Another Potential Benefit Of The Ketogenic Diet?
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The idea of the ketogenic diet is to eat very-low-carb, moderate-to-high fat, force the body to switch to burning fat for energy, by starving it of carbs.
On the one hand, it’s good against refractory epilepsy in children (this is actually what it was created for), and it can result in weight loss, which some people want.
On the other hand, it’s bad for the heart (low-carb is good for the heart, generally speaking, very-low-carb like the keto, however, is relatively bad for the heart), it increases the risk of kidney stones and can lead to renal failure, its weight-loss effects are short-term at best, and it significantly increases osteoporosis risk, even in the short term, and especially in the long term.
Rather than flood you with links for each of those, we’ll link to our main article about these pros and cons, here:
Ketogenic Diet: Burning Fat Or Burning Out?
That said, we will also quickly mention a few relevant things we’ve written about since that article, namely:
- Why Keto Fat Loss Doesn’t Work So Well For Women ← short version is that in response to a drop in carbohydrate intake (even if made of for with fat, calorie-wise) estrogen tries to save us from starving by prioritizing fat storage to outlast the famine we are obviously experiencing
- The Diets & Supplements That Can Mess Up Your Skin ← keto is in the #1 spot here
- How To Dodge The “Keto Flu” ← this is about the unwanted symptoms of being ketosis, something that is a goal in the ketogenic diet, those less favorable symptoms including bad breath, weight loss, appetite loss, increased fatigue and irritability, digestive issues, and insomnia
Keto as an antipsychotic treatment?
This very latest study was published today, at time of writing, so never let it be said we don’t bring you hot-off-the-press cutting edge health science!
Researchers (Dr. Judith Ford et al.) found that a ketogenic diet produced rapid metabolic improvements in people with schizophrenia-spectrum or bipolar I disorders after one month, while those who continued the diet for 4 months additionally enjoyed improvements in psychiatric symptoms and cognition.
This was a relatively small study with 58 adults, of whom 47 completed the initial one-month randomized comparison between a ketogenic diet and their usual diet, and 25 chose to continue the ketogenic diet for an additional 4-month single-arm extension.
Notably, higher ketone levels were associated with lower blood glucose and reduced depression scores on the PHQ-9*, even after accounting for weight loss, suggesting ketosis itself may have contributed to these benefits.
*One of the most commonly-used measures of depression is known by the snappy name of “PHQ9”. It stands for “Patient Health Questionnaire Nine”, and you can take it anonymously online for free (without signing up for anything; it’s right there on the page already):
Take The PHQ9 Test Here! (under 2 minutes, immediate results)
There’s a chance you took that test and your score was, well, depressing. There’s also a chance you’re doing just peachy, or maybe somewhere in between. PHQ9 scores can fluctuate over time (because they focus on the past two weeks, and also rely on self-reports in the moment), so you might want to bookmark it to test again periodically. It can be interesting to track over time.
In the event that you’re struggling (or: in case one day you find yourself struggling, or want to be able to support a loved one who is struggling), then do check out: The Mental Health First-Aid That You’ll Hopefully Never Need
Back to the study: the fact that the findings suggest that a ketogenic diet might address cognitive and depressive symptoms that current antipsychotic medications (which often have worse side effects than the ketogenic diet) often don’t adequately treat, is quite a potential benefit as it could make a big improvement to the lives of many.
In the words of Dr. Ford herself:
❝The improvement we saw in cognitive and psychological symptoms is particularly important in people with psychotic disorders, because current medications that address their psychosis don’t address their overall mental wellbeing, including cognitive or depressive symptoms, which can be debilitating.❞
That said, it is worth mentioning that the longer-term findings came from a small, uncontrolled extension involving only 25 participants, so they can’t establish that the ketogenic diet caused the observed improvements; it’s just looking promising, and hopefully more research will be done, to be sure.
Meanwhile, if you’d like to read this latest science for yourself, here it is: Metabolic Improvements with a Ketogenic Diet Correlate with Symptom Improvement in Psychosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Want a more generally healthier diet?
We recommend the Mediterranean diet, which is generally considered the “gold standard” of healthy diets.
See also: Four Ways To Upgrade The Mediterranean
(the above is about keeping to the Mediterranean diet, while tweaking one’s choices within it for a specific extra health focus such as an anti-inflammatory upgrade, a heart-healthy upgrade, a gut-healthy upgrade, and a brain-healthy upgrade)
However, if you’d like a more comprehensive overview of what various diets might do for you, then here you go:
Which Diet? Top Diets Ranked By Experts ← a panel of 69 doctors and nutritionists examine the evidence for 38 diets, and score them in 21 categories (e.g. best for weight loss, best for heart, best against diabetes, best for the liver, etc).
Take care, and enjoy!
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12 Most Powerful Supplements and Foods to Increase Energy & Slow Down Aging
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If you see the energy that this health coach has and would like some of that, here are the top 10 supplements she recommends—most being available from food, which she discusses too:
The Other “Daily Dozen”
We’ve written about most of these before, so those we have, we’ve added links for your convenience!
- Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10): can be supplemented, usually from yeast, or consumed by eating other animals, in particular organ meats.
- PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone): promotes new mitochondria, found in spinach, parsley, carrots, tomatoes, green tea.
- Creatine: enhances energy, muscle recovery, brain health.
- Spirulina: anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, improves exercise performance.
- Anti-Factor Phospholipids: helps repair mitochondrial membranes.
- Nitrates: found in leafy greens and beets; boosts circulation and endurance.
- Curcumin (from Turmeric): reduces inflammation and supports brain health.
- Astaxanthin: found in seafood (from algae upwards), fights inflammation, protects skin.
- Medicinal Mushrooms (e.g. chaga, cordyceps, reishi, lion’s mane, etc—not psilocybin and friends!): boosts energy, immune function.
- Panax Ginseng: reduces oxidative stress and fatigue.
- NAD+ & B3 (Niacin): supports cellular energy and metabolism.
- Yerba Mate Tea: increases dopamine and boosts energy naturally.
For more on all of these plus a pointer with regard to making use of hydroponics to grow your own (she sells a kit), enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
Take care!
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Cantaloupe vs Cucumber – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing cantaloupe to cucumber, we picked the cucumber.
Why?
In terms of macros, both are of course 90–95% water, with just enough fiber to hold them together. However, it’s cantaloupe that’s 90% water and cucumber that’s 95% water, because cantaloupe has more than 2x the carbs and 144x the sugar (whence the sweetness). Now, it’s a fruit and so this sugar isn’t really anything to worry about if you’re eating it in solid form (as opposed to as juice), but by the numbers, it does mean that cucumber has the much lower glycemic index (cucumber has a GI of 21, while cantaloupe has a GI of 65), so we’ll give cucumber the win in this category.
In the category of vitamins, cantaloupe has more of vitamins A, B3, B6, B9, C, and E, while cucumber has more of vitamins B2, B5, and K, so cantaloupe scores a 6:3 win in this round.
When it comes to minerals, cantaloupe has more potassium and selenium, while cucumber has more calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc, so another win for cucumber here.
Looking at polyphenols, cantaloupe has almost nothing (trace amounts of some lignans), while cucumber has more of the same lignans that cantaloupe has, plus highly beneficial flavones apigenin and luteolin, and famously good flavonols like kaempferol and quercetin. So, one more win for cucumber here.
Plus, and it’s not yet known the mechanism of action for this one, but cucumber extract beats glucosamine and chondroitin for reducing joint inflammation, at 1/135th of the dose.
Adding up the sections makes for a very clear overall win for cucumber, but by all means enjoy either or both; diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?
Enjoy!
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I’ve been given opioids after surgery to take at home. What do I need to know?
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Opioids are commonly prescribed when you’re discharged from hospital after surgery to help manage pain at home.
These strong painkillers may have unwanted side effects or harms, such as constipation, drowsiness or the risk of dependence.
However, there are steps you can take to minimise those harms and use opioids more safely as you recover from surgery.
Flystock/Shutterstock Which types of opioids are most common?
The most commonly prescribed opioids after surgery in Australia are oxycodone (brand names include Endone, OxyNorm) and tapentadol (Palexia).
In fact, about half of new oxycodone prescriptions in Australia occur after a recent hospital visit.
Most commonly, people will be given immediate-release opioids for their pain. These are quick-acting and are used to manage short-term pain.
Because they work quickly, their dose can be easily adjusted to manage current pain levels. Your doctor will provide instructions on how to adjust the dosage based on your pain levels.
Then there are slow-release opioids, which are specially formulated to slowly release the dose over about half to a full day. These may have “sustained-release”, “controlled-release” or “extended-release” on the box.
Slow-release formulations are primarily used for chronic or long-term pain. The slow-release form means the medicine does not have to be taken as often. However, it takes longer to have an effect compared with immediate-release, so it is not commonly used after surgery.
Controlling your pain after surgery is important. This allows you get up and start moving sooner, and recover faster. Moving around sooner after surgery prevents muscle wasting and harms associated with immobility, such as bed sores and blood clots.
Everyone’s pain levels and needs for pain medicines are different. Pain levels also decrease as your surgical wound heals, so you may need to take less of your medicine as you recover.
But there are also risks
As mentioned above, side effects of opioids include constipation and feeling drowsy or nauseous. The drowsiness can also make you more likely to fall over.
Opioids prescribed to manage pain at home after surgery are usually prescribed for short-term use.
But up to one in ten Australians still take them up to four months after surgery. One study found people didn’t know how to safely stop taking opioids.
Such long-term opioid use may lead to dependence and overdose. It can also reduce the medicine’s effectiveness. That’s because your body becomes used to the opioid and needs more of it to have the same effect.
Dependency and side effects are also more common with slow-release opioids than immediate-release opioids. This is because people are usually on slow-release opioids for longer.
Then there are concerns about “leftover” opioids. One study found 40% of participants were prescribed more than twice the amount they needed.
This results in unused opioids at home, which can be dangerous to the person and their family. Storing leftover opioids at home increases the risk of taking too much, sharing with others inappropriately, and using without doctor supervision.
Don’t stockpile your leftover opioids in your medicine cupboard. Take them to your pharmacy for safe disposal. Archer Photo/Shutterstock How to mimimise the risks
Before using opioids, speak to your doctor or pharmacist about using over-the-counter pain medicines such as paracetamol or anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen (for example, Nurofen, Brufen) or diclofenac (for example, Voltaren, Fenac).
These can be quite effective at controlling pain and will lessen your need for opioids. They can often be used instead of opioids, but in some cases a combination of both is needed.
Other techniques to manage pain include physiotherapy, exercise, heat packs or ice packs. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist to discuss which techniques would benefit you the most.
However, if you do need opioids, there are some ways to make sure you use them safely and effectively:
- ask for immediate-release rather than slow-release opioids to lower your risk of side effects
- do not drink alcohol or take sleeping tablets while on opioids. This can increase any drowsiness, and lead to reduced alertness and slower breathing
- as you may be at higher risk of falls, remove trip hazards from your home and make sure you can safely get up off the sofa or bed and to the bathroom or kitchen
- before starting opioids, have a plan in place with your doctor or pharmacist about how and when to stop taking them. Opioids after surgery are ideally taken at the lowest possible dose for the shortest length of time.
A heat pack may help with pain relief, so you end up using fewer painkillers. New Africa/Shutterstock If you’re concerned about side effects
If you are concerned about side effects while taking opioids, speak to your pharmacist or doctor. Side effects include:
- constipation – your pharmacist will be able to give you lifestyle advice and recommend laxatives
- drowsiness – do not drive or operate heavy machinery. If you’re trying to stay awake during the day, but keep falling asleep, your dose may be too high and you should contact your doctor
- weakness and slowed breathing – this may be a sign of a more serious side effect such as respiratory depression which requires medical attention. Contact your doctor immediately.
If you’re having trouble stopping opioids
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you’re having trouble stopping opioids. They can give you alternatives to manage the pain and provide advice on gradually lowering your dose.
You may experience withdrawal effects, such as agitation, anxiety and insomnia, but your doctor and pharmacist can help you manage these.
How about leftover opioids?
After you have finished using opioids, take any leftovers to your local pharmacy to dispose of them safely, free of charge.
Do not share opioids with others and keep them away from others in the house who do not need them, as opioids can cause unintended harms if not used under the supervision of a medical professional. This could include accidental ingestion by children.
For more information, speak to your pharmacist or doctor. Choosing Wisely Australia also has free online information about managing pain and opioid medicines.
Katelyn Jauregui, PhD Candidate and Clinical Pharmacist, School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney; Asad Patanwala, Professor, Sydney School of Pharmacy, University of Sydney; Jonathan Penm, Senior lecturer, School of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, and Shania Liu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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You Don’t Need To Stretch After Your Workout For Better Flexibility
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Liv Townsend, flexibility coach, explains why:
Some of the claimed benefits are a bit of a stretch
The reason you don’t need to stretch after a workout to improve flexibility is because research doesn’t show meaningful benefits for recovery, soreness, or muscle “relengthening.”
On which note: contrary to a myth floating around, muscles don’t permanently shorten from strength training, so there’s nothing that needs to be “stretched back out” after a session.
To bust a few further myths: post-workout stretching also doesn’t meaningfully reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness, speed up recovery, or “flush out lactic acid”.
So, why do you sometimes feel tight after a workout? It’s just because of increased blood flow (the “pump”) and/or fatigue affecting how smoothly your muscles contract and relax, that’s all.
In reality, lifting through a full range of motion already stretches your muscles under load, which can improve flexibility as effectively—or sometimes more effectively—than passive stretching. For this reason, movements that allow deeper ranges contribute more to flexibility than partial-range exercises.
That said, passive stretching does still have a role, because static stretching (a kind of passive stretching) improves flexibility by training your nervous system to tolerate more stretching, which is different from what strength training provides.
Still, the timing of when you do that doesn’t matter much; stretching works through consistent exposure over time, not because it’s done immediately after a workout.
A practical approach instead: if you’re short on time and/or dislike post-workout stretching, skip it and instead do dedicated stretching sessions 2x per week for 10–15 minutes.
For more on all of this, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Overdone It? How To Speed Up Recovery After Exercise ← for what actually helps in that regard!
PS: this above-linked article of ours also cites some of the research being talked about above, and further details how post-workout stretching probably won’t help—so you know we’re singing from the same songsheet on this one!
Take care!
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What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia – by Dr. R. Paul St Amand
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The core claim of the book is that guaifenesin, an over-the-counter expectorant (with a good safety profile) usually taken to treat a chesty cough, is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and is rapidly metabolized and excreted into the urine—and on the way, it lowers uric acid levels, which is a big deal for fibromyalgia sufferers.
He goes on to explain how the guaifenesin, by a similar biochemical mechanism, additionally facilitates the removal of other excess secretions that are associated with fibromyalgia.
The science for all this is… Compelling and logical, while not being nearly so well-established yet as his confidence would have us believe.
In other words, he could be completely wrong, because adequate testing has not yet been done. However, he also could be right; scientific knowledge is, by the very reality of scientific method, always a step behind hypothesis and theory (in that order).
Meanwhile, there are certainly many glowing testimonials from fibromyalgia sufferers, saying that this helped a lot.
Bottom line: if you have fibromyalgia and do not mind trying a relatively clinically untested (yet logical and anecdotally successful) protocol to lessen then symptoms (allegedly, to zero), then this book will guide you through that and tell you everything to watch out for.
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White Noise vs Pink Noise
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It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? You can always hit “reply” to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!
In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!
As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!
So, no question/request too big or small
❝I live in a large city and even late at night there is always a bit of background noise. While I am pretty used to it by now, I find I don’t sleep nearly as well in the city as I do in the country. I have seen some stuff about “white noise” generators. I was wondering whether you have any thoughts about the science behind these, and whether it is something I should try out – or maybe I should be trying something completly different.❞
The science says…
❝Our data show that white noise significantly improved sleep based on subjective and objective measurements in subjects complaining of difficulty sleeping due to high levels of environmental noise. This suggests that the application of white noise may be an effective tool in helping to improve sleep in those settings.❞
That said, you might also consider “pink noise”, which is very similar to white noise (having all frequencies normally audible to the human ear), but has greater intensity of lower frequencies, creating a more deep and even sound. While white noise and pink noise are both great at “muting” external sounds like those that have been disturbing your sleep, pink noise may have an advantage in helping to stimulate deep and restful sleep:
❝This study demonstrates that steady pink noise has significant effect on reducing brain wave complexity and inducing more stable sleep time to improve sleep quality of individuals.❞
Source: Pink noise: effect on complexity synchronization of brain activity and sleep consolidation
There may be extra benefits to pink noise, too:
Acoustic Enhancement of Sleep Slow Oscillations and Concomitant Memory Improvement in Older Adults
Rest well!
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