Welcome to the positive corner of the internet. Every weekday, we make sense of the confusing world of wellness by analyzing the headlines, simplifying the latest research, and offering quick tips designed to make you healthier in less than 5 minutes. If you were forwarded this message, you can get the free daily email here.
Today’s Health Upgrade
The longevity cocktail
The “seed oil” and cancer study
Are you built for less sleep?
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Health
The Longevity Cocktail
The right ingredients — but not necessarily many ingredients — can make any recipe taste good. And the same logic applies to your health.
Recent research found that combining resistance training and whey protein can help you age better and fight off one of the biggest threats to longevity.
Aging gracefully is oftentimes a matter of mastering the little things. Prior studies have found that your walking speed is a good indicator of how long you might live. That’s because the slower you walk, the more likely you are to suffer from strength decreases, cognitive decline, weakness, falls, disability, and — ultimately — mortality.
So, the current study reviewed 18 randomized controlled trials to understand what helps with healthier aging, gait speed, and longevity.
The scientists found that resistance training and whey protein were a longevity cocktail that led to more favorable results, including better gait speed than resistance training alone.
And that should come as no surprise. The past forty years of research have found that whey protein and resistance training are perfect partners for building muscle, increasing strength, supporting improved recovery, and helping fight against age-related decline.
Before you purchase a whey protein, double-check the ingredients. If you use a whey protein concentrate, you might get much less protein than you think.
You can think of “concentrate” as a way to grade the purity of a protein. Whey protein concentrates can be anywhere from 20 percent to 80 percent protein by weight — but you don’t always know what you’re getting. That means you might be getting much less protein than what you see on the label.
That’s why we recommend purchasing whey protein isolate, which is typically standardized at 90% protein (and, at worst, 87 percent protein). That way, you know you’re giving your body the quality protein it desires.
If you’re looking for the highest quality whey protein, we recommend Momentous Whey, which only uses whey protein isolate.
And — as of yesterday — Momentous dropped the price of their premium whey by $10 despite significant increases in the raw cost of whey protein. And, as a member of The Pump Club, you get an additional 20% OFF your order when you use the code “PumpClub.”
Spotlight
About That “Seed Oil” And Cancer Study
Last week, headlines caused fear when it was reported that seed oils were the cause of an increase in colon cancer. Many of you emailed us for clarity.
We reviewed the study and found something surprising: the latest study on seed oils was not a study about seed oils.
So before you worry, let’s explain what was actually and how you might want to adjust your diet (or not at all).
Scientists examined 40 frozen biopsies from cancerous tumors to better understand their composition. They looked at the cells and found different lipids (fats), specifically linoleic/arachidonic acid. It’s an interesting finding that leads to many new questions for future research.
However, it was then reported that seed oils were the culprit. But there was just one big issue with that claim:
In the words of immunologist Andrea Love (who wrote a detailed breakdown of the study that we highly recommend), “The study didn’t look at any sort of dietary contributors in the context of colorectal cancer, seed oil, ultra-processed foods, or otherwise.”
Let that sink in: seed oils were not a part of the study or assessed in any way. But because “linoleic acid” was found in cancer cells, people assumed the cancer was caused by seed oils (which also contain linoleic acids).
Not only is that inaccurate, but jumping to that conclusion would be a mistake for many reasons.
Your lipid metabolism (specifically your arachidonic acid metabolism, which was affected in the cancerous cells) does not reflect how much omega-6 fatty acids you consume. According to human research (not petri dishes), only about 0.2% of linoleic acid we ingest is converted into arachidonic acid.
But for the sake of the argument (and many people are making this argument), let’s say eating more linoleic acid (lots of it over time) might affect arachidonic acid metabolism. Would it be fair to assume seed oils could cause more colorectal cancer? The answer is still no, and here’s why.
While many people link linoleic acids to ultra-processed foods and seed oils, those foods are not the only source of linoleic acid.
Dr. Love points out that arachidonic acid is also found in meat, egg yolks, certain fishes, nuts, seeds, and even tofu.
That’s why the current study makes it implausible (if not impossible) to blame one food, especially because other variables could have influenced what was found in the cancerous cells.
We’ve mentioned many times that we believe in limiting ultra-processed foods. And we’ve told you that if you are worried about seed oils, remove them or cut back. This is your body, and there are plenty of alternatives.
But, based on the research we have — not just hypotheticals — there is no substantial evidence that seed oils cause cancer. We even have research showing that canola oil (a seed oil) can be more cardioprotective than olive oil and reduces LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol.
We’ll be the first to let you know if there's clear evidence of danger. But oftentimes, the headlines spread the inaccurate facts. Our job is to make sense of it so you can be more informed and make the best decisions for your health without being misled.
What We’re Reading
Are You Built For Less Sleep?
The read: The Ones Who Need Little Sleep
Some individuals, known as natural short sleepers, thrive on just four to six hours of sleep per night without experiencing the negative effects typically associated with sleep deprivation.
Research indicates that this unique trait is linked to specific genetic mutations, such as those in the DEC2 and ADRB1 genes, which alter sleep regulation mechanisms. These natural short sleepers often exhibit enhanced memory recall, increased productivity, and greater resilience.
But the interesting part to us?
Could these short sleepers help us better understand cognitive disorders?
From the article,
Recent studies from Fu and Ptáček suggest that naturally short sleepers may be more efficient at removing toxic brain aggregates that contribute to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.
If nothing else, this is a fascinating look at how gene mutations change how we function — and how those changes can lead to new health breakthroughs.
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
