Newsletter #84: Better Night Vision, Blood Lipids, and DEXA Scans 🩸
Hello Friends!
Welcome to the latest edition of the humanOS newsletter! 🤓 We hope everyone is having an awesome weekend. Here is where we share our work, plus the various studies and media that caught our attention this week.
This Week’s Research Highlights
🐠 Supplementation with EPA and DHA may improve night vision.
19 participants were asked to identify a series of numbers shown to them on a handheld meter. The numbers were displayed in ever-decreasing brightness, as a way to test dark adaptation capability of the eyes. Then, researchers had the subjects take four omega-3 tablets every day for four weeks (each containing 260 mg DHA and 780 EPA). After the course of fish oil, participants were able to identify numbers that were 25% fainter than before on average. Fatty acid levels in the blood were linked to changes in visual capability. Six weeks after finishing the omega-3 regimen, night vision returned to baseline levels.
🦠 Supplementation with specific beneficial bacteria may fight metabolic syndrome.
Researchers administered Akkermansia muciniphila to 40 volunteers with overweight/obesity and insulin resistance. Compared to placebo, supplementation with A. muciniphila improved insulin sensitivity (+28.62 ± 7.02%), reduced insulinemia (−34.08 ± 7.12%) and lowered plasma total cholesterol (−8.68 ± 2.38%). After three months of use, the probiotic also reduced levels of biomarkers for liver inflammation and dysfunction.
🚰 Hydration status may influence cognitive performance.
Researchers used data from a representative sample of 1271 women and 1235 men (all 60 years or older). Prior to performing a series of cognitive tests, participants were asked about food and beverage intake, and hydration status was assessed from a blood sample using calculated serum osmolarity. In the female participants, lower hydration status and lower water intake was found to be associated with poorer performance on a task designed to measure motor speed, sustained attention, and working memory.
New humanOS Content
On this episode of humanOS Radio, Dan talks with Jason Belvill. Jason is the CEO and Co-founder of BodySpec, a company that offers DEXA scans on the West Coast.
DEXA (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) has been demonstrated to be one of the most reliable ways to estimate body composition, and offers a number of advantages over other methods. For one thing, the scan is able to differentiate between fat, bone, and fat-free mass. This means that it not only can distinguish between fat and lean tissue, unlike a scale, but it is also not subject to errors associated with variations in bone density. DEXA can also provide measurements for specific areas of the body, meaning that it can highlight differences in where fat is distributed (like visceral versus subcutaneous adipose tissue), or even imbalances in muscular development due to past injury.
So what’s special about BodySpec? Well, BodySpec offers the least expensive DEXA scans available in the country as far as I know ($45 per scan, compared to $100 or more at other providers). They also perform RMR (resting metabolic rate) tests and VO2 max tests at some locations, so you can gain a lot of insight into your body and your performance if you pay them a visit. But what truly sets BodySpec apart is that they are mobile. BodySpec has a fleet of DEXA scan trucks that can be booked at gyms, offices, and events throughout the west coast. So you can go to their storefront, or they can come to you. Pretty cool.
Services like BodySpec make it easy to precisely quantify your body fat, muscle, and bone density, and then track over time how your training and diet regimen is affecting all different regions of the body. To learn more about the merits of DEXA, and why you might want to get a DEXA scan yourself, check out the interview!
Podcasts We Loved This Week
- Michael Rosenfeld: Lipids, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Via the Science of Nutrition Podcast. (This is an old one but good and still largely relevant)
- Brian Ference: Understanding lipids and cardiovascular risk through Mendelian randomization. Via JAMA Network.
Products We Are Enjoying
Simple Truth Organic Mint Yerba Maté.
Ginny says: Maté is rich in bioactive compounds - most notably caffeine and theobromine. So, it’s great for studying or concentrating on a writing project. 🤓 I like this brand in particular because the mint complements the flavor of the maté, and makes your breath smell nice. Plus it’s easy to find at Kroger (or Vitacost if you don’t live in Kroger country).