Newsletter #142: Drink Coffee, But Maybe Skip the Doughnut ☕
Welcome to the newest edition of the humanOS newsletter!
This week, we gained some more insight into how dietary components relate to chronic disease. We learned that fried food is bad for cardiovascular health in a dose-dependent manner (I know, not exactly a shocker), but drinking coffee may protect the heart. We also discovered that eating a diet rich in vitamins C and E - along with being a generally good idea - may help prevent Parkinson’s disease.
To learn more, scroll down 👇🏼
This Week’s Research Highlights
🍟 Fried food is bad for your heart - and the more you eat, the worse it gets.
Researchers performed a meta-analysis of observational studies to investigate the link between fried food intake and risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in the general population. They pooled the data from 17 relevant studies (n=562445) to assess the role of fried food in cardiovascular disease risk. After adjusting for various participant characteristics, the analysis found that the highest category of weekly fried food consumption was associated with a 28% higher risk of major cardiovascular events (heart attack or stroke), a 22% higher risk of coronary heart disease, and a 37% higher risk of heart failure. Importantly, the analysis revealed a linear dose-response relationship between fried food intake and poor cardiovascular health, with cardiovascular risk rising with each additional 114 gram weekly serving. Fried food is probably bad for the cardiovascular system for multiple (relatively obvious) reasons: It tends to increase energy intake because of the fat content (and how tasty it is); it is often high in particularly atherogenic fats like saturated and trans fats; and cooking with high heat tends to generate advanced glycation end-products, which contribute to inflammation and oxidative stress.
☕ Drinking espresso, on the other hand, is linked to lower risk of dying from heart disease.
Researchers longitudinally analyzed data on a large Italian cohort of individuals who were free from cardiovascular disease and cancer at the onset of the study (n=20487). Dietary data were collected via a 188-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and coffee intake specifically was standardized to a 30-mL Italian espresso shot size. Participants were divided into five different categories of coffee consumption: less than 1 cup/day (no/rare coffee), >1 to ≤2 cups/day, >2 to ≤3/day, >3 to ≤4/day, and >4 cups/day. The researchers found that all levels of coffee intake were associated with lowered mortality, but the sweet spot appeared to be at a moderate intake of 3-4 cups per day, which was associated with 28% lower risk of all-cause mortality and 37% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality, compared to no/rare coffee consumption.
The researchers determined that circulating levels of N-terminal pro B–type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP), a peptide produced by heart muscle in response to changes in pressure inside the heart, were a major mediating factor, explaining up to 26.4% of the association between coffee and all-cause mortality.
🍊 A diet rich in vitamins C and E may reduce risk of Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers followed men and women from a large Swedish cohort (n=43865) over a mean follow-up time of almost eighteen years. Participants completed a survey at the beginning of the study about their medical history, diet, and physical activity. After adjusting for potential confounding variables (age, physical activity, BMI, etc), the researchers found that subjects in the highest tertile of both vitamins C and E intake were at 38% lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease over the course of the study, compared to those in the lowest tertile. Why? The researchers attribute this beneficial to the antioxidant properties of vitamins C and E. Oxidative stress in the brain is thought to lead to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, which in turn leads to the characteristic motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Thus, it is possible that antioxidant vitamins in the diet may help shield brain cells from this oxidative damage. Important caveat: This study was looking at vitamin C and E in the diet, not supplements, and it is not clear if consuming these vitamins in supplement form would produce the same benefits.
Question of the Week
🤔 How do lobsters communicate with one another? (It’s a method you probably shouldn’t try to emulate)
💡 Answer
Podcasts We Loved This Week
- Sinduja Srinivasan, Anna Rothschild, & Maggie Koerth: Answers To All (Or At Least Some) Of Your COVID-19 Vaccine Questions. Via Podcast-19 by FiveThirtyEight.
- Rama Rao Amara & Maria Elena Bottazzi: How Did A Vaccine Get Developed In Less Than A Year? Via Science Friday.
- Vineet Menachery: Coronavirus Mutations. Via Social Distance.
Products We Are Enjoying
French Press
This press is an easy and inexpensive way to make coffee, but I also like to use it for loose teas, like peppermint or yerba mate.
