Swordfish vs Tuna – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing swordfish to tuna, we picked the tuna.
Why?
Today in “that which is more expensive is not necessarily the healthier”…
Considering the macros first, swordfish has more than 8x more total fat, about 9x more saturated fat, and yes, more cholesterol. On the other hand, tuna has more protein. An easy win for tuna.
In terms of vitamins, swordfish has more of vitamins A, B5, D, and E, while tuna has more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, and B12. A marginal win for tuna, unless you want to weight the other vitamins more heavily, in which case, more likely a tie, or maybe even an argument for swordfish if you have a particular vitamin deficiency on that side.
When it comes to minerals, swordfish has more calcium and zinc, while tuna has more iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium. A clear win for tuna.
One other thing: they’re both very rich in mercury, and while tuna is bad for that, swordfish has nearly 3x as much.
In short, both have a good spread of vitamins and minerals, and both are quite tainted with mercury, but in relative terms, there’s a clear winner even before considering the very different macros, and the winner is tuna.
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Farmed Fish vs Wild Caught: Important Differences
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What is childhood dementia? And how could new research help?
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“Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 Australian children and young people live with currently untreatable childhood dementia.
Broadly speaking, childhood dementia is caused by any one of more than 100 rare genetic disorders. Although the causes differ from dementia acquired later in life, the progressive nature of the illness is the same.
Half of infants and children diagnosed with childhood dementia will not reach their tenth birthday, and most will die before turning 18.
Yet this devastating condition has lacked awareness, and importantly, the research attention needed to work towards treatments and a cure.
More about the causes
Most types of childhood dementia are caused by mutations (or mistakes) in our DNA. These mistakes lead to a range of rare genetic disorders, which in turn cause childhood dementia.
Two-thirds of childhood dementia disorders are caused by “inborn errors of metabolism”. This means the metabolic pathways involved in the breakdown of carbohydrates, lipids, fatty acids and proteins in the body fail.
As a result, nerve pathways fail to function, neurons (nerve cells that send messages around the body) die, and progressive cognitive decline occurs.
Childhood dementia is linked to rare genetic disorders. maxim ibragimov/Shutterstock What happens to children with childhood dementia?
Most children initially appear unaffected. But after a period of apparently normal development, children with childhood dementia progressively lose all previously acquired skills and abilities, such as talking, walking, learning, remembering and reasoning.
Childhood dementia also leads to significant changes in behaviour, such as aggression and hyperactivity. Severe sleep disturbance is common and vision and hearing can also be affected. Many children have seizures.
The age when symptoms start can vary, depending partly on the particular genetic disorder causing the dementia, but the average is around two years old. The symptoms are caused by significant, progressive brain damage.
Are there any treatments available?
Childhood dementia treatments currently under evaluation or approved are for a very limited number of disorders, and are only available in some parts of the world. These include gene replacement, gene-modified cell therapy and protein or enzyme replacement therapy. Enzyme replacement therapy is available in Australia for one form of childhood dementia. These therapies attempt to “fix” the problems causing the disease, and have shown promising results.
Other experimental therapies include ones that target faulty protein production or reduce inflammation in the brain.
Research attention is lacking
Death rates for Australian children with cancer nearly halved between 1997 and 2017 thanks to research that has enabled the development of multiple treatments. But over recent decades, nothing has changed for children with dementia.
In 2017–2023, research for childhood cancer received over four times more funding per patient compared to funding for childhood dementia. This is despite childhood dementia causing a similar number of deaths each year as childhood cancer.
The success for childhood cancer sufferers in recent decades demonstrates how adequately funding medical research can lead to improvements in patient outcomes.
Dementia is not just a disease of older people. Miljan Zivkovic/Shutterstock Another bottleneck for childhood dementia patients in Australia is the lack of access to clinical trials. An analysis published in March this year showed that in December 2023, only two clinical trials were recruiting patients with childhood dementia in Australia.
Worldwide however, 54 trials were recruiting, meaning Australian patients and their families are left watching patients in other parts of the world receive potentially lifesaving treatments, with no recourse themselves.
That said, we’ve seen a slowing in the establishment of clinical trials for childhood dementia across the world in recent years.
In addition, we know from consultation with families that current care and support systems are not meeting the needs of children with dementia and their families.
New research
Recently, we were awarded new funding for our research on childhood dementia. This will help us continue and expand studies that seek to develop lifesaving treatments.
More broadly, we need to see increased funding in Australia and around the world for research to develop and translate treatments for the broad spectrum of childhood dementia conditions.
Dr Kristina Elvidge, head of research at the Childhood Dementia Initiative, and Megan Maack, director and CEO, contributed to this article.
Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University; Nicholas Smith, Head, Paediatric Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Group, University of Adelaide, and Siti Mubarokah, Research Associate, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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What Yoga Will Do For You (If Overweight)
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First, let’s quickly address the word “overweight”. Over what weight, exactly?
And the answer is: over the weight that, when measured in kilograms and divided by your height in square meters*, is sufficient to put your body-mass index (BMI) into the “overweight” category of 25+.
*No, your height doesn’t come in square meters, because it’s a height not an area, but that’s the formula anyway.
BMI is not very useful (see When BMI Doesn’t Measure Up if you’re unfamiliar) but unfortunately, it’s been used for a sufficiently large amount of research that new research becomes difficult without referencing the old research that depended on BMI, so we’re stuck with it for a while yet.
Fun two-part fact about BMI before we move on:
- If, by some accident or incident, you unfortunately lose a leg, your BMI will go down considerably (because your mass will be quite a bit lower)
- If, by some accident or incident, you unfortunately lose both legs, your BMI will go up considerably (because your height will be quite a bit lower)
BMI is a fabulous, highly functional system.Enough about BMI. What about yoga?
Two things generally held to be true:
- Body fat above a certain level is not good for your health
- Yoga is good for your health
So, how well do these things go together?
Let’s start with the obvious question: is yoga good for weight loss?
And the answer is: no, not really
Or, at least, we were not able to find any particularly strong evidence to support it. While there were countless tiny studies with shoddy methodologies published in fringe publications making claims such as “self-reported weight loss after a year met the threshold for significance”, when we narrowed our search to only systematic reviews, suddenly there were only a few pages of results, and most of them weren’t actually relevant (i.e. they merely contained the keywords but in other contexts).
Two were relevant, of which, one didn’t have the full text available (only an abstract that was lacking certain little details such as… the results), and the other one, well…
❝Out of 445 records identified during literature search, 30 trials with a total of 2173 participants were included. No effects on weight, body mass index, body fat percentage or waist circumference were found❞
In other words, they also got the countless tiny studies that we found, carefully went through them to remove the worthless ones, and found 30 out of 445 that met appropriate standards, and those 30 studies that were robustly-conducted found no clear benefits, and the strongest positive conclusion they could draw was the benefits couldn’t be ruled out preliminarily, and that it was safe.
Read in full: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of yoga on weight-related outcomes
So, what can it do?
Researchers (Dr. Widya Wasityastuti et al.) did a meta-analysis of 30 randomized controlled trials (2,689 participants) examined yoga’s effects on cardiometabolic health in adults in the overweight or obese categories of BMI, using outcomes like blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, inflammation, and antioxidant markers.
The results, in few words:
- Blood pressure effects: yoga was associated with a reduction in systolic blood pressure of 4.35 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure of 2.06 mmHg
- Cholesterol effects: yoga produced modest improvements in lipid profiles, lowering LDL cholesterol by 0.08 mmol/L and increasing HDL cholesterol by 0.06 mmol/L
- Other metabolic markers: yoga “may” improve glucose regulation, oxidative stress (redox balance), and inflammation, but the evidence for these outcomes remains uncertain
Note that “may” is scientist-speak for “we haven’t proven it doesn’t”
This means, of course, that the biggest deal here is the blood pressure reductions.
This is quite in line with what we wrote about here: What Most People Don’t Know About Blood Pressure
As for Dr. Wasityastuti’s paper, you can read it in full here: Impact of yoga on cardiometabolic health in adults with overweight or obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Want to learn more?
You might want to swing by:
Which Style Of Yoga Is Best For You?
Enjoy!
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What Happens To Your Body When You Do 100 Glute Bridges Every Day
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Not just for a sculpted butt:
Benefits
With consistent daily glute bridge practice, you may expect:
- Rounder, toned butt: targets the gluteus maximus, toning and lifting the butt for a rounder appearance.
- Improved posture: strengthens glutes to support the spine and pelvis, alleviating lower back and hip pain. Stretches tight hip flexors from prolonged sitting.
- Stronger lower back: glutes support the lower back and spine, reducing pain and making it easier to lift heavy objects. Activating the glutes transfers force from legs to core, preventing injuries.
- Stronger knees: stabilizes the knee joint and promotes alignment by engaging glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps, reducing knee pain.
- Sculpted hamstrings: contracts hamstrings during lifts for strength, while stretching them on the way down increases flexibility.
- Increased hip flexibility: strengthens muscles around the hip joint, improving mobility and counteracting tight hips from sedentary habits.
- Reduced back pain: strengthens glutes to correct pelvic tilt and reduce strain on the lower back.
- Faster running speed: improves hip extension, strengthens hamstrings, and activates the gluteus medius for better running power and balance.
- Enhanced strength training performance: strengthens glutes, back, and knees, improving performance in exercises like squats and deadlifts.
As for how to get going, the video offers the following very sound advice: begin with 25–30 reps per session and gradually increase to sets of 100 daily. It should take about 5 minutes (that’s 3 seconds per repetition). Results can be seen in as little as 2 weeks, with significant changes after a month of consistent practice.
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 to read:
Strong Curves: A Woman’s Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body – by Bret Contreras & Kellie Davis
Take care!
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Wondering how to spot the signs of postpartum depression?
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Postpartum depression, or PPD, is a debilitating, potentially life-threatening mental health condition that impacts about one in eight people who give birth in the U.S. While it’s normal to feel worried or stressed after becoming a parent, PPD can cause feelings of extreme sadness or anxiety that may lead to suicidal thoughts.
Read on to learn what PPD is, what causes it, how it’s treated, and more.
What is the difference between the baby blues and postpartum depression?
Postpartum blues, or the “baby blues,” impact up to 80 percent of new parents. The baby blues may cause bouts of crying, mood swings, anxiety, sadness, reduced concentration, irritability, changes in appetite, and trouble sleeping, but symptoms are fleeting.
“Baby blues are a transient period—hours to a few days—of emotionality that does not impair one’s functioning or cause severe symptoms like suicidality,” says Dr. Jennifer L. Payne, a professor of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences at the University of Virginia. “[Postpartum depression] can cause severe symptoms, including suicidality.”
In addition to causing more debilitating symptoms, PPD can last for months.
Some new parents also experience postpartum psychosis, which can cause hallucinations and delusions. However, unlike PPD, postpartum psychosis is rare.
What are the symptoms of postpartum depression?
PPD symptoms may include:
- Feeling depressed, irritable, angry, or hopeless
- Severe mood swings
- Difficulty bonding with your baby
- Withdrawing from family and friends
- Changes in appetite or sleeping patterns
- Extreme fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
- Thoughts of death or suicide
If you are experiencing symptoms of PPD, Payne recommends seeking help from a primary care provider or obstetrician right away.
“It’s really important—not just for you, but for your baby,” Payne explains. “Babies exposed to significant PPD have slower language development, lower IQs, and more behavioral problems.”
Your health care provider will ask you a series of screening questions to determine if you are experiencing PPD.
What causes postpartum depression?
Research suggests that the drop in hormones that occurs after birth, genetics, and sleep deprivation may contribute to PPD.
You may be at higher risk of developing PPD if you have a history of mental health conditions like depression or bipolar disorder, have relatives who’ve experienced PPD, or experienced stressful events during or after pregnancy.
How is postpartum depression treated?
“PPD is usually treated with antidepressant medications—typically SSRIs and now with the new FDA-approved medication, zuranolone,” says Payne. Therapy has also been shown to help people manage PPD.
Your health care provider can help determine the best treatment options for you and can outline the risks and benefits of taking certain medications while breastfeeding.
For referrals to care, information about local support groups, and other mental health resources for new parents, call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline or Postpartum Support International. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Can non-birthing parents have postpartum depression?
New parents who did not give birth, including cisgender men, may experience anxiety, depression, irritability, fatigue, and changes in appetite or sleeping patterns after a partner gives birth.
“Everyone knows that mothers’ hormones change a lot during and after pregnancy,” psychologist Scott Bea said in a 2019 Cleveland Clinic article. “But there’s evidence that fathers also experience real changes in their hormone levels after a baby is born.”
Adoptive parents may also show similar symptoms.
If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741. For international resources, here is a good place to begin.
This article first appeared on Public Good News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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It’s Not Fantastic To Be Plastic
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We Are Such Stuff As Bottles Are Made Of
We’ve written before about PFAS, often found in non-stick coatings and the like:
PFAS Exposure & Cancer: The Numbers Are High
Today we’re going to be talking about microplastics & nanoplastics!
What are microplastics and nanoplastics?
Firstly, they’renot just the now-banned plastic microbeads that have seen some use is toiletries (although those are classified as microplastics too).
Many are much smaller than that, and if they get smaller than a thousandth of a millimeter, then they get the additional classification of “nanoplastic”.
In other words: not something that can be filtered even if you were to use a single-micron filter. The microplastics would still get through, for example:
Scientists find about a quarter million invisible nanoplastic particles in a liter of bottled water
And unfortunately, that’s bad:
❝What’s disturbing is that small particles can appear in different organs and may cross membranes that they aren’t meant to cross, such as the blood-brain barrier❞
Note: they’re crossing the same blood-brain barrier that many of our nutrients and neurochemicals are too big to cross.
These microplastics are also being found in arterial plaque
What makes arterial plaque bad for the health is precisely its plasticity (the arterial walls themselves are elastic), so you most certainly do not want actual plastic being used as part of the cement that shouldn’t even be lining your arteries in the first place:
Microplastics found in artery plaque linked with higher risk of heart attack, stroke and death
❝In this study, patients with carotid artery plaque in which MNPs were detected had a higher risk of a composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from any cause at 34 months of follow-up than those in whom MNPs were not detected❞
~ Dr. Raffaele Marfella et al.
(MNP = Micro/Nanoplastics)
Source: Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events
We don’t know how bad this is yet
There are various ways this might not be as bad as it looks (the results may not be repeated, the samples could have been compromised, etc), but also, perhaps cynically but nevertheless honestly, it could also be worse than we know yet—only more experiments being done will tell us which.
In the meantime, here’s a rundown of what we do and don’t know:
Study links microplastics with human health problems—but there’s still a lot we don’t know
Take care!
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Retinoids: Retinol vs Retinal vs Retinoic Acid vs..?
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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 😎
❝I’m confused about retinol, retinal, retinoin, retinoids, etc, and of course every product claims to be the best, what’s the actual science on it?❞
Before we get into these skincare products, let’s first note that for most people, what’s best for the skin is good sleep and hydration, a plants-centric whole foods diet, and good stress management:
See for example: Of Brains And Breakouts: The Brain Skin Doctor
However, the world of potions and lotions can be an alluring one, and there is some merit there too. So, in a nutshell:
- Retinoids are the overall class of chemicals, and not a specific type
- Retinoic acid is the strongest form of this chemical and is prescription-controlled in most places
- “Retinoin” is probably tretinoin (all-trans retinoic acid) with the “t” having fallen off; we can only find it being used as a product name, not an actual substance
- Retinal, when it’s not an adjective referring to the retina (the part of the eye that receives refocussed light) and is instead a noun, is a less potent retinoid than the prescription-only kinds, but still stronger than retinol
- Retinol is a much less potent form, and is the most widely found in skincare products
- Retinoic acid is the strongest form of this chemical and is prescription-controlled in most places
All of them work the same way; it is only how serious they are about it that differs.
The mechanism of action is that they speed up the turnover (shedding cycle) of skin, so that cells are replaced sooner. As with any non-cancerous human tissue, this means that the tissue itself (in this case, your skin) will be biologically younger than if it had been replaced later.
The downside, of course, of this is that—while trying to make your skin healthier and more beautiful—the first thing that will happen is skin shedding. Depending on the retinoid type, dose, and the health of your skin to start with, this may mean anything from needing to exfoliate in the morning, to having to go to hospital with what looks like the world’s worst sunburn. For this reason, it is recommended to start with weaker products and lower doses, and work up carefully.
A note on doses: the recommended doses for these products are always truly tiny, like “use a pea-sized amount of this 0.05% serum on your face”. Take them seriously until you’re absolutely sure from experience that your skin can handle more.
Also, a tip: wear gloves when you apply any of the above products. This is because your fingers are also covered in skin, and if you don’t use gloves, then half the product that you intended for your face will be absorbed into your fingers instead. On the bright side, you’ll have beautifully rejuvenated fingertips, though.
You can learn more about the science of retinoids here, in our article about tretinoin, the usually prescription-only form of retinoic acid:
Tretinoin: Undo The Sun’s Damage To Your Skin
Want to try some?
We don’t sell it, but here for your convenience is an example product of retinal (stronger than retinol) on Amazon 😎
Take care!
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- Retinoids are the overall class of chemicals, and not a specific type
