Newsletter #70: Can Red Wine Enhance the Gut Microbiota? 🍷
Hello Friends!
Welcome to the latest edition of the humanOS newsletter. Here, as always, is where we share our work, plus the various studies and media that caught our attention this week. 🤓
This Week’s Research Highlights
🏃♂️ Physical activity early in the day can boost brain performance.
Researchers compared the effects of physical activity versus prolonged sitting on cognitive function in a group of sedentary older adults. Participants who performed a morning bout of moderate-intensity exercise, combined with walking breaks throughout the day, showed improved cognitive performance (working memory, executive function) as well as higher BDNF levels, compared to subjects who sat for the whole day.
💡 Blue-enriched morning light exposure helps students to stay awake and alert.
Fifteen university students underwent an hour of morning light exposure to both warm (3,500 K) and blue-enriched (6,500 K) white lights, both at recommended illuminance levels for classrooms and lecture halls (500 lux). Students in the blue-enriched room experienced a significantly greater drop in melatonin levels (a good thing in the morning!), and experienced significantly improved alertness, mood, and visual comfort.
🏋️♀️ Interrupting sedentary time with basic exercises lowers postprandial insulinemia.
Participants visited the lab on two separate occasions. On one session, they performed 6 hours of uninterrupted sitting, and on the other session they performed 6 hours of sitting, interrupted with 3-minute bouts of simple resistance exercises every 30 minutes. When subjects performed the sitting with resistance exercise, postprandial insulin response was reduced by 26% and the iAUC for insulin: glucose was lowered by 23%.
👊 Poor grip strength may be a sign of impaired cognition and memory in older adults.
Researchers followed 13828 older adults from the Health and Retirement Study for eight years. They found that every 5-kilogram reduction in handgrip strength - measured with a hand-held dynamometer - was associated with 10% greater odds of cognitive impairment, and 18% greater odds for severe cognitive impairment.
🍷 Red wine may enhance the gut microbiota.
Researchers compared the effect of various types of alcoholic beverages on the gut microbiota and subsequent health in a group of 916 female twins. The gut microbiota of red wine drinkers was more diverse than that of non-red wine drinkers. Additionally, red wine consumption was associated with lower levels of obesity, and lower levels of HDL, which appeared to be related to alterations in gut bugs. The researchers attribute this effect to the polyphenols in red wine, which serve as fuel for beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract.
Podcasts We Loved This Week
- Ian Dunican: The Impacts of Caffeine On Sleep & Circadian Rhythms in Athletes. Via Dr. Bubbs' Performance Podcast.
- Elise Facer-Childs: Circadian Phenotypes, Brain Function & Athletic Performance. Via Sigma Nutrition Radio.
- Amy Bender: Why sleep is vital to your sports and fitness regime. Via Sleep Junkies.
Products We Are Enjoying
Sleep mask.
Ginny says: This sleep mask is super soft and fully adjustable, ensuring a comfortable fit without pressing too hard on your face or your eyeballs (a problem I’ve encountered with other sleep masks). It’s also huge, like almost ridiculously big, so it can block out all light even if you’re wearing it pretty loosely like I prefer. Plenty of color options too!