Kidney Beans vs Fava Beans – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing kidney beans to fava beans, we picked the kidney beans.
Why?
It’s a simple and straightforward one today!
The macronutrient profiles are mostly comparable, but kidney beans do have a little more protein and a little more fiber.
In the category of vitamins, kidney beans have more of vitamins B1, B5, B6, B9, C, E, & K, while fava beans boast only more of vitamins B2 and B3. They are both equally good sources of choline, but the general weight of vitamins is very much in kidney beans’ favor, with a 7:2 lead, most of which have generous margins.
When it comes to minerals, kidney beans have more iron, phosphorus, and potassium, while fava beans have more copper and selenium. They’re both equally good sources of other minerals they both contain. Still, a 3:2 victory for kidney beans on the mineral front.
Adding up the moderate victory on macros, the strong victory on vitamins, and the slight victory on minerals, all in all makes for a clear win for kidney beans.
Still, enjoy both! Diversity is healthy.
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Chickpeas vs Black Beans – Which is Healthier?
Take care!
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Citicoline: Better Than Dietary Choline?
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Citicoline: Better Than Dietary Choline?
Citicoline, also known as cytidine diphosphate-choline (or CDP-Choline, to its friends, or cytidine 5′-diphosphocholine if it wants to get fancy) is a dietary supplement that the stomach can metabolize easily for all the brain’s choline needs. What are those needs?
Choline is an essential nutrient. We technically can synthesize it, but only in minute amounts, far less than we need. Choline is a key part of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, as well as having other functions in other parts of the body.
As for citicoline specifically… it appears to do the job better than dietary sources of choline:
❝Intriguing data, showing that on a molar mass basis citicoline is significantly less toxic than choline, are also analyzed.
It is hypothesized that, compared to choline moiety in other dietary sources such as phosphatidylcholine, choline in citicoline is less prone to conversion to trimethylamine (TMA) and its putative atherogenic N-oxide (TMAO).
Epidemiological studies have suggested that choline supplementation may improve cognitive performance, and for this application citicoline may be safer and more efficacious.❞
Source: Citicoline: A Superior Form of Choline?
Great! What does it do?
What doesn’t it do? When it comes to cognitive function, anyway, citicoline covers a lot of bases.
Short version: it improves just about every way a brain’s healthy functions can be clinically measured. From cognitive improvements in all manner of tests (far beyond just “improves memory” etc; also focus, alertness, verbal fluency, logic, computation, and more), to purely neurological things like curing tinnitus (!), alleviating mobility disorders, and undoing alcohol-related damage.
One of the reasons it’s so wide in its applications, is that it has a knock-on effect to other systems in the brain, including the dopaminergic system.
Long version: Citicoline: pharmacological and clinical review, 2022 update
(if you don’t want to sit down for a long read, we recommend skimming to the charts and figures, which are very elucidating even alone)
Spotlight study in memory
For a quick-reading example of how it helps memory specifically:
Keeping dementia at bay
For many older people looking to improve memory, it’s less a matter of wanting to perform impressive feats of memory, and more a matter of wanting to keep a sharp memory throughout our later years.
Dr. Maria Bonvicini et al. looked into this:
❝We selected seven studies including patients with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease or post-stroke dementia
All the studies showed a positive effect of citicoline on cognitive functions. Six studies could be included in the meta-analysis.
Overall, citicoline improved cognitive status, with pooled standardized mean differences ranging from 0.56 (95% CI: 0.37-0.75) to 1.57 (95% CI: 0.77-2.37) in different sensitivity analyses❞
The researchers concluded “yes”, and yet, called for more studies, and of higher quality. In many such studies, the heterogeneity of the subjects (often, residents of nursing homes) can be as much a problem (unclear whether the results will be applicable to other people in different situations) as it is a strength (fewer confounding variables).
Another team looked at 47 pre-existing reviews, and concluded:
❝The review found that citicoline has been proven to be a useful compound in preventing dementia progression.
Citicoline has a wide range of effects and could be an essential substance in the treatment of many neurological diseases.
Its positive impact on learning and cognitive functions among the healthy population is also worth noting.❞
Source: Application of Citicoline in Neurological Disorders: A Systematic Review
The dopamine bonus
Remember how we said that citicoline has a knock-on effect on other systems, including the dopaminergic system? This means that it’s been studied (and found meritorious) for alleviating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease:
❝Patients with Parkinson’s disease who were taking citicoline had significant improvement in rigidity, akinesia, tremor, handwriting, and speech.
Citicoline allowed effective reduction of levodopa by up to 50%.
Significant improvement in cognitive status evaluation was also noted with citicoline adjunctive therapy.❞
Source: Citicoline as Adjuvant Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review
Where to get it?
We don’t sell it, but here’s an example product on Amazon, for your convenience
Enjoy!
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Can I drive when taking medicinal cannabis? Is it safe?
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Your doctor has just prescribed medicinal cannabis. You think it’s helping. But you rely on your car to get to work and pick up the kids.
Are you allowed to drive? And more importantly, is it safe?
Here’s what the evidence says and what it means for you.
Medicinal cannabis is now widely prescribed in Australia for conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety and sleep disorders.
You can take it in a variety of different ways – for instance, by inhaling it using a vaporiser, or by ingesting an oil. There are many different active compounds. However, the main ones – known as cannabinoids – are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
THC is also the intoxicating part of cannabis that gets you “stoned”. So this is where things get complicated.
What happens when you take medicinal cannabis?
When cannabis is inhaled, the effects peak in the first hour. They taper off over two to three hours, but can last for up to four to six hours.
When taken orally – for example as an oil – the effects don’t start straight away and can last for up to 8 to 12 hours. That’s because the cannabinoids are absorbed by your gut and metabolised more slowly.
THC negatively impacts cognitive functions, such as attention and memory. It impairs driving in a simulator and in the real world on a highway.
The effects of THC on driving are roughly comparable to low blood alcohol concentrations. But this depends on the dose and how often someone uses cannabis.
Medicinal cannabis used for insomnia does not cause impairment the next day, and regular cannabis users show no driving impairment after 48 hours or more of abstinence.
CC BY-NC Medicinal cannabis prescriptions have skyrocketed in Australia, mostly for legal but unapproved products we don’t even know work or are safe. In this series, experts tease out what’s fuelling the rise of medicinal cannabis, the fallout, and what needs to happen next.
Unlike alcohol, THC can make people more cautious behind the wheel. So drivers sometimes try to drive more carefully or leave a larger gap behind the car ahead.
However, such strategies may not be enough to offset the impairing effects of THC, and they become less effective under more complex driving conditions.
CBD does not impair cognition or driving.
Most cannabis and driving studies have used healthy volunteers and deliberately intoxicating doses of THC. So we don’t know whether people are as impaired when using prescribed medicinal cannabis to manage a chronic health condition.
In theory, a patient is likely to be less impaired if they use a low dose of THC, if they use the exact same amount of medicinal cannabis on a regular basis, or if medicinal cannabis relieves symptoms that can affect normal functioning, such as chronic pain.
Can I legally drive after taking it?
In every Australian state and territory, except Tasmania, it is illegal to drive with any detectable amount of THC in your system.
Roadside drug testing, which checks for the presence of THC in saliva rather than impairment, cannot distinguish between prescribed medicinal cannabis and illicit cannabis.
In Tasmania, you can lawfully drive with THC in your system so long as you are unimpaired and your medicinal cannabis was prescribed and dispensed in Tasmania.
Other medications that can impair driving – such as opioids and benzodiazepines – do not carry the same prohibition on driving. You can drive with these medications in your system so long as you are unimpaired and using your medication as prescribed.
Driving while impaired (as opposed to driving with the presence of a drug in your system) is a separate offence and applies to both medicinal cannabis and other medications.
The discrepancy between how medicinal cannabis and other impairing medications are treated has been the focus of a parliamentary inquiry in New South Wales and broader law reform discussions.
Victoria has now amended its road safety act to give magistrates the power to decide whether or not to cancel someone’s licence if they test positive for THC, are unimpaired, and have a valid medicinal cannabis prescription. Nonetheless, it remains illegal to drive in Victoria with THC in your system.
You can lawfully drive if you are using a CBD-only medication, so long as you are not impaired.
How can I drive safely?
If you have been prescribed medicinal cannabis, there are practical steps you can take to reduce your risk when driving.
First, speak to your doctor. Let them know you drive, especially if you rely on driving for work or caring responsibilities, or if you work in a safety-sensitive environment, such as construction. Together, you can discuss whether a product containing THC is appropriate, or whether a CBD-only product might be more suitable.
Second, don’t just rely on how you feel when determining whether you are safe to drive. Even if you feel completely normal, your driving ability may still be compromised.
Even if you are unimpaired, you can still test positive on a roadside drug test for hours after taking medicinal cannabis. The length of time is highly variable and depends on factors such as the dose, route of administration, and how often you take medicinal cannabis.
The penalties for driving with THC in your system vary by state and territory. They range from fines to licence disqualifications and potential jail time for repeat offences.
A blood test can detect THC days after taking it. So if you are involved in a crash and have THC in your blood, you could face severe legal penalties, and your car insurance may be voided.
Roadside drug tests do not check for CBD.
What don’t we yet know?
Studies are underway to look at how medicinal cannabis impacts driving in people who take it for long-term health conditions, such as chronic pain. Researchers are also testing to see if sensors can detect cannabis impairment in real time while driving.
Once these and other studies are complete, we’ll have a clearer picture of how medicinal cannabis affects drivers who take it for long-term medical conditions.
To find out more about medicinal cannabis and driving, visit the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s medicinal cannabis hub or ask your health-care practitioner.
Tom Arkell, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Dioscorea Villosa: Hormones, Arthritis, & Skin
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On A Wild Yam Chase?
We recently came across a supplement blend that had wild yam extract as a minor ingredient. Our plucky (and usually very knowledgable) researcher had never heard of its use before, so she set about doing her thing. This is what she found…
What health claims are made?
Wild yam extract (Dioscorea villosa) is traditionally sold and used for:
- Balancing hormones
- Combating arthritis
- Anti-aging effects for the skin
Does it balance hormones?
First, as a quick catch-up, we’ll drop a previous article of ours for your convenience:
What Does “Balance Your Hormones” Even Mean?
We couldn’t find almost any studies into wild yam extract’s hormone-balancing effects, but we did find one study, and:
❝Symptom scores showed a minor effect of both placebo and active treatment on diurnal flushing number and severity and total non-flushing symptom scores, and on nocturnal sweating after placebo, but no statistical difference between placebo and active creams.
This study suggests that short-term treatment with topical wild yam extract in women suffering from menopausal symptoms is free of side-effects, but appears to have little effect on menopausal symptoms❞
…which is a very thorough, polite, sciencey way of saying “wow, this does so many different kinds of nothing”
On the one hand, this was a small study (n=23). On the other hand, it was also literally the only study we could find.
Does it combat arthritis?
Maybe! We again didn’t find much research into this but we did find two in vitro studies that suggests that diosgenin (which can be derived from wild yam extract) helps:
- Diosgenin inhibits IL-1β-induced expression of inflammatory mediators in human osteoarthritis chondrocytes
- Diosgenin, a plant steroid, induces apoptosis in human rheumatoid arthritis synoviocytes with cyclooxygenase-2 overexpression
And we also found a rodent study that found that wild yam extract specifically helped against “acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin-induced pain“, and put that down to anti-inflammatory properties:
So, none of these studies tell us much about whether it would be helpful for humans—with or without arthritis, and hopefully without “acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin-induced pain”.
However, they do suggest that it would be reasonable to test in humans next.
You might prefer:
- Tips For Avoiding/Managing Osteoarthritis
- Tips For Avoiding/Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis
- How to Prevent (or Reduce) Inflammation
Does it keep skin young?
Again, research is thin on the ground, but we did find some! A study with wild-yam-derived diosgenin found that it didn’t make anything worse, and otherwise performed a similar role to vitamin A:
Read: Novel effects of diosgenin on skin aging
That was on rats with breast cancer though, so its applicability to healthy humans may be tenuous (while in contrast, simply getting vitamin A instead is a known deal).
Summary
- Does it balance hormones? It probably does little to nothing in this regard
- Does it combat arthritis? It probably has anti-inflammatory effects, but we know of no studies in humans. There are much more well-established anti-inflammatories out there.
- Does it keep the skin young? We know that it performs a role similar to vitamin A for rats with breast cancer, and didn’t make anything worse for them. That’s the extent of what we know.
Where can I get some?
In the unlikely event that the above research review has inspired you with an urge to buy wild yam extract, here is an example product for your convenience.
Some final words…
If you are surprised that we’re really not making any effort to persuade you of its merits, please know that (outside of the clearly-marked sponsor section, which helps us keep the lights on, so please do visit those) we have no interest in selling you anything. We’re genuinely just here to inform 🙂
If you are wondering why we ran this article at all if the supplement has negligible merits, it’s because science is science, knowledge is knowledge, and knowing that something has negligible merit can be good knowledge to have!
Also, running articles like this from time to time helps you to know that when we do sing the praises of something, it’s with good reason
Take care!
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Do “Natural” Painkillers Really Work?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!
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 😎
❝A friend of mine has hip pain, especially after walking, and prefers to avoid ordinary painkillers. I’ve seen a natural products mentioned and wondered if you would recommend them, or suggest any other natural options for pain relief❞
There are definitely natural pain relief options that work, albeit sometimes with drawbacks. There are plenty more that don’t work better than placebo.
But first, let’s talk about placebo: when something “doesn’t work better than placebo”, it’s easy to think that that means it doesn’t help. In reality, it does!
After all, placebo may be “all in your head”—but so is your ability to perceive pain.
For more on that, check out: How To Leverage Placebo Effect For Yourself
However, let’s say you want to know whether something is likely to work better than placebo. A fair question.
How to check whether a product is likely to work better than placebo
First: look at the ingredients. Is there anything that stands out here as having an obvious mechanism of action? That can include “this thing has a calming/relaxing effect” even if it doesn’t directly touch pain itself, but if that’s the case, it’s worth bearing in mind when weighing up options.
Tip: if you want to Google an ingredient to find out whether it works, then whatever you write in the search bar, add the following:
site:pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
You might want to save that line to your phone’s Notes app or something. That way, it’ll just return results from PubMed, which is a large online repository of most of the world’s peer-reviewed scientific literature. So, you’ll get actually verified information, rather than just what someone wrote on the Internet.
Alternatively you can just bookmark PubMed itself and directly use their own search feature, here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Next: look at the ingredients again. Have we checked this is not a case of “this thing sounds like this other thing but it’s not”? This happens a lot with, for example, hemp products that are relying on medicinal cannabis marketing but do not actually contain THC (or sometimes, do not even contain CBD). See also: Do CBD Gummies Work? ← the answer is “sometimes”, and this page explains why and also links to further articles we’ve written on the science of CBD and, separately, THC specifically.
Next: look at the ingredients yet again. Watch out for “made with real…” claims. If something actually contains the ingredient, they don’t usually say “made with real…”, they just list the ingredient. Often, what “made with real…” means is that an ingredient that is present was derived from the marketed ingredient, rather than actually being the marketed ingredient. We see this a lot on food products that are “made with real fruit”, for example, and what it really means it that they used sugar. The same switcheroo is often employed shamelessly when it comes to herbal products and the like.
Next: look at the dosage. Similar to the previous item; does this have something that technically has a certain effect, but the dosage here is so small as to be practically homeopathic?
On a tangential note there: homeopathy does not, by the way, outperform placebo (and sometimes does worse): Homeopathy: Evidence So Tiny That It’s Not there?
Natural Options that work
Here are some we’ve written about previously:
- The 7 Approaches To Pain Management
- Science-Based Alternative Pain Relief
- Dial Down Your Pain
- How Nature Provides Us With A Surprisingly Powerful Painkiller
- Stop Pain From Spreading ← this is particularly important to understand, because “referred pain” is painfully common and often avoidable
- The Music That Has Painkilling Effects
- How Estrogen & Progesterone Affect Your Pain
And for a specialized biomechanical approach for the situation you described:
Just the hips
As for reducing/managing hip pain specifically, we wrote about that here:
For those who learning from short videos, here’s a trio of helpers (along with our own text-based overview for each):
- The Most Underrated Hip Mobility Exercise (Not Stretching)
- Overcome Front-Of-Hip Pain
- 10 Tips To Reduce Morning Pain & Stiffness With Arthritis
And for those who prefer just reading, here’s a book we reviewed on the topic:
11 Minutes to Pain-Free Hips – by Melinda Wright
Take care!
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Kiwi vs Strawberries – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing kiwi to strawberries, we picked the kiwi.
Why?
Both are very worthy candidates, but…
In terms of macros, kiwi has more fiber, carbs, and protein, making it the more nutrient-dense option in this category.
In the category of vitamins, kiwi has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B7, B9, C, E, K, and choline, while strawberries have (very slightly) more vitamin B3. A very clear win for kiwi in this round.
Looking at minerals, kiwi has more calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium, while strawberries have more iron, manganese, and selenium. Another win for strawberries.
When it comes to phytochemicals, both are good, but kiwi has some anticancer properties that strawberries don’t, so we say that’s another win for kiwi here.
Adding up the sections makes for an overwhelming overall win for kiwi, but by all means enjoy either or both; diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Top 8 Fruits That Prevent & Kill Cancer ← kiwi is #1 on the list, for promoting cancer cell death while sparing healthy cells!
Enjoy!
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Lucid Dreaming – by Stephen LaBerge Ph.D.
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For any unfamiliar: lucid dreaming means being aware that one is dreaming, while dreaming, and exercising a degree of control over the dream. Superficially, this is fun. But if one really wants to go deeper into it, it can be a lot more:
Dr. Stephen LaBerge takes a science-based approach to lucid dreaming, and in this work provides not only step-by-step instructions of several ways of inducing lucid dreaming, but also, opens the reader’s mind to things that can be done there beyond the merely recreational:
In lucid dreams, he argues and illustrates, it’s possible to talk to parts of one’s own subconscious (Inception, anyone? Yes, this book came first) and get quite an amount of self-therapy done. And that hobby you wish you had more time to practice? The possibilities just became limitless. And who wouldn’t want that?
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