Creatine, Genomic Screening, & More
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In this week’s health news…
Creatine: no difference vs control at 5g/day
A study found, as the title suggests, no difference between creatine and placebo, at the usual dose of 5g/day, while doing a supervised resistance training program.
This was a 12-week trial, and in the first week, the creatine group put on an average of 0.5kg more lean (i.e. not fat) body mass than the control group, however, as this quickly equalized after the first week, it is assumed that the brief extra weight gain was water weight (creatine promotes water retention, especially in the initial phase).
However, it is still possible that it may promote weight gain at higher doses.
This study was done with adult participants under the age of 50; we’ve noted before that it is generally young people who use creatine for bodybuilding, so in principle, this should have been ideal for that, but it wasn’t.
Read in full: Sports supplement creatine makes no difference to muscle gains, trial finds
Related: Creatineโs Brain Benefits Increase With Age โ this, on the other hand, does workโbut only for older adults.
Genomics & disease risk: what to know
In a recent study evaluation, 175,500 participants were screened, and 1 in 30 received medically important genetic results. More than 90% of those found to have a genetic risk were previously unaware of it.
This is important, because most current genetic risk assessment for patients is based on personal and family history, which often misses a lot of data due to barriers to care or lack of family history.
Genomic screening helps close these gaps:
Read in full: Genomic screening is important in identifying disease risk, study finds
Related: Do You Have A Personalized Health Plan? (Hereโs How)
FDA-Approved Antivirals (Not Vaccines) Ineffective Against H5N1
The H5N1 avian influenza outbreak is now rife amongst dairy farms, with the virus found in cows’ milk and infecting farmworkers. Researchers studied potential treatments, revealing two FDA-approved antivirals (baloxavir and oseltamivir) were generally ineffective in treating severe H5N1 infections.
Oral infections per raw milk consumption, were the most severe and hardest to treat, and the virus spread quickly to the blood and brain (when the infection is respiratory, it is much slower to spread from the respiratory tract).
It wasn’t a complete loss, though:
- Eye infections were better controlled with baloxavir, achieving a 100% survival rate compared to 25% with oseltamivir.
- For nasal infections, baloxavir reduced viral levels better but still allowed the virus to reach the brain. Survival rates were 75% for baloxavir and 50% for oseltamivir.
The researchers in question are urging preventative measures as being of critical importance, given the difficulty of treatment:
Read in full: Current antivirals likely less effective against severe infection caused by bird flu virus in cows’ milk
Related: Bird Flu: Children At High Risk; Older Adults Not So Much
Take care!
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Guava vs Watermelon โ Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing guava to watermelon, we picked the guava.
Why?
There’s a big difference in nutritional density:
In terms of macros, guava has 11x the fiber for 2x the carbs and 5x the protein, winning this category easily.
In the category of vitamins, guava has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, C, E and K, while watermelon is not higher in any vitamins, making this one a complete win for guava.
Looking at minerals next, guava has more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while watermelon is not higher in any minerals; a total win for guava once again.
In other considerations, guava is higher in polyphenols, but watermelon is an excellent source of lycopene (better than tomatoes, even), so this round’s a respectable tie.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for guava, but by all means enjoy either or both, as diversity is great, and also, while watermelon is indeed mostly water, that water is absorbed a lot better than just drinking it, so there’s a benefit there, too!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Lycopeneโs Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More
Enjoy!
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Five Flavors & Five Benefits
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Five Flavors Of Good Health
Schisandra chinensis, henceforth Schisandra, is also called the โfive flavor fruitโ, for covering the culinary bases of sweet, salt, bitter, sour, and pungent.
It can be eaten as a fruit (small red berries), juiced from the fruit, or otherwise extracted into supplements (dried powder of the fruit being a common one).
It has long enjoyed usage in various traditional medicines, especially in China and Siberia.
So, what are its health claims, and how does the science stack up?
Menopause
Most of the studies are mouse studies, and we prefer studies on humans, so hereโs a small (n=36) randomized clinical trial that concludedโฆ
โSchisandra chinensis can be a safe and effective complementary medicine for menopausal symptoms, especially for hot flushes, sweating, and heart palpitationsโ
~ Dr. Joon Young Park & Dr. Kye Hyun Kim
Read more: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of Schisandra chinensis for menopausal symptoms
Antioxidant (and perhaps more)
Like many berries, itโs a good source of lignans offering antioxidant effects:
Antioxidant Effects of Schisandra chinensis Fruits and Their Active Constituents
Lignans usually have anticancer effects too (which is reasonably, given what is antioxidant is usually anticancer and anti-inflammatory as well, by the same mechanism) but those have not yet been studied in schisandra specifically.
Antihepatotoxicity
In other words, itโs good for your liver. At least, so animal studies tell us, because human studies havenโt been done yet for this one. The effect is largely due to its antioxidant properties, but it seems especially effective for the liverโwhich is not surprising, giving the liverโs regeneration mechanism.
Anyway, hereโs a fascinating study that didnโt even need to use the fruit itself, just the pollen from the plant, it was that potent:
Athletics enhancer
While itโs not yet filling the shelves of sports nutrition stores, we found a small (n=45) study with healthy post-menopausal women who took either 1g of schisandra (experimental group) or 1g of starch (placebo group), measured quadriceps muscle strength and resting lactate levels over the course of a 12 week intervention period, and found:
โSupplementation of Schisandra chinensis extract can help to improve quadriceps muscle strength as well as decrease lactate level at rest in adult women โ
Anti-Alzheimers & Anti-Parkinsons
The studies for this are all in vitro, but thatโs because itโs hard to find volunteers willing to have their brains sliced and looked at under a microscope while theyโre still alive.
Nevertheless, the results are compelling, and it seems uncontroversial to say that schisandra, or specifically Schisandrin B, a compound it contains, has not only anti-inflammatory properties, but also neuroprotective properties, and specifically blocks the formation of excess amyloid-ฮฒ peptides in the brain (which are critical for the formation of amyloid plaque, as found in the brains of Alzheimerโs patients):
Is it safe?
For most people, yes! Some caveats:
- As it can stimulate the uterus, itโs not recommended if youโre pregant.
- Taking more than the recommended amount can worsen symptoms of heartburn, GERD, ulcers, or other illnesses like that.
And as ever, do speak with our own doctor/pharmacist if unsure, as your circumstances may vary and we cannot cover all possibilities here.
Where can I get some?
We donโt sell it, but here for your convenience is an example product on Amazon
Enjoy!
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Hurts To Bend Or Crouch Down? Try These 3 Easy Fixes
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Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, arthritis expert, shows us how:
Three ways
It has to do with mobility, body mechanics, and habituation:
- Wall tilt with arm raise: stand with your back against a wall, feet slightly forward, and tilt your hips back so your lower back presses into the wall. Maintain that contact as you raise one arm, then the other, resisting your backโs tendency to arch. Keep your arms lower if your back lifts off the wall, and progress to raising both arms together once stable. This strengthens your core and corrects anterior pelvic tilt.
- Pillow press sit-back: sit on a chair holding a pillow at chest height. As you sit back, press the pillow straight out in front of you; bring it back as you stand up. This teaches you to bend at your hips first, not your knees, reducing knee strain and building hip and glute strength. Once it feels natural, remove the chair but imagine itโs still behind you, keeping the same hip-first motion while pressing the pillow.
- Heel-toe balance shifts: with light upper-body support, lift your heels, then your toes, alternating to train forwards-backwards balance control. Once steady, reduce the support and when you’re ready, try it without holding on, keeping a wall behind you for safety. This improves balance and confidence when bending down.
Once you feel stable and stronger, rehearse the real actionโpicking up an object from a low step or the floor, or tying a shoelaceโusing proper hip movement and controlled weight shifts to build comfort and confidence.
For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesnโt Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
What Most People Are Missing When Trying To Touch Their Toes
Take care!
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Green Tea Can Benefit You (But Watch Out!)
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It’s not breaking news that green tea is healthy in moderation. But there’s a lot that many people don’t know, too.
A timeless classic, unless…
Of the various true teas, there are different possible metrics we may go by and different ways we could weight them, but the popular consensus is that green tea offers the strongest and most consistent health benefits, while traditionally brewed tea of any type is broadly safe and beneficial.
In terms of polyphenols, green tea retains high catechin levels due to minimal fermentation, while black tea contains theaflavins and thearubigins from oxidation; theanine and of course caffeine also contribute to physiological effects, and we’ve written about those in fair detail here:
- L-Theanine: Whatโs The Tea?
- Neuropsychologist Explains What Sheโs Got Out Of 6 Years Taking L-Theanine
- Caffeine: Cognitive Enhancer Or Brain-Wrecker?
As for the rest of the benefits, they are manifold, including:
- Cardiovascular protection: regular green tea intakeโe.g. 2โ3 cups per dayโis linked to lower cardiovascular and all-cause mortality; polyphenols reduce LDL cholesterol, improve endothelial function, lower blood pressure, and reduce oxidative stress.
- Anticancer potential: findings in humans are mixed, but meta-analyses support reduced risks of oral, lung (in women), and colon cancers with regular green tea consumption.
- Weight and metabolic effects: green tea and catechin-rich preparations show modest, consistent reductions in body weight, fat mass, LDL cholesterol, and oxidative stress; cohort studies suggest lower diabetes risk, though other studies have not shown benefits, so in other words, the science is still a work-in-progress on this one.
- Neuroprotective effects: habitual tea drinking is associated with reduced cognitive decline, better cognitive performance, and lower Alzheimerโs-related biomarkers, with strongest benefits in adults aged 50 to 69. It’s also generally found to be beneficial for stress management.
- Muscle health benefits in aging: a surprising and much less well-known one, but catechin-rich green tea can help maintain or increase muscle mass and improve grip strength in older adults or those with sarcopenia in general.
- Inflammation and immunity: tea polyphenols lower inflammatory markers and oxidative stress, help reduce uric acid levels, and show antibacterial and antiviral activity (including against influenza, HPV, and SARS-CoV-2), though most antiviral data come from in vitro studies.
Rather than bombard you with sources for all of the above, we’ll drop a link to one excellent paper that covers them all:
Beneficial health effects and possible health concerns of tea consumption: a review
Wait, what’s that about “and possible health concerns”?
The problems highlighted by the above-linked studies are threefold, but the good news is that they can all be avoided, so long as you’re aware of them:
- Brew it yourself: bottled and bubble teas often contain sugars, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives that negate benefits, and to make things worse, processing and storage markedly reduce catechin content. So, just buy tea leaves and brew your own.
- Check safety/quality certifications: some teas contain pesticide residues, heavy metals, or microplastics; typical exposure is low risk, but long-term heavy consumption could run into problems if the supplier isn’t good.
- Timing matters for nutrient absorption: generous tea intake can inhibit non-heme iron and calcium absorption, so it’s best to avoid drinking your greens at the same time as eating your greens (leafy greens being good sources of non-heme iron and calcium).
Some people can also run into other problems that are more person-specific; we touched on that briefly here a few years ago: Green Tea Allergies and Capsules
Want to learn more?
As we mentioned up top, the other kinds of teas have their benefits too.
You can see which is best for what, here: Which Tea Is Best For The Health, By Science?
Enjoy!
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Strong Women Eat Well โ by Dr. Miriam Nelson
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We previously reviewed Dr. Nelsonโs excellent โStrong Women Stay Youngโ, which focused on the science of an exercise program (which is provided in the book) and its results. This time, itโs about the nutritional side of things.
After the introductory material of the kind youโd expect (about the current state of affairs in terms of Americans not eating well), space is devoted to โthe new national guidelines: a solid base for optimal nutritionโ. This does date the book somewhat (it was written in 2001), as it predates the China Study, not to mention the decades of advances in nutritional science since.
Nevertheless, after presenting the (now largely abandoned) food guidance pyramid, she does note that there are a dozen more food guidance pyramids around, tailored to different dietary approaches and different demographics. With this in mind, she recommends the food pyramid more as a template, a way of describing how we plan to eat and then ensuring we donโt go off-piste, rather than necessarily as the One True Eating Plan that the initial exposition of it may have otherwise conveyed.
Thereafter, we get chapters devoted to each of the various food groups (e.g. grains, fruit, vegetables, etc), and the science around them as best it stood at the time, as well as advice on integrating these into oneโs dietary pattern.
Finally, she does also give recipes, but theyโre not the real meat of the book, so to speak; theyโre more an illustration of what can be. This cannot be reasonably described as a recipe book, so much as a book that includes some recipes.
Bottom line: if youโre looking for a book of cutting edge nutritional science, this isnโt it. If, however, youโre looking to rethink how you go about deciding what to eat, then this book can help with that.
Click here to check out Strong Women Eat Well, and eat well!
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Fitness After 40 โ by Dr. Vonda Wright
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The author makes the case that 78% of people over 50 cite exercise as the key to aging well, but that only 28% are currently doing anything about it. She doesnโt cite sources for those numbers, but frankly, itโd be surprising if that 28% isnโt an overestimate.
So, how to do better, beyond โjust do itโ?
Dr. Wright first examines the barriers to exercise (both the illusory barriers and the real ones), and then for each of them, details how to overcome them.
Thereafter, weโre treated to a comprehensive guide to exercising, including cardio, strength training, and mobility exercises. As per the front cover, thereโs also a 6-week program, for those who prefer to be told what to do and when to do it, rather than the ร la carte approach.
The style is direct, simple, and motivational, without much focus on hard science. The author is a medical doctor (an orthopaedic surgeon), and beyond surgery, she specializes in sports medicine, and has pioneered research in mobility and musculoskeletal aging, so itโs surprising that she didnโt cite more of thatโbut the content is sound, nevertheless.
Bottom line: if youโd like to look after your body after 40, and stay strong at 50, 60, and beyond, then this book can be your guide!
Click here to check out Fitness After 40, and stay fit at every age!
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