The Health & Nutrition Digest
/I typically go through 20-40 research papers on a weekly basis, looking for interesting findings, which can be implemented in pursuit of high performance.
Here is a summary of some of the most recent interesting findings I came across:
New evidence explains how exposure to blue light is hampering your children’s physical development.
64% higher risk of developing diabetes if you eat pesticide-laden fruits and veggies.
“Diet soda” makes you “eat more” and “eat worse”.
This one surprised me: ice-cold drinks not the best way to cool down during endurance races!
Finally, some scientific evidence showing that the Paleo Diet outperforms “recommended diets”.
New evidence shows that a “low carb, high fat” diet is superior in the treatment of diabetes than typically recommended diet.
New evidence explains how exposure to blue light is hampering your children’s physical development.
If you have teenage children, you must have noticed that they tend to sleep “a lot”. That is not just perfectly natural, but it is in fact, critical: children at a young age are still in early development stages, especially in relation to key organs (such as the brain). I’ve often talked about the sleep-disruption effects adults experience when exposed to “blue light” emitted by smartphones and tablets (which is why I limit the use of electronic devices 2-hrs from bedtime and use blue-light blocking glasses if I must use them). However, recent studies have shown that the effect of “blue light” on children (especially teenagers) is even more pronounced and could potentially harm the development of the child: smartphones suppress melatonin (sleep hormone) in children by up to 37%!! And with 96% of teens using smartphones / tablets during the last hour before bedtime, the risk on the sleep quality and development is (in my opinion) a serious one.
64% higher risk of developing diabetes if you eat pesticide-laden fruits and veggies.
I’ve always advocated the consumption of organic produce rather than the pesticide-laden variety, especially so for the fruits and vegs with the highest pesticide concentrations. My main arguments have been based on a wide range of studies which have demonstrated linkages between pesticides and a variety of human ailments, including inflammation, cardiovascular risks, digestion problems, kidney and liver toxicity, neurological disorders, reproductive disorders, and so on. Now some new data is emerging tying pesticide exposure to increased risk of diabetes, with researchers demonstrating a 64% increased risk of Type II Diabetes among people exposed to pesticides. Do note however that these studies show correlation but not causation (i.e. there could be other factors playing a role, such as the possibility that people eating pesticide-exposed produce may have less healthy lifestyles overall, in itself a risk factor for diabetes).
“Diet soda” makes you “eat more” and “eat worse”.
If you think that “diet soda” is going to help you lose weight, think again: numerous studies over the years (including this new evidence) have shown that people who consume “diet soda” tend to consume more food and drink during the rest of the day when compared with people who consume “regular soda”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating replacing your “diet soda” with “sugar soda”, both are terrible! But what I’m saying is that the vast majority of people who consume “diet sodas” get more sugar cravings and end up eating more calories, thereby hampering their weight-loss attempts. In fact, not only are those people “eating more”, this new study shows that a bigger proportion of those “extra calories” they’re consuming is coming from “junk food”. In other words, your “diet soda” is making you “eat more calories” AND “eat more junk”. So there you go…
This one surprised me: ice-cold drinks not the best way to cool down during endurance races!
This one is for us, Dubai-based endurance athletes (and all who train / race in hot conditions): as you may already know, the rise in your core temperature drastically affects your performance in endurance racing. This is why we stuff water sponges and dump ice down our tri tops during races, and try to make sure that our drinks are ice-cold. Well, it turns out that we may be doing it wrong! This new study compared the effects of drinking ice-cold drinks with a menthol mouth rinse on 5k performance in hot conditions. Surprisingly, although the ice-cold drink did lower core body temp more than the menthol mouth rinse, the menthol resulted in a better performance and lower “perceived” heat! So basically this means that “it’s how hot you feel” and not your “core body temp” that dictates your 5k performance. Would be interesting to run similar studies on longer distances…
Finally, some scientific evidence showing that the Paleo Diet outperforms “recommended diets”.
Until recently, there has been little scientific evidence supporting the benefits of the Paleo Diet. I’m not sure what the reason is (maybe because big food companies can’t capitalize on the Paleo movement, so research funding is limited). Anyway, a number of universities have started doing research on the Paleo Diet, as illustrated in this new evidence from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: they compared the Paleo Diet vs. a number of “recommended” diets (what nutritionists typically recommend) to assess the impact on metabolic syndrome and discovered that the Paleo diet completely outperformed all the other “recommended” plans on: waist circumference, triglycerides, blood pressure, cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar. This supports the millions who swear by the benefits of the Paleo diet. In full disclosure: I don’t personally follow a Paleo diet, but my diet closely resembles it, and therefore I’m a fan and do recommend it to people who prefer more “structure” in their eating plan.
New evidence that a “low carb high fat” diet is superior in the treatment of diabetes than typically recommended diet.
I won’t bore you with the details of this study, so please go ahead and read it if you are interested. Bottom line: a low carb/high fat diet out-performs the “typically recommended” high carb/low fat diet for diabetics, even allowing some of them to get off diabetes medications. “Typically recommended” high carb diet for people with diabetes???” I hear you say? Well yes, as stupid as it sounds, the medical community still advises diabetics to eat relatively “high-carb”, which is most likely why they became diabetic in the first place… go figure…
As usual, any questions / comments don’t hesitate to reply / comment.
Tony Hchaimé
High Performance Coach
