GUT health
What Your Daily Coffee Does To Your Gut Health (hint 👌)
Personalised nutrition is one of those phrases that gets thrown around left, right and centre, but often doesn’t mean much.
Bottom line is pretty much everyone would benefit from eating more fiber, less sugar and salt, more fruit and veg etc.
And yet…
Even I was given pause for thought this week by a recently-published study that hints, just hints mind, that personalised nutrition might not be so pie in the sky.
Data was collected from more than 10,000 individuals including what they actually eat (logged on their phones) - not what they optimistically thought they eat - and samples of their gut microbiome.
By using advanced genetic screening techniques, the researchers were able to draw direct links between the overall diversity of the gut microbiome, and specific bacteria with certain foods.
Diet predicted 92% of gut diversity (out of a total of 724 species tested) and the researchers were even able to make the following links between specific foods and specific bacteria:
- coffee predicted the presence of Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus - a species of bacteria we don’t know much about so far…but only appears in healthy guts
- yogurt was linked to Streptococcus thermophilus - supports gut health by modulating pH
- milk predicted Bifidobacterium species - they produce short-chain fatty acids, reduce leaky gut and crowd out harmful bacteria
Two other findings stood out:-
1️⃣ The associations between diet and bacterial diversity were stable over 4 years
2️⃣ Going beyond specific foods, the degree of processing emerged as a significant predictor of gut health, more so than whether participants ate meat or plant-based diets
Now it’s true these findings are correlational, but the size of the study and the strength of the associations suggest personalised dietary interventions might be nearer than we think.
Overall this study fits into the broader pattern of nutritional research that can largely be summed in the famous words of Harvard professor, Micheal Pollan.
So, instead of a list of actionables, I’ll end this section with his words:
Eat food.
Not too much.
Mostly plants.
PS You can read the study here if you’re interested PMID: 41872600
PPS You don’t need to give samples of your poop to anyone to know that LOAM has measurable positive effects on your gut microbiome. We’ve done the studies and it starts working in 6 hours! But enough of the science, here’s what our customers say.
GENERAL HEALTH
✂️ Cut Mortality Risk by 65% In 1 Hour!
I used to think building muscle was only for meatheads and gym rats who cared more about their reflection than anything deeper.
How wrong I was.
It turns out building muscle - at any age - is one of the smartest injury prevention and longevity hacks you can do.
For example, for every 5kg decrease in grip strength (the amount of pressure you can exert with a single hand) there is a 16% increase in risk of cardiovascular disease and a 17% increase in risk of all-cause mortality.
To put it another way, grip strength is a stronger mortality predictor than systolic blood pressure (PMID: 25982160).
Here’s one more: a study of over 2,000 adults aged 70-79 found weaker quad strength was linked to a 50-65% higher mortality risk (PMID
50-65%!
Now, it’s unlikely having a strong grip has a direct impact on your cardiovascular health. It’s more likely regular strength training improves grip strength and cv health independently, but either way, strength training is the lever to, ahem pull (or push).
And when you consider nearly half of all people over the age of 80 suffer a fall each year, having strong glutes, a strong core and strong quads starts to sound like a really good idea.
Here a few more advantages of building more muscle:
- more muscle = more calories burnt just by being alive, so building muscle is a great weight management tool
- muscle burns glucose for energy or stores it as glycogen, making it an excellent blood sugar control
- muscle release myokines - signalling molecules positively implicated in inflammation, immune function, brain health, fat metabolism and more
There really is no downside to having a bit more muscle.
Unfortunately, from around age 30 onwards, it starts to disappear. Not a problem when you’re 36, a big problem when you’re 76.
Here’s how to build muscle at home in a couple of workouts per week.
Building Muscle 101
1️⃣ Start with 2 x 30-minute sessions of resistance training per week.
2️⃣ Focus on compound movements (using more than one muscle group) like squats, deadlifts, press ups and planks. There’s no end of variations of these exercises, just search online
3️⃣ Make sure you’re working your whole body:- squats, push-ups, planks, rows and glute bridges would be a basic, but effective whole-body workout
4️⃣ Use progressive overload: 1 extra rep each week, start adding resistance bands or add some weight in a backpack
5️⃣ Eat one quality source of protein in each meal:- eggs, lean meat, tofu, legumes
REFLECTIONS
☹️ Why You’ll Learn More From Losers Than From Winners
During World War 2, many warplanes returned to base full of bullet holes in their wings and body. Not many on the engines.
Naturally the engineers focused on making the wings and body stronger.
That was until statistician Abraham Wald stepped in.
He realised something crucial. They only had data about the planes that survived…by definition planes that hadn’t survived were excluded from the analysis.
But it was precisely those planes that were most informative because they were ones that failed. And if the ones that returned didn’t have holes in the engines...perhaps the ones that didn’t return DID have holes in the engines. And THAT was the part of the plane that needed strengthening.
Our tendency to only focus on the survivors, not the ones who didn't “make it back” is now known as survivorship bias and it’s how many people live their life.
They only focus on the small number of winners - the influencers, the Olympic athletes, the CEOs - and ignore the thousands who failed.
The ones whose over-confidence, lack of preparation or bad timing they should have learned from.
So don’t ask, “how do I succeed?” You probably already know the answer: some combination of hard work, determination and good luck.
Instead, ask yourself, “how could I fail?” And don’t do that.
Automate your savings. Go for a run at the same time every week. Commit to a weekly date night with your partner.
And you won't fail.
👋 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!!!)
