Ahh the Olympics, were capitalism, politics and nationalism unite… oh also there is some sports apparently. But seriously, this was an interesting article...

“Veggie” diet blamed for poor performance of China’s women volleyball team

Fearing tainted meat, China’s women’s volleyball team has stuck to a strict vegetarian diet for the last three weeks, which the team’s coach is now blaming for his athletes’ abysmal performance.

  “They have showed significant decline in their strength and fitness” coach Yu Juemin said of his squad after Sunday’s defeat to the US.

I know this doesn’t really prove anything in the grand scheme of things, but still, its quite interesting!

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Here is a cool graphic from the Australian Science Media Centre. Don’t know too much about the organisation, but the infographic is quite informative.

Australian Science Media Centre

The sad part is that throughout the period shown on the graphic, we have been pushed the low-fat, high seed oil mantra, and its obviously not working. How can you continue to do everything the same, yet expect different results? It literally is insanity.

Also this line here is total media fodder;

However by just drinking one less soft drink or glass of wine per day, or by adding a 30-45 minute moderate-intensity walk we could all help stop this trend in its tracks.

It’s something simple yet effective that ‘journalists’ can include in their articles on the study.

So thats it everyone, just have one less can of softdrink per day, and all will be well.

Give me a break! (and some bacon)

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New Study: Is a Calorie a Calorie? via Whole Health Source

A new study in JAMA led by Dr. Cara B. Ebbeling and colleagues purports to challenge the idea that all calories are equally fattening (1).  Let’s have a look.

Dietary Fiber Alters Gut Bacteria, Supports Gastrointestinal Health via ScienceDaily

 A University of Illinois study shows that dietary fiber promotes a shift in the gut toward different types of beneficial bacteria. And the microbes that live in the gut, scientists now believe, can support a healthy gastrointestinal tract as well as affect our susceptibility to conditions as varied as type 2 diabetes, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Why Does a Diet High in DHA Improve Memory? via ScienceDaily

 We’ve all heard that eating fish is good for our brains and memory. But what is it about DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish, that makes our memory sharper?

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I like vegetables. I don’t hold them to the great esteem that most others hold them to, but I like them. To me they add a mix of flavour, texture and colour to a meal, and of course, they have some pretty decent nutritional properties. Your vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, (notice I didn’t say GREAT, as that is reserved to the truly great vitamin/mineral superfoods – the organ meats!) and they salad greens almost have zero caloric influence.

Greatist.com has a nice graphic showing the different vitamin content of various salad greens.  It’s in no way complete, but it’s a decent every day salad gauge.

The one thing I however did not like about the article at the Greatist, was the following sentence towards the end;

  The final key to becoming a lean, green fighting machine? Dress for success. Hold off on the creamy dressings, croutons, bacon bits, and layers of shredded cheese. Instead, opt for a lighter vinaigrette and a sprinkling of chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds for added crunch and protein.

Whats the point of eating all those greens for Vitamin A and Vitamin K when those two vitamins are fat-soluble so will not be absorbed to their full potential without a nice fatty dressing (with bacon bits). In fact, a recent study says it all; No-Fat, Low-Fat Dressings Don’t Get Most Nutrients out of Salads. Here are some choice quotes from the Science Daily article, emphasis mine.

The vegetables in salads are chock-full of important vitamins and nutrients, but you won’t get much benefit without the right type and amount of salad dressing, a Purdue University study shows.

 and what is “the right type”?

The study, published early online in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, found that monounsaturated fat-rich dressings required the least amount of fat to get the most carotenoid absorption, while saturated fat and polyunsaturated fat dressings required higher amounts of fat to get the same benefit.

break it down for us Mario (Study lead author);

“If you want to utilize more from your fruits and vegetables, you have to pair them correctly with fat-based dressings,” said Mario Ferruzzi, the study’s lead author and a Purdue associate professor of food science. “If you have a salad with a fat-free dressing, there is a reduction in calories, but you lose some of the benefits of the vegetables.”

 Which makes absolute sense. So next time you have a peace of broccoli, slather it in butter, make it drip yellowy goodness. Making a salad? Cover it in a bagon grease dressing, with added bacon bits (and people have the audacity to claim paleo is such a limited food diet!).

Absorbing nutrients has never been so much fun.

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I am a huge fan of the Leangains program by Martin Berkhan. I really think it is one of the simplest yet most effective plans for gaining serious muscle mass, whilst lowering body fat. It is a perfect synergy of intermittent fasting, heavy lifting and good diet. Best of all, its very managable, and can be applied with little to no major disturbance to your lifestyle.

Martin is a very switched on guy, who know’s his way around science and is one of the few bloggers out their who practices what he preaches (and is seriously jacked because of it!)

However, for all the greatness of his program, its hard to put it all together from his website (Sorry Marty!). This is where the team at Examine.com come in. They have created an awesome Leangains FAQ that aims to answer all the questions you have on the program. It’s even been pimped by Martin Berkhan himself. (Check out the rest of the Examine.com website, its an awesome resource of information on exercise, training, supplements and everything in between)

Check it out if you are serious about building muscle and losing fat.

Leangains FAQ

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Low-carbohydrate diet proven to be very effective in type 1 diabetics (just as you’d expect) via Dr Briffas Blog

A fundamental problem with diabetes is the usually-elevated levels of blood sugar (glucose) that go with it. These glucose molecules can react with proteins in the body, damaging them. This process – known as ‘glycation’ – is at the heart of diabetic complications such as cataracts, nerve damage, kidney disease and circulatory problems.

Anti-inflammatories and Schizophrenia via Evolutionary Psychiatry

Short little post on a paper from a few weeks ago from the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry: Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Schizophrenia: Ready for Practice or a Good Start? A Meta-Analysis.

  Turmeric for Brain, Body Health via Dr Weil’s Health Blog

 Want to help boost your mood? Add some turmeric to your cooking. Turmeric is the spice that makes curry orange and American mustard bright yellow, and is a potent natural anti-inflammatory agent.

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As most office workers understand, there is no limit to the ridiculous health claims that are throne about around the coffee machine. Second maybe only to your local bro-gym (but a pretty dam close second), I have concluded there is no limit as to what people will do as a shortcut to get healthier (except eating right and hitting the gym). From lemon detox, too the latest anti-oxidant-super-duper booster (Protandim I’m Looking at you!), all the outrageous claims are defended by the same sets of arguments, “Oh it’s organic”, “It’s been used for centuries”, “there’s been studies!?!?!” etc.

This post from Sci-Ence sums most of them up

Eat Meat, Eat Vegetables, Lift Heavy Things, Go To Sleep – There, I just saved you a shit load of money.

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I got a kick out of this one; Greg here started eating a whole bunch of butter. Did his LDL cholesterol sky rocket? Nope. Actually his LDL levels dropped and HDL increased.

This is a N=1 experiment, but interesting to say the least.

Don’t show your doctor.

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Cocoa May Enhance Skeletal Muscle Function

A small clinical trial led by researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine and VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) found that patients with advanced heart failure and type 2 diabetes showed improved mitochondrial structure after three months of treatment with epicatechin-enriched cocoa. Epicatechin is a flavonoid found in dark chocolate.

Training Can Improve Memory and Increase Brain Activity in Mild Cognitive Impairment

If someone has trouble remembering where the car keys or the cheese grater are, new research shows that a memory training strategy can help. Memory training can even re-engage the hippocampus, part of the brain critical for memory formation, the results suggest.

Nutrient Found in Dark Meat of Poultry, Some Seafood, May Have Cardiovascular Benefits

A nutrient found in the dark meat of poultry may provide protection against coronary heart disease (CHD) in women with high cholesterol, according to a study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.

New Infant Formula Ingredients Boost Babies’ Immunity by Feeding Their Gut Bacteria

Adding prebiotic ingredients to infant formula helps colonize the newborn’s gut with a stable population of beneficial bacteria, and probiotics enhance immunity in formula-fed infants, two University of Illinois studies report.

Depression: An Evolutionary Byproduct of Immune System?

Depression is common enough — afflicting one in ten adults in the United States — that it seems the possibility of depression must be “hard-wired” into our brains. This has led biologists to propose several theories to account for how depression, or behaviors linked to it, can somehow offer an evolutionary advantage.

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Haven’t had a chance to look at them some interesting studies here:

Omega 3 fatty acids have protective benefits when taken during pregnancy, study suggests

A new study suggests consuming Omega 3 fatty acids during pregnancy helps protects babies against illness during early infancy. The randomized, placebo-controlled trial followed approximately 1,100 pregnant women and 900 infants in Mexico. The women were supplemented daily with 400 mg of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) supplements in the algal form or placebo from 18 to 22 weeks gestation through childbirth. Those whose mothers took DHA supplements had fewer colds and shorter illnesses at one, three and six months of age.

Colon cleansing has no benefit but many side effects including vomiting and death, doctors say

Colon cleansing — it’s been described as a natural way to enhance well-being, but doctors say there’s no evidence to back that claim. In fact, their review of scientific literature demonstrates that colon cleansing can cause side effects ranging from cramping and to renal failure and death.

Nicotine can protect the brain from Parkinson’s disease

If you’ve ever wondered if nicotine offered society any benefit, a new study offers a surprising answer. Nicotine can protect the brain against Parkinson’s disease, the research suggests, and the discovery of how nicotine does this may lead to entirely new types of treatments for the disease.

I can’t wait for the first researchers to hypothesise that minor smoking is a great stressor for building stronger lungs!

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