3 Surprises: Yoga, Nut Milk, & Gluten

This week in the world of health science news, not everything is as it might seem…

Yoga: not so good for the heart?

To be clear: it’s not bad for the health either.

Researchers (Dr. Poovitha Paramashiva et al.) found that yoga does, on balance, improve vascular health somewhat, but is significantly less effective than other structured exercise such as tai chi, Pilates, or HIIT.

One of the notable problems is that prolonged sitting stiffens arteries—sometimes described as “the new smoking”, which steals years from vascular health.

Of course, not every kind of yoga involves prolonged sitting, and some involve more movement than others. Dr. Paramashiva and her team conclude that yoga has many benefits, and/but should be supplemented with more dynamic exercise for full heart protection.

Read in full: Yoga isn’t as heart-healthy as you think, new study reveals

Related: Which Style Of Yoga Is Best For You?

Nut milks: not a poor imitation

Often thought it as poor imitations of milk from other mammals such as cows, nut milks have, on balance, more to offer healthwise.

Nut milks provide healthy fats with a much better lipids profile than cows’ milk, and all are usually fortified with calcium, vitamin D, and often even vitamin B12.

When it comes to fermented products (kefir, yogurts, cheeses), lactic acid bacteria improve safety, texture, antioxidant activity, and mineral bioavailability while producing bioactive peptides and probiotics; some strains also add natural thickening and prebiotic effects. All of this goes for plant-based products just the same as animal-based products.

In terms of safety, in all cases traditional heat treatments (HTST, UHT) extend shelf life; advanced non-thermal methods (HPH, UHPH, HHP, PEF, HC, ohmic heating) improve microbial safety while preserving flavor and nutrients. In any case, you will certainly not get bird flu from nut milk, either way.

One thing animal-based dairy products do have over nut-based equivalents is that they are usually higher in protein, so that’s one thing in their favor, to perhaps set against the usually poor lipids profiles in animal milks.

Read in full: Can nut-based milks match dairy for safety, nutrition and flavor?

Related: Which Plant Milk?

The other side of gluten

Everybody these days knows about the possibility of food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances, and gluten is high on the public awareness list.

However, sometimes one thing can be easily mistaken for another, and assuming a gluten sensitivity or similar can lead one to miss the real problem—which could be a matter of a serious medical condition going undiagnosed, or it could be like one commenter mentioned under the video we shared today, saying:

❝I think my biggest mistake was deciding my gut issues were gluten sensitivity rather than “crap food” sensitivity. Most GF products are highly processed so now I’m back on wheat at least I can eat real bread, sourdough wholemeal with added seeds.❞

So that’s something that can happen.

Furthermore, gluten may be better than merely harmless! As the below-linked science shows, gluten peptides can act as antioxidants, lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, improve blood sugar control, and favorably modulate immune function. Some opioid-like peptides (exorphins) can even influence mood, appetite, and gut function.

This latter is in part because fermentation with lactic acid bacteria and fungal proteases (all of which normally live in our gut) can reduce harmful gluten fragments while releasing beneficial peptides.

And if you do have a sensitivity? Protease supplements (like latiglutenase) aim to break down gluten in the gut to protect sensitive individuals from accidental exposure, but clinical results remain inconsistent, so don’t count on that one just yet.

Similarly, in cases of Celiac disease, enzyme-based methods, such as prolyl endopeptidases, are being tested to neutralize toxic peptides—but this is a work in progress and the science is young so far.

Read in full: How gluten harms some people but helps others

Related: Why Going Gluten-Free Could Be A Bad Idea

Take care!