Gut health
👀3 Studies That Transformed How I View The Gut
I pride myself on keeping up-to-date with the latest in gut health (and wider medical) science and am not afraid to change my mind.
With that in mind, here are three studies I've read recently that have fundamentally changed the way I think about the gut.
1️⃣ Short-term (5 days) changes in diet result in measurable changes to the composition of the gut microbiome and can even overpower the natural variation between individuals in microbial gene expression (PMID 24336217).
It’s true that this study used extreme dietary restriction (all plant-based diet vs all-meat diet), but it’s a powerful reminder we have agency over our gut health. You can’t change your genetics, but you can change your diet and that might be what matters most.
2️⃣ People suffering from depression who ate a mediterranean diet saw a significantly greater reduction in their depressive symptoms than a control group. Yes, these people were already receiving treatment for their depression, but as the researchers compared the participants with themselves (baseline vs 12 weeks of intervention), we can be confident it was the diet that made the difference (PMID 28137247).
There are 2 fascinating ideas here:- 1) The idea that what we eat can affect our mental health is mindblowing. 2) Nothing was off-limits (alcohol, UPFs etc) for participants in the intervention: everything in moderation.
3️⃣ Gut bacteria play a key role in the production of serotonin and estrogen, 2 factors known to impact PMS. A 2024 study (PMID 39321166) found women who regularly ate vitamin A-rich plant foods (anything orange - sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin, plus spinach and kale) were 40% less likely to suffer from PMS symptoms than women who didn’t.
Regular exercise was also found to reduce the risk of PMS: 2 simple changes that could result in a drastic improvement for women’s health.
GENERAL health
💪How To Cut Heart Disease Risk By 60%
An astonishing 40% (115 million) of adult Americans have pre-diabetes.
Pre-diabetes is a major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, but a 2020 meta-analysis (PMID 32669282) found it also increases risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and all-cause mortality regardless of whether it progresses to diabetes or not.
Against this sobering backdrop, a recent reanalysis of data from the US Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study caught my eye.
The study originally compared lifestyle interventions, metformin and placebo for pre-diabetes treatment and began recruiting participants 30 years ago.
Initial findings showed that metformin reduced the incidence of Type 2 diabetes, but had no effect on cardiovascular outcomes.
However, now the researchers have 20-30 years of data to review, a different picture has emerged.
Participants who managed their pre-diabetes through lifestyle interventions and were able to achieve remission (i.e. return fasting glucose levels to non-diabetic levels):-
- had a 60% reduction in cardiovascular disease or hospitalisation for heart failure compared to those who didn’t achieve remission…for up to 20 years!
- experienced other metabolic health benefits included improved insulin sensitivity and reduced visceral fat (not achievable through exercise)
All this suggests returning to normal glucose regulation should be a priority for treating anyone with pre-diabetes, although it’s probably a good idea for everyone.
Here’s how:-
1️⃣ Walk more. Walking after meals reduces the blood glucose “spike” that follows eating and, as High Performance Coach Dan Go said in our recent conversation, walking is by far the best cardio for many people. Benefits accrue from any increase above your baseline.
2️⃣ If you drink a lot of sodas, try switching to sugar-free versions or sparkling water
3️⃣ Ultra-processed food tends to be high in sugar, so try changing one UPF you eat regularly for a whole-food alternative
4️⃣ Eat more fiber. Fibre slows gastric emptying, which means blood sugar increases occur more slowly and it feeds beneficial bacteria which produce short-chain fatty acids which can improve insulin sensitivity. And if you need to fill your fiber gap with a supplement, make sure it's one with a diverse range of fibres (6!), like LOAM for example
BTW it always puts a smile on my face when I see the real-world impact we have at LOAM.
REFLECTIONS
🚪 Don’t Sack The Doorman!
British advertising genius, Rory Sutherland, has coined The Doorman Fallacy.
An exclusive hotel decides to replace its doorman because it can install automatic opening doors at the entrance of the hotel and save $40,000 in the doorman’s salary.
Everyone applauds this clever use of technology to save money.
Two years later, the hotel's occupancy has tanked and it’s had to reduce its rates by 50%.
What happened?
The executives who decided to replace a human with a machine failed to see that the doorman did a lot more than just open doors.
He carried luggage, greeted guests, did security and contributed to the hotel’s status.
In other words, the Suits who got rid of him confused his Surface Value (what could be easily seen) with his Real Value (much more difficult to discern).
The Doorman Fallacy carries over into so many areas of real life.
- Every term we get ChatGPT to compose an email or report, we lose the ability to write
- Whenever we default to picking up our phones in the shortest period of downtime, we lose the capacity to sit with boredom
- The more we order take out, the less capable we become of preparing nutritious, tasty food ourselves
Trust me, I’m reminded of this every time I feel tempted to use AI to create a thumbnail.
We can always tell ourselves that we’re optimising the process by saving time or money, but if we can no longer write, or sit in silence with our thoughts for 5 minutes, or look someone in the eye and say, “I made this for you”, what did we really get rid of?
Maybe we’re optimising the life out of life?
👋 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!!!)
