle function and ageing
And if you’re looking for a supplement that will disappear into the background:- no taste, no change in texture (not even the kids will notice!) LOAM has you covered.
And I'm delighted to report a wheat-free formulation of LOAM is now available so even the most sensitive of guts can benefit. So many of your have been asking for this and I have to apologise it's taken this long. You still get 10g of fiber; you still get slow, medium and fast-fermenting fibres that nourish the whole gut; you still get zero grit, taste or texture. And now: zero wheat.
GENERAL health
📈 The Hidden Longevity Habit
We all know we should be doing more exercise, but what if you just really…hate anything that involves getting remotely sweaty?
Well, there may be some good news for you from a recently published study (PMID 42181697) looking at the effect of arts and cultural engagement (visiting the cinema, museums, art exhibitions etc) on 7 different epigenetic clocks.
Reminder: an epigenetic clock is a measure of how “old” tissues or cells in the body are biologically, compared to your chronological age. Your body can be younger, older or the same as the age on your last birthday card.
In a sample of more than 3,500 UK adults, arts and cultural engagement was found to be as effective at slowing 3 of the 7 epigenetic clocks as physical exercise!
Can you imagine your doctor prescribing a trip to the cinema or the rise of cultural influencers on Tiktok!?
Here’s a little bit of nuance:
1️⃣ Diversity of cultural engagement and frequency were both found to be important - going to the cinema 5 times per week probably won’t increase your lifespan.
2️⃣ These effects were most pronounced in adults aged 40 and above.
This study can’t explain why an active interest in cultural and arts activities is related to slower biological ageing.
Is it due to the increased steps from walking round art galleries? Is it to do with the psychological benefit of exercising one’s mind outside of work? Could it just be that people who do these activities tend to spend more time with friends?
Who knows?
Yet engaging in these kinds of activities will likely bring all of the above benefits.
So here’s yet another reason for us all to spend less time on our phones and more time supporting the cultural institutions we have available to us.
REFLECTIONS
💪The Power Of Ordinary
Maybe this is just me getting old, but I’m starting to think one of the major cheat codes in life is to be predictably boring.
- Go to bed at the same time every night
- Save money every month
- Cook your own dinner
- Avoid drama
You can think of any of the things your grandmother used to tell you and add your own ideas to the list.
By now, we all know the value that comes from compounding the little things.
It’s how I stay consistent in posting content, how I managed to drop two waist sizes (high fibre breakfast most days = no snacking til lunch) and how I managed to write two books while still working full-time (500 words per day, just keep going) and launch a start up: LOAM
In contrast, chaos doesn’t achieve anything.
And occasional bursts of exciting energy might get you in the gym for a week or two, but will soon burn out.
However, when life is predictable and yes, to an extent boring, it becomes so much easier to hit the little things consistently and reap the benefits long-term.
Of course, every now and again, you need to go out late, have one too many, maybe spend a bit too much money. No one’s suggesting you live like a monk.
But when your life is 90% steady, consistent progress on the things that are important to you and 10% messy fun, amazing things can happen.
👋 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!!!)
