More Tyrosine, Less Longevity?
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Tyrosine, a non-essential amino acid, is popularly enjoyed as a supplement (usually in the form of n-acetyl l-tyrosine, or “NALT” to its friends) with the intention of boosting dopamine levels (tyrosine is a precursor of dopamine, meaning the body can use it to make dopamine, and dopamine is necessary for an assortment of cognitive functions and also, often forgotten, motor functions).
Does it work? Yes, if and only if dopamine levels were low and the reason dopamine levels were low was because of a shortage of the ingredients. Otherwise, probably not.
We wrote more about that here: The Dopamine Precursor And More
However, beyond supplements, it is also found in most protein-containing foods, and is found most abundantly in meat and dairy products (because those animals, just like humans, were capable of synthesizing it from its precursor phenylalanine, which is found in many plants).
However, if we do not supplement tyrosine and we consume neither meat nor dairy, then our bodies will only synthesize as much as we need.
On the other hand, if we supplement tyrosine and/or we consume meat and/or dairy, then it is possible to end up with higher tyrosine levels.
And that’s what we’re going to be looking at the science of, today:
Beyond “non-essential”
Researchers (Dr. Jie Zhao et al.) analyzed data from 272,475 participants in the UK Biobank to examine whether blood levels of phenylalanine and/or tyrosine were linked to lifespan.
About those participants: of the 272,475 participants, 14,230 men’s deaths were recorded, and 9,734 women’s deaths.
So, what did they find?
Initial findings re phenylalanine: after adjusting for confounders, phenylalanine was associated with a slightly higher risk of all-cause mortality overall with similar results in men and women, but (plot twist!) this association disappeared after controlling for tyrosine in genetic analyses.
Initial findings re tyrosine: higher plasma tyrosine was associated with higher all-cause mortality overall and in men with a hazard ratio of 1.03 per standard deviation increase, but not in women where the hazard ratio was 1.00 (a hazard ratio of 1.00 means it is 1x as likely as otherwise, i.e., no change).
Now, that may not sound like a big difference, but it’s a big difference if you die, so let’s take a close look at the stats:
Mendelian randomization analysis shows that:
- higher tyrosine levels in women were linked to a reduction of 0.91 years of life with high statistical significance
- higher tyrosine levels in women were not significantly associated with any reduction in lifespan; the data did suggest there may be a slight reduction for women too, though (but the association was so weak that we’re effectively talking about the Plato’s cave of data here; it’s a shadow of a shadow, whereas for men it was a clearly smoking gun, for women it was more like a few possible smoke particles in the air that might just turn out to be dust).
Why the sex differences?
It’s not known for sure, but Dr. Zhao and her team highlight that tyrosine is involved in producing neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine, and plays a role in not just stress-related brain chemistry, but also otherwise seemingly unrelated systemic effects such as insulin resistance (which differs by sex), this may explain the difference in life expectancy reduction—since insulin resistance is a major driver of metabolic syndrome.
For more on that, see: Why We Get Sick – by Dr. Benjamin Bikman
This is consistent, by the way, with previous studies* done in Drosophila melanogaster a few years ago, so if ever you wonder “are these animal studies really indicative and what is the point in studying fruit flies?”, then the answer is yes, they can be, and D. melanogaster is particularly useful for studies pertaining to longevity.
*Like this one: Sensing of the non-essential amino acid tyrosine governs the response to protein restriction in Drosophila ← short version is that restricting their tyrosine intake caused them to live longer
And as for this study we’ve been looking at today, you can read it in full here: The role of phenylalanine and tyrosine in longevity: a cohort and Mendelian randomization study
Want to learn more?
For a much deeper dive into the broadly inversely proportional relationship between meat consumption and longevity, you might like:
The China Study – by Dr. T Colin Campbell and Dr. Thomas M. Campbell
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Celery vs Carrot – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing celery to carrot, we picked the carrot.
Why?
In terms of macros, carrot has more protein, carbs, and fiber, and is thus the “most food per food” option. The carb:fiber ratio is such that they have about the same glycemic index (when raw, anyway).
In the category of vitamins, celery has more of vitamins B9 and K, while carrot has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, C, E, and choline. An easy win for carrot here.
When it comes to minerals, celery has more calcium and selenium, while carrot has more copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. Another clear win for carrot.
In short, both are very respectable foods, but carrot simply has more in it, and it’s all good.
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Level-Up Your Fiber Intake! (Without Difficulty Or Discomfort)
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Body Recomposition: How To Get Toned Quickly
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Personal trainer Elisi Wolf explains how to cut straight to it:
As easy as 1-2-3
Many women say they want to “get toned,” which really means they want a body recomposition; looking leaner at the same weight is due to gaining muscle while losing fat—not weight.
Elisi says the sweet spot for effective recomposition is around 25% body fat, allowing for noticeable muscle gain and fat loss simultaneously, ending up with more like 21% body fat as a reasonable healthy end point to the recomposition phase (i.e., the point at which you’ll stop recomposing and start maintaining), though of course you might prefer more or less than that; that’s up to you.
How to do it, her way:
- Calculate maintenance calories: use a calorie calculator and subtract 400 to find your true maintenance; eat this amount for a week to confirm the scale doesn’t change
- Progress your workouts: consistently increase effort by adding weight, improving control (an oft-neglected factor that Elisi focuses on a lot in her training), and/or increasing movement (e.g. daily walks)
- Enjoy a high protein diet: protein is essential for muscle building, fat loss, and satiety; it also burns more energy to digest and keeps you full with fewer calories
About the progression: she recommends to, for example, start with 20 lb hip thrusts and increase weight every second week; eventually, this builds visible muscle without changing calories. Adapt the same model for your preferred exercises, of course.
About the protein: she also notes that we should not just increase protein intake, but also prioritize protein over carbs and fats; it’s not used for energy unless absolutely necessary, so most of it supports muscle gain. She advises that this works whether you still eat meat or enjoy a vegan diet—just ensure your protein intake is high and “clean” (i.e. unprocessed whole foods, or minimally-processed where some kind of processing is necessary—for example, cooking lentils is indeed a process).
About maintenance: once you’ve got to the body composition you want, you should find that your newly recomposed body is actually pretty easy to maintain, because muscle has a thermogenic effect, helping you burn more calories at rest and aiding fat loss (i.e. muscle “costs” calories just by being there—unlike fat, which triggers the body to slow down the metabolism to survive the famine for which we were surely preparing when we put the fat on).
For more on all of this, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Can You Gain Muscle & Lose Fat At The Same Time? ← we got this question in our Q&A day a little while ago, and here was our answer. We went for a less numbers-based approach, and a more principles-based approach. Both ways work, so by all means pick whichever method you personally find better suits how you like to do things!
See also: Can We Do Fat Redistribution? ← the answer is “yes” and this article explains how
Take care!
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Dodging Dengue In The US
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Dengue On The Rise
We wrote recently about dengue outbreaks in the Americas, with Puerto Rico declaring an epidemic. Cases are now being reported in Florida too, and are likely to spread, so it’s good to be prepared, if your climate is of the “warm and humid” kind.
If you want to catch up on the news first, here you go:
- UN health agency cites tenfold increase in reported cases of dengue over the last generation
- Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic following a spike in dengue cases
- Dengue fever confirmed in Florida Keys as US on watch for rise in mosquito illness
Note: dengue is far from unheard of in Florida, but the rising average temperatures in each year mean that each year stands a good chance of seeing more cases than the previous. It’s been climbing since at least 2017, took a dip during the time of COVID restrictions keeping people at home more, and then for the more recent years has been climbing again since.
What actually is it?
Dengue is a viral, mosquito-borne disease, characterized by fever, vomiting, muscle pain, and a rash, in about 1 in 4 cases.
Which can sound like “you’ll know if you have it”, but in fact it’s usually asymptomatic for a week or more after infection, so, watch out!
What next, if those symptoms appear?
The good news is: the fever will usually last less than a week
The bad news is: a day or so after that the fever subsided, the more serious symptoms are likely to start—if they’re going to.
If you’re unlucky enough to be one of the 1 in 20 who get the serious symptoms, then you can expect abdominal cramps, repeat vomiting, bleeding from various orifices (you may not get them all, but all are possible), and (hardly surprising, given the previous items) “extreme fatigue and restlessness”.
If you get those symptoms, then definitely get to an ER as soon as possible, as dengue can become life-threatening within hours of such.
Read more: CDC | Symptoms of Dengue and Testing
While there is not a treatment for dengue per se, the Emergency Room will be better able to manage your symptoms and thus keep you alive long enough for them to pass.
If you’d like much more detail (on symptoms, seriousness, at-risk demographics, and prognosis) than what the CDC offers, then…
Read more: BMJ | Dengue Fever
Ok, so how do we dodge the dengue?
It sounds flippant to say “don’t get bitten”, but that’s it. However, there are tips are not getting bitten:
- Use mosquito-repellent, but it has to contain >20% DEET, so check labels
- Use mosquito nets where possible (doors, windows, etc, and the classic bed-tent net is not a bad idea either)
- Wear clothing that covers your skin, especially during the day—it can be light clothing; it doesn’t need to be a HazMat suit! But it does need to reduce the area of attack to reduce the risk of bites.
- Limit standing water around your home—anything that can hold even a small amount of standing water is a potential mosquito-breeding ground. Yes, even if it’s a crack in your driveway or a potted bromeliad.
Further reading
You might also like to check out:
Stickers and wristbands aren’t a reliable way to prevent mosquito bites. Here’s why
…and in case dengue wasn’t bad enough:
Mosquitoes can spread the flesh-eating Buruli ulcer. Here’s how you can protect yourself
Take care!
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Pistachios vs Brazil Nuts – Which is Healthier?
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.
Our Verdict
When comparing pistachios to Brazil nuts, we picked the pistachios.
Why?
In terms of macros, pistachios have more protein, carbs, and fiber, while Brazil nuts have more fat. The fats are mostly healthy, although it is worth noting that Brazil nuts have not only more total saturated fat, but also more saturated fat proportionally to total fats. All in all, Brazil nuts’ macro balance isn’t bad, but we say pistachios have it better.
When it comes to vitamins, pistachios have a lot more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and C, while Brazil nuts have more vitamin E. An easy win for pistachios here.
In the category of minerals, it gets interesting: pistachios have more iron and potassium, while Brazil nuts have more calcium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc. Sounds great, but… About that selenium:
- A cup of cashews contains 38% of the RDA of selenium. This will go towards helping your hair be luscious and shiny (also important for energy conversion).
- A cup of Brazil nuts contains 10,456% of the RDA of selenium. This is way past the point of selenium toxicity, and your (luscious, shiny) hair will fall out.
For this reason, it’s recommended to eat no more than 3–4 Brazil nuts per day.
We consider that a point against Brazil nuts.
Adding up the sections gives us an overall win for pistachios. Of course, enjoy Brazil nuts too if you will, but in careful moderation please!
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts
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These 5 Exercises Will Change Your Hip Mobility (For The Better)
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It’s mostly not about stretching:
How to get mobile
Tight hips are usually a control and strength problem, not a flexibility problem. Which means, stretching alone doesn’t fix how your hips move—or feel.
Your hips are meant to rotate, stabilize, and generate power, but passive stretching doesn’t maintain/restore joint control, let alone strength, at their end ranges.
The following exercises (and their variations) build strength in end ranges, restore natural hip rotation, and improve daily movement so squatting feels easier, walking and running feel smoother, sitting feels less stiff, lower-back tension decreases, and balance and posture improve in a cumulative fashion:
- Hip internal/external rotation control:
- Seated internal/external rotation: sitting tall with a resistance band around your knees, slowly guide your knees inwards and outwards to build controlled hip rotation.
- Half-bend squat with internal/external rotation: in a partial squat with a band around your knees, create smooth inward and outward knee circles to load hip rotation under more bodyweight.
- Hip flexor length with core control:
- Modified dead bug hip flexor control: lying over a foam roller, extend one leg while maintaining neutral ribs and lower back to strengthen hip flexors in lengthened positions.
- Modified pigeon with knee lift: from a supported pigeon position, lift your back leg slightly to strengthen hip flexors and glutes without losing pelvic control.
- Deep lunge hip extension strength:
- Deep lunge knee lift: in a tall lunge, lift your back knee off the floor while keeping your hips level and your spine neutral.
- Deep lunge with leg lift: with your back knee supported on a yoga block, bend your knee to lift your foot towards your hips, increasing hip extension demand.
- Lateral hip and adductor mobility:
- Side lunge dynamic stretch: go into a side lunge with one leg straight, which loads your hips and adductors, while keeping your torso upright.
- Cossack shift: stay low in a wide stance, smoothly transfer your weight side to side to strengthen lateral hip control.
- Squat-based hip opening:
- Seated squat elbow touchdowns: sitting on a box with a wide stance, hinge forwards while pressing your knees out to open your hips under control.
- Deep squat elbow touchdowns: in a deep squat, hinge forwards slightly and guide your elbows towards the floor while maintaining heel contact and knee control.
For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
The Most Underrated Hip Mobility Exercise (Not Stretching)
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- Hip internal/external rotation control:
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What is mantle cell lymphoma? Magda Szubanski’s ‘rare and fast-moving’ cancer, explained
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Beloved Australian actor, Magda Szubanski, has revealed she’s been diagnosed with a “very rare, very aggressive, very serious” blood cancer called mantle cell lymphoma.
In a post on social media on Thursday, Szubanski said she would be starting treatment in a few weeks for the stage 4 cancer, which she called “one of the nasty ones, unfortunately”.
So, what is mantle cell lymphoma? And how is it treated?
Lisa Maree Williams/Getty What is mantle cell lymphoma?
There are more than 100 subtypes of blood cancers, but they are commonly divided into one of two groups. These are based on where they originate: leukaemias develop in the bone marrow, and lymphomas develop in the lymphatic system.
Lymphomas develop from white blood cells (lymphocytes), which circulate in the blood and lymphatic system and help fight infection.
You may not have heard of the lymphatic system, but it plays a key role in your immune response.
The lymphatic circulatory system is responsible for transporting fluids (lymph) around your body. Lymph comes from blood plasma, and helps remove waste from your tissues.
As part of the lymphatic system, tissues like the spleen and thymus help produce many of the immune cells you use to fight infections.
These cells are then housed in specialised organs called lymph nodes – small pea-sized glands located throughout your body.
The lymphatic system plays a key role in your body’s immune response. Clash_Gene/Shutterstock Lymph nodes are kind of like the “war room” of your immune system.
Your body contains hundreds of lymph nodes, and each contains millions of lymphocytes. These include the T and B cells – the main fighting cells in adaptive immunity.
If B cells in an area of the lymph node known as the “mantle zone” become cancerous, it is called mantle cell lymphoma.
How rare is it?
In 2020, there were 330 cases of mantle cell lymphoma diagnosed in Australia, accounting for a small fraction (5%) of lymphoma cases.
Overall, lymphomas account for around one in twenty new cancer diagnoses. This makes mantle cell lymphoma quite rare.
Mantle cell lymphoma is about three times more common in men than in women, and mostly affects people over the age of 60.
Is there a cure?
Unfortunately, mantle cell lymphoma is largely considered incurable with the therapies currently available.
Like many cancers, mantle cell lymphoma can vary in how quickly it develops and its severity.
As Szubanski’s cancer has been described as “fast-moving” and is already stage 4, it appears that it is a more serious case.
Stage 4 is the most advanced stage – meaning the cancer has spread (metastasised) to other tissues.
Treatment at this stage can be more complicated than when the cancer is caught earlier. But treatment can still help people go on to live for many years.
What does treatment involve?
In her social media post, Szubanski said she will be receiving “one of the best treatments available (the Nordic protocol)”.
This is one of the most common treatments for an aggressive lymphoma.
The main component is “R-CHOP” – a combination therapy. It involves a mixture of different drugs, including chemotherapy, to attack the cancer from multiple angles at the same time.
Different strengths of the drugs can be used (the maximum strength is sometimes called R-maxi-CHOP).
A stem cell transplantation may also be included in the regimen.
How effective this treatment is will depend on many different factors, including the type and stage of the lymphoma.
The aim is to kill as many cancer cells as possible, and therefore extend a patient’s life for as long as possible.
Therapy also focuses on providing a high quality-of-life for patients.
How is it diagnosed?
Szubanski’s mantle cell lymphoma was detected during a breast cancer screen where, she says, “they found my lymph nodes were up”.
Imaging techniques, such as a mammogram or MRI, may detect tell-tale signs of lymphoma, such as swollen lymph nodes.
However a biopsy – a small sample of tissue from the affected area – would then be required to confirm the presence of cancer cells and identify what type.
Blood cancer symptoms can be vague, but it’s good to know what to look for.
As well as swollen lymph nodes, symptoms of lymphoma include nausea, tiredness, loss of appetite, fevers, gastrointestinal issues, unexplained weight loss, and night sweats.
If you have any concerns, you should consult a doctor.
John (Eddie) La Marca, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) and Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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