Newsletter #002: Plastic fibers from food 🍔
Welcome to the second edition of the humanOS.me newsletter!
This Week We Released….
- Micro-Course: How to keep your body clock on time. By Greg Potter, MS, Ph.D. (c).
- Podcasts: Using known biological mechanisms to keep our tissues youthful (Guest Ira Pastor, CEO Bioquark).
- New Feature: Box Breathing Tool on your humanOS.me Dashboard. Set a timer for 2, 5, or 10 minutes. This breathing technique helps increase parasympathetic activity in your autonomic nervous system, slowing your heart rate and resulting in a relaxed and focused state. Do it multiple times per day to help you concentrate and be productive! To activate this tile, go to Add Tiles at the bottom of your Dashboard and click Add Tiles.
This Week’s Research Highlights
🦠 Dietary fiber intake modulates the immune system.
A preclinical study published in the journal Immunity found that dietary fiber increases survival in influenza-infected mice by setting the immune system at a healthy level of responsiveness. A high-fiber diet blunts harmful, excessive immune responses in the lungs while boosting antiviral immunity by activating T cells. These dual benefits were mediated by changes in the composition of gut bacteria, leading to an increase in the production of short-chain fatty acids through the microbial fermentation of dietary fiber. The study suggests that the modern Western diet, low in fiber and high in sugar and fat, could increase susceptibility to inflammatory diseases while decreasing protection against infections.
♻️ We are eating plastics.
In this study, researchers collected mussels from eight places in Scotland to see what kinds of plastic were in them. On average, there were 3.2 pieces of plastic in each Mytilus mussel. But, the number of pieces depended on how much the mussel weighed. The researchers found people who eat more shellfish might eat up to 4620 pieces of plastic per year. However, the risk of eating plastic from mussels is very small compared to the risk of breathing in tiny pieces of plastic in dust around the house during meals. The presence of these plastic particles in food raises concerns about their potential health effects, such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and the possibility of ingesting harmful chemicals.
😐 Resistance training to reduce depressive symptoms
In this paper, resistance exercise training was found to significantly reduce depressive symptoms among adults, regardless of health status, total prescribed volume of resistance exercise training, or significant improvements in strength. There were no significant associations between the total volume of prescribed resistance exercise training, participant health status, or strength improvements and the antidepressant effect of resistance exercise training. However, smaller reductions in depressive symptoms were derived from randomized clinical trials with blinded allocation and/or assessment. The available empirical evidence supports resistance exercise training as an alternative and/or adjuvant therapy for depressive symptoms.
Podcasts We Loved This Week
- Zachary Stein, Ph.D. - Beyond IQ, Understanding Intelligence and Higher Stages of Human Development. By The Collective Insights Podcast from the Neurohacker Collective.
- Professor Keith Baar - Part 1 - Muscle, MTOR, PGC-1alpha, Dystrophin, and the Benefits Of Chocolate. By Dawn Kernagis and Ken Ford at STEM Talk, Episode 62.
- Professor Keith Baar - Part 2 - Collagen Synthesis, Ketogenic Diet, MTORC1 Signaling, Autophagy, Post-Strength Training Nutrition, and More. By Dawn Kernagis and Ken Ford at STEM Talk, Episode 63.
Products We Are Enjoying
KetoBrownie.
Dan says: These are, bar none, my favorite bars of all time. They are very high in fiber, high in protein, no sugar, have a list of natural ingredients, taste amazing, and keep me full for hours!
New Documentary
The Human Longevity Project
This new documentary film takes you on an exciting journey around the globe to learn from the world's healthiest centenarians–and shows you how to apply their ancient wisdom to your modern life. Dan from the humanOS.me team was proud to be included as an expert in this film. Congratulations to Jason Prall and the team for pulling this off!