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- Catching Up!
Greetings everyone! So this week I’m playing a little catch up on our episodes. I usually try to drop a newsletter every week alongside our podcast, but I’ve gotten a few weeks behind. So I’m throwing 3 topics into this week’s newsletter so we’re all caught up. Here we go!
A few weeks back we did an episode on seed oils. This is a topic we thought could use some clarity given the very loud opinions you will hear on the internet and social media. With the advent of 20th century food technology, we have been able to extract oils from vegetables and seeds. These oils, high in polyunsaturated fats, have flooded our food supply. Our consumption of soybean oil has increased over a thousand-fold since 1909, and is a significant contributor to an increased caloric intake. Seems pretty bad, but is it?
One of the largest reviews of this topic, found here, concluded that increasing polyunsaturated fatty acids made little or no difference to our risk of death, and may slightly reduce our risk of heart disease. Another recent review, found here, found mainly no association of polyunsaturated fat with risk of chronic diseases. There are also several human randomized controlled trials showing as you decrease saturated fat intake, and increase polyunsaturated fat, certain health markers improve (here, here, and here).
However, there are also studies, like this one, which state that diets rich in these polyunsaturated fatty acids are inflammatory and atherosclerotic. So what are we to make of the situation?
This is an example of nutrition research being messy. Nutrition research is usually epidemiological, which can’t prove causation and often points every which way. We ultimately conclude that we don’t feel that seed oils are the boogeyman they are often made out to be, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try and limit them to the extent that you can.
The topic of alcohol is another example of how messy nutrition research can be. There are no shortage of studies showing light to moderate drinking seems to be associated with reduced mortality (here and here).
However, there are also studies saying that light drinking does not have any health benefits, and may carry an increased risk of certain diseases like coronary artery disease (here, here, and here).
How can this be? How is alcohol both good and bad for you?
We cover a lot of ground on this podcast. We dive into some of the reasons why much of the alcohol research is just not that good. We touch on things like:
-the red wine theory (how a glass of red wine with dinner is good for you) is really based off this trial where the participants had a glass of wine with their evening meal, but also were told to strictly adhere to a Mediterranean diet. So was it the wine that produced benefit, or the diet?
-Also, red wine studies may also carry a health confounder. Who drinks red wine with dinner? Usually people of a higher socioeconomic status (they have more money, more access to medical care, etc.).
-Many studies showing the benefits of alcohol consumption are epidemiological (they can’t prove causation).
-These studies also have a survivorship bias (asking elderly people who happen to drink does not take into account all the people who already died possibly due to moderate alcohol consumption. You’re only asking the survivors).
We also end the podcast with thoughts about scientific research in general and how it can inform how a person thinks.
Our most recent podcast, we took a new study hot off the press that was trending on social media. It had to do with post exercise cold tubs (or cooling) and it effects on muscle growth. Here is the study.
Basically it says that if you goal is to grow muscle (which we think that’s everybody’s goal that is resistance training), don’t cold tub after a workout.
When you exercise, your body releases a number of things that signal your body to heal the muscle and build it back stronger. When you quickly add cold after a workout, it seems this blunts your body’s signaling and subsequent muscle growth.
This is good knowledge to have so you don’t interfere with your Gains!
Simplified Takeaways…
Nutrition research is messy and can often times be confusing.
We don’t think seed oils are the devil. There is plenty of research showing they either do no harm or are beneficial.
However, they are significant contributors to caloric intake and there is evidence showing negative effects, so it probably is a good idea to limit them where you can.
Alcohol is similar in this regard. Evidence showing both benefit and harm.
Low levels of alcohol intake, when coupled with positive social interactions and stress reduction, probably comes with low risk for most people.
Don’t cold plunge after exercising, as this will negatively impact muscle growth.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advise. No doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this newsletter or materials linked from this newsletter is at the user’s own risk. The content of this newsletter is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advise, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advise for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.