How Sugarcane Can Help Your Teeth!
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No, not by eating it (sorry!), but rather because of how it can be used medicinally:
It’s about saliva
Your teeth are sitting all day every day in a liquid, and a lot of people don’t give much thought to the effect that liquid has on dental health.
But maybe we should, because saliva helps control bacteria, neutralize acids, and maintain mineral balance, so if things go wrong with our saliva (microbiota imbalance, wrong pH, not enough saliva, etc), then we start to have problems with our gums and teeth.
We’ve written about this before, here: Make Your Saliva Better For Your Teeth
So, what’s new? Researchers (Dr. Natara Dias Gomes Da Silva et al.) have created an artificial saliva using a sugarcane-derived protein (known as “CANECPI-5” to its friends), which not only mimics, but also improves, the vital protective role of natural saliva.
How it works: the protein binds directly to enamel and forms a thin protective layer that shields your teeth from acid attacks and bacterial damage. Of its various ways of helping, the most important mechanism is that it increases enamel resistance by reducing demineralization, which is the loss of calcium and phosphate that weakens your teeth and leads to cavities.
And on the microbiota side of things, the formulation didn’t just kill bacteria; it preserved overall microbial diversity while favouring healthier, non-harmful, often helpful, species.
As for how well it works: the treatment has already been tested as a mouthwash, gel, spray, and dissolvable oral film, all of which effectively deliver the protein to your teeth, and it got results comparable to or better than standard products like chlorhexidine.
That said, combining the protein with fluoride and xylitol produced the strongest effects of all.
If you have worries about those two things, then do check out:
- Fluoride Toothpaste vs Non-Fluoride Toothpaste – Which is Healthier?
- Xylitol: Cavity Fighter Or Gut Disruptor?
Other ingredients are also being considered, for example, as Dr. Da Silva herself put it:
❝Another aspect of the project is to associate CANECPI-5 with vitamin E because this vitamin acts as a carrier, bringing the protein into contact with the tooth❞
You can find the paper itself, here: A novel artificial saliva enriched with CaneCPI-5 for irradiated head and neck cancer (HNC) patients: in vitro antimicrobial and anticaries effect
Want to learn more?
For a much deeper-dive into the topic than we have room for here, you might like this book we reviewed a while back:
The Dental Diet: The Surprising Link Between Your Teeth, Real Food, and Life-Changing Natural Health – by Dr. Steven Lin ← this pertains to a lot more than just “avoided added sugar and acidic things”, and covers such topics as the fat-soluble vitamins that are essential to teeth health, and what’s good or bad for our oral microbiome (and thus our saliva, and thus our teeth and gums), and more.
See also:
- Why Healthy Teeth May Depend On Omega-3 & Exercise
- Fish Oil Can Backfire Without This Enzyme
- Morin: Your Mouth’s New Best Friend
Finally, you might also like to read this three-part series on dental health:
- Toothpastes & Mouthwashes: Which Help And Which Harm?
- Flossing Without Flossing?
- Less Common Oral Hygiene Options ← we recommend the miswak! Not only does it clean the teeth as well as or better than traditional brushing, but also it does similarly to the protein being discussed today, and changes the composition of saliva to improve the oral microbiome, effectively turning your saliva into a biological mouthwash that kills unwanted microbes and is comfortable for the ones that should be there.
Take care!
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Mastering Diabetes – by Dr. Cyrus Khambatta & Robby Barbaro
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There are many competing diets out there, for dealing with diabetes. Most focus on different strategies for keeping blood sugar levels even, but that’s only part of the story, and that approach will run into problems if undertaken in isolation, because insulin sensitivity—or as the case may be, insulin resistance—is ultimately the more important factor, and contrary to popular belief, the two things (insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels) are not so perfectly linked as many might think.
For this reason, this book focuses on reducing insulin resistance, by minimizing how much insulin-triggering food we consume in favor of foods that help rather than harm. Based on extensive research (discussed in detail in the book), this doesn’t mean “low-carb at all costs”, but rather, sensible carbs (a lot of whole fruits and vegetables) while avoiding insulin triggers (refined carbs, animal products, especially fatty ones, because yes, that triggers insulin too).
However, this is a lot more than 400 pages to say “eat some fruit”.
Rather, the authors (Type 1 Diabetics themselves) discuss the different tiers of foods with respect to insulin response, various tests that can and should be done (this is not a “just trust us” approach), and flowcharts to personalize one’s own ideal diet.
The style is a good balance of being to-the-point and yet comprehensive, with a very heavy weight of evidence and many studies to back every claim. It’s also very easy to read as a reference guide, with many tables of information, callout boxes of key points, and the like.
Bottom line: if you have any kind of diabetes, or just want to take care of your metabolic health, this book provides not only a blueprint for doing so, but also for personalizing it to your own physiology as you go, so that you can be sure of the results and ongoing beneficial effects, without guesswork.
Click here to check out Mastering Diabetes, and take control of your insulin sensitivity!
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Red Cabbage vs Tomato – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing red cabbage to tomatoes, we picked the red cabbage.
Why?
Both have their merits! But even so, it wasn’t close:
In terms of macros, red cabbage has nearly 2x the fiber for only slightly more carbs, as well as 2x the protein, although that latter is admittedly not much. In any case, a first-round victory for red cabbage, mostly on account of the fiber.
In the category of vitamins, red cabbage has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B7, B9, C, and K, while tomatoes boast only more of vitamins B3 and E, yielding to red cabbage a 9:2 win in this round.
Looking at minerals next, red cabbage has a lot more calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc, while tomatoes can offer only more copper; thus, a 7:1 win for red cabbage here.
In other considerations, red cabbage has more polyphenols, while tomatoes are famously a good source of lycopene, so we’ll call this round a tie.
Adding up the sections makes for an overall win for red cabbage, but by all means enjoy either or both, as diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
- 21 Most Beneficial Polyphenols & What Foods Have Them
- Lycopene’s Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More
Enjoy!
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Do you take your own blood pressure at home? Here’s how to choose the device that fits your arm best
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About one in three Australian adults have hypertension, or high blood pressure.
High blood pressure is a leading contributor to preventable disability and early death because – particularly when it’s not well controlled – it increases the risk of developing conditions including heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and dementia.
Doctors are increasingly using blood pressure measurements taken at home to guide decisions about managing hypertension, such as whether you have hypertension in the first place, and whether you need to start or change medications. These readings can complement measurements taken in a doctor’s office and can be done more often.
Notably, home blood pressure measurements also reduce the “white coat” effect, which refers to someone’s blood pressure being high due to anxiety associated with a doctor’s office or medical environment. For this reason your doctor may ask you to measure your blood pressure at home to confirm whether it’s high or not.
For people who may have been advised to measure their blood pressure at home, having a device with a correctly sized cuff is essential to obtain accurate readings.
But in a new study, we’ve found many people could be using cuffs that don’t fit their arm properly.
J_art/Getty Images Why is cuff size important?
Home blood pressure devices are usually sold with a single cuff size – either standard or a larger one, sometimes called “wide-range”.
But having the wrong cuff size affects the accuracy of the blood pressure reading.
If the cuff is too small, systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading, which denotes the pressure in your arteries when the heart pumps blood) will be overestimated. Conversely, if the cuff is too big, systolic blood pressure will be underestimated. The worse the cuff fits, the greater the measurement error is likely to be.
If your doctor makes decisions about your blood pressure based on inaccurate data, it could mean missing out on treatment to reduce your blood pressure when it’s needed, or starting treatment when it’s not needed.
Our study
In our analysis, we estimated the arm sizes of 18.7 million Australian adults based on data from the National Health Survey for 2017–18. We estimated upper-arm circumference ranged from 20 to 62 centimetres, with an average of 32cm.
We then categorised these arm sizes to see how many would fit common home blood pressure cuffs: standard (22 to 32cm) and wide-range (22 to 42cm).
About 9 million people – 48% of Australian adults – had arms too big for the standard cuff size. And about 700,000 people (roughly 3.7% of Australian adults) had arms larger than 42cm, which means both the standard and wide-range cuff sizes could be too small. Only a very small number had arms that would be too small for both cuff sizes.
We calculated that, among adults reported to have hypertension in 2018, the standard cuff size would be unsuitable in about 60% of people, while both the standard and wide-range cuff size would be unsuitable in about 6%.
The main limitation of our study is that we estimated arm sizes, because a measurement of arm size wasn’t available in the survey data. This estimate was based on an equation developed from a group of people in the United States relatively similar to the Australian population.
It’s possible some of our estimates may not be completely accurate, affecting our results. That said, research in the US has produced broadly similar findings, indicating 6.4% of adults would have arms too big for the wide-range cuff size.
How to choose the right device for you
You can measure the size of your arm at home by wrapping a measuring tape around the half-way point of your upper arm. This is roughly where your bicep is.
When choosing a home blood pressure monitor, the cuff size range is often reported on the cuff itself, on the box, or in the product description online. Some cuffs also have markings which can be used to double check if it fits your arm.
It’s best to use the cuff that came with your device. If you use a different cuff, even one that says it is compatible with many devices, it may not give a correct reading. Home blood pressure devices are tested to work accurately with the specific cuffs they come with, so it’s not clear how well other cuffs would work with your device.
If you can’t find a cuff that fits, many manufacturers have a range of different devices, so contacting them to see if they have other options is a good place to start. A wrist cuff device is an option but is only recommended when blood pressure can’t be measured on the upper arm.
Finally, ensure the device you choose is validated, meaning it has passed accuracy testing in a broad sample of people using a standard process. You can search for the device manufacturer name and model number on lists of validated devices compiled by the independent international organisation STRIDE BP.
If you are unsure about the accuracy of your home blood pressure device, you can take it to your doctor to see if the measurements are similar to the device they use in the clinic.
Ritu Trivedi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Health Sciences, University of Sydney; Clara Chow, Cardiologist at Westmead Hospital; Director of the Westmead Applied Research Centre, University of Sydney, and Dean Picone, Senior Research Fellow, Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Teen Daily Delivery Requested
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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 thoroughly enjoy your daily delivery. I’d love to see one for teens too!
That’s great to hear! The average age of our subscribers is generally rather older, but it’s good to know there’s an interest in topics for younger people. We’ll bear that in mind, and see what we can do to cater to that without alienating our older readers!
That said: it’s never too soon to be learning about stuff that affects us when we’re older—there are lifestyle factors at 20 that affect Alzheimer’s risk at 60, for example (e.g. drinking—excessive drinking at 20* is correlated to higher Alzheimer’s risk at 60).
*This one may be less of an issue for our US readers, since the US doesn’t have nearly as much of a culture of drinking under 21 as some places. Compare for example with general European practices of drinking moderately from the mid-teens, or the (happily, diminishing—but historically notable) British practice of drinking heavily from the mid-teens.
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Shoulder Mobility Hack (Measurable Results In 60 Seconds)
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Mobility usually improves with time and consistency, but there’s a quick hack that can enhance shoulder mobility in about 60 seconds:
Nerve-Gliding
This one’s a very specific technique, so we’re going to break it down a bit more than we usually do when talking about exercises.
First, assess your baseline mobility:
- Record yourself from the side.
- Lift your arm straight up with your palm facing inward.
- Keep your ribs down* and avoid arching your back.
- Make a note of your range, and any sensations.
*if you’re reading this and thinking “where else would my ribs go?”, if you try it you’ll understand
Radial nerve glide (back of arm to thumb):
- Start with your arm down, shoulder depressed.
- Internally rotate your arm (palm facing back/side).
- Flex your wrist (like accepting something being passed to you stealthily from behind).
- Lift your arm out and tilt your head in the opposite direction.
- Perform the nerve glide itself by straightening your wrist and head, then return.
- Repeat 10 times.
Musculocutaneous nerve glide (front of arm):
- Make a fist and depress your shoulder.
- Rock your wrist forwards/backwards, then hold it tilted back.
- Take your arm behind your back, extending your shoulder.
- Tilt your head to the opposite side.
- Perform the nerve glide itself by straightening your wrist and head, then return.
- Repeat 10 times.
For more on all of this plus—of course—visual demonstrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
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Ricezempic: is there any evidence this TikTok trend will help you lose weight?
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If you spend any time looking at diet and lifestyle content on social media, you may well have encountered a variety of weight loss “hacks”.
One of the more recent trends is a home-made drink called ricezempic, made by soaking uncooked rice and then straining it to drink the leftover starchy water. Sounds delicious, right?
Its proponents claim it leads to weight loss by making you feel fuller for longer and suppressing your appetite, working in a similar way to the sought-after drug Ozempic – hence the name.
So does this drink actually mimic the weight loss effects of Ozempic? Spoiler alert – probably not. But let’s look at what the evidence tells us.
New Africa/Shutterstock How do you make ricezempic?
While the recipe can vary slightly depending on who you ask, the most common steps to make ricezempic are:
- soak half a cup of white rice (unrinsed) in one cup of warm or hot water up to overnight
- drain the rice mixture into a fresh glass using a strainer
- discard the rice (but keep the starchy water)
- add the juice of half a lime or lemon to the starchy water and drink.
TikTokers advise that best results will happen if you drink this concoction once a day, first thing in the morning, before eating.
The idea is that the longer you consume ricezempic for, the more weight you’ll lose. Some claim introducing the drink into your diet can lead to a weight loss of up to 27 kilograms in two months.
Resistant starch
Those touting ricezempic argue it leads to weight loss because of the resistant starch rice contains. Resistant starch is a type of dietary fibre (also classified as a prebiotic). There’s no strong evidence it makes you feel fuller for longer, but it does have proven health benefits.
Studies have shown consuming resistant starch may help regulate blood sugar, aid weight loss and improve gut health.
Research has also shown eating resistant starch reduces the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases.
Ricezempic is made by soaking rice in water. Kristi Blokhin/Shutterstock Resistant starch is found in many foods. These include beans, lentils, wholegrains (oats, barley, and rice – particularly brown rice), bananas (especially when they’re under-ripe or green), potatoes, and nuts and seeds (particularly chia seeds, flaxseeds and almonds).
Half a cup of uncooked white rice (as per the ricezempic recipe) contains around 0.6 grams of resistant starch. For optimal health benefits, a daily intake of 15–20 grams of resistant starch is recommended. Although there is no concrete evidence on the amount of resistant starch that leaches from rice into water, it’s likely to be significantly less than 0.6 grams as the whole rice grain is not being consumed.
Ricezempic vs Ozempic
Ozempic was originally developed to help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels but is now commonly used for weight loss.
Ozempic, along with similar medications such as Wegovy and Trulicity, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. These drugs mimic the GLP-1 hormone the body naturally produces. By doing so, they slow down the digestive process, which helps people feel fuller for longer, and curbs their appetite.
While the resistant starch in rice could induce some similar benefits to Ozempic (such as feeling full and therefore reducing energy intake), no scientific studies have trialled ricezempic using the recipes promoted on social media.
Ozempic has a long half-life, remaining active in the body for about seven days. In contrast, consuming one cup of rice provides a feeling of fullness for only a few hours. And simply soaking rice in water and drinking the starchy water will not provide the same level of satiety as eating the rice itself.
Other ways to get resistant starch in your diet
There are several ways to consume more resistant starch while also gaining additional nutrients and vitamins compared to what you get from ricezempic.
1. Cooked and cooled rice
Letting cooked rice cool over time increases its resistant starch content. Reheating the rice does not significantly reduce the amount of resistant starch that forms during cooling. Brown rice is preferable to white rice due to its higher fibre content and additional micronutrients such as phosphorus and magnesium.
2. More legumes
These are high in resistant starch and have been shown to promote weight management when eaten regularly. Why not try a recipe that has pinto beans, chickpeas, black beans or peas for dinner tonight?
3. Cooked and cooled potatoes
Cooking potatoes and allowing them to cool for at least a few hours increases their resistant starch content. Fully cooled potatoes are a rich source of resistant starch and also provide essential nutrients like potassium and vitamin C. Making a potato salad as a side dish is a great way to get these benefits.
In a nutshell
Although many people on social media have reported benefits, there’s no scientific evidence drinking rice water or “ricezempic” is effective for weight loss. You probably won’t see any significant changes in your weight by drinking ricezempic and making no other adjustments to your diet or lifestyle.
While the drink may provide a small amount of resistant starch residue from the rice, and some hydration from the water, consuming foods that contain resistant starch in their full form would offer significantly more nutritional benefits.
More broadly, be wary of the weight loss hacks you see on social media. Achieving lasting weight loss boils down to gradually adopting healthy eating habits and regular exercise, ensuring these changes become lifelong habits.
Emily Burch, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Lecturer, Southern Cross University and Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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