Hacker News with Generative AI: Nutrition

Healthy Diets Linked to Holistic Healthy Aging in Long-Term Harvard Study (thecrimson.com)
Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that certain dietary patterns — such as avoiding processed foods and eating a balance of animal and plant-based foods — promote healthy aging after 30 years, according to a long-term study published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine.
Medical Benchmarks and the Myth of the Universal Patient (newyorker.com)
When my daughter was ten and a half months old, she qualified as “wasted,” which UNICEF describes as “the most immediate, visible and life-threatening form of malnutrition.”
Study casts doubt on gluten as cause of gut ailments among non-coeliacs (theguardian.com)
People who report being gluten intolerant but do not have coeliac disease may be experiencing gut symptoms unrelated to gluten intake, new research suggests.
Non-caloric sweetener Sucralose stimulates greater hunger response (nature.com)
Sucralose, a widely used non-caloric sweetener, provides sweet taste without calories.
Short-term dietary changes can lead to obesity, shows research (theconversation.com)
After a long, stressful day at work, or when pressed for time, the temptation to have a quick, satisfying snack – like crisps or a chocolate bar – can be strong. Research shows that these ultra-processed, high-calorie foods play a significant role in the development of obesity, but the lasting effects these foods have on the brain was not clear – until now.
% of calories from carbs is a robust predictor of overweight prevalence (twitter.com)
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
Ultra-processed babies: are toddler snacks one of the food scandals of our time? (theguardian.com)
For time-poor parents, straws, sticks, pouches and powders can seem like a quick, convenient and even healthy option. But these oversweetened, mushy foods are creating a generation of choosy consumers whose teeth are already rotting
Replacing butter with plant-based oils cuts premature death risk by 17 percent (news.harvard.edu)
Substituting butter with plant-based oils daily may lower risk of premature death by up to 17 percent, according to a new study out of Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute.
Immune cells convert bacteria into critical nutrients, scientists discover (medicalxpress.com)
Immune cells that eat bacteria in the body don't stash them in specialized compartments as once thought, but turn them into critical nutrients that build proteins, create energy and keep the cells alive, according to a new study from scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Magnesium Self-Experiments (gwern.net)
The elemental metal magnesium (Examine.com), like lithium or potassium (which didn’t help me & damaged my sleep), plays many biological roles and has an RDA for me of 400mg which is higher than I likely get (most people apparently get less, with 68% of American adults <RDA; and while I frequently eat oats, milk, peanut butter, and whole-wheat bread, I don’t eat many leafy greens and my tap water is very soft).
Kennedy and influencers bash seed oils, baffling nutrition scientists (apnews.com)
Until recently, most Americans had never heard the term “seed oils,” even though they’ve likely cooked with and consumed them for decades.
Emulsifiers Make Food More Appealing. Do They Also Make You Sick? (wsj.com)
They keep salad dressing from separating, ice cream from dripping and muffins from hardening. Emulsifiers, used to improve the texture of food, are in all sorts of products. But there is growing concern about the potential health risks from eating them.
Short-term high-caloric diet has prolonged effects on men's brain insulin action (nature.com)
Brain insulin responsiveness is linked to long-term weight gain and unhealthy body fat distribution. Here we show that short-term overeating with calorie-rich sweet and fatty foods triggers liver fat accumulation and disrupted brain insulin action that outlasted the time-frame of its consumption in healthy weight men.
'Healthy' Vitamin B12 Levels Not Enough to Ward Off Neuro Decline (ucsf.edu)
Meeting the minimum requirement for vitamin B12, needed to make DNA, red blood cells and nerve tissue, may not actually be enough – particularly if you are older. It may even put you at risk for cognitive impairment.
Low-carb diets work. Why does American Diabetes Assoc. push insulin? (2024) (theguardian.com)
For a glimpse into how big business influences the $4tn US healthcare system, look no further than the world’s most powerful diabetes advocacy and research non-profit, the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
Gut microbiota functions:metabolism of nutrients and other food components(2017) (nlm.nih.gov)
The diverse microbial community that inhabits the human gut has an extensive metabolic repertoire that is distinct from, but complements the activity of mammalian enzymes in the liver and gut mucosa and includes functions essential for host digestion.
Daily omega-3 fatty acids may help human organs stay young (medicalxpress.com)
Consuming one gram of omega-3 per day may slow down the rate of biological aging in humans, according to an analysis of data from a clinical trial involving over 700 older adults over a three-year period.
Can Dieting Lead to Long-Term Weight Loss? (nytimes.com)
Dieting has long been viewed as the path to smaller bodies and better health. Stick to the right diet, the $75 billion U.S. weight loss industry may have you think, and you, too, can lose weight and keep it off.
The Mediterranean diet is a lie (politico.eu)
It’s the most famous diet in the world.
Omega-3s Can Slow Down Aging Process (news.uzh.ch)
A daily intake of one gram of omega-3s can slow down biological aging by up to four months, according to an analysis of clinical data from the international DO-HEALTH study led by the University of Zurich. For the first time, epigenetic clocks were used to measure the aging process.
Why the WHO has recommended switching to a healthier salt alternative (theconversation.com)
This week the World Health Organization (WHO) released new guidelines recommending people switch the regular salt they use at home for substitutes containing less sodium.
An omega-3 dose a day could slow ageing process, 'healthspan' trial finds (theguardian.com)
A daily dose of omega-3 oils may slow the ageing process, according to a major clinical trial of interventions that aim to extend humans’ healthspan – the number of years spent in good health before a decline in old age.
Adding iodine to salt played a role in cognitive improvements: research (2013) (discovermagazine.com)
Iodized salt is so commonplace in the U.S. today that you may never have given the additive a second thought. But new research finds that humble iodine has played a substantial role in cognitive improvements seen across the American population in the 20th century.
Diet and cancer: What we know and what we don't (dietdoctor.com)
Humans have been attempting to link diet and health since the dawn of time, or at least the dawn of written records.
Doctors worry that iodine deficiency – a problem from the past – is coming back (apnews.com)
Doctors worry that iodine deficiency — a dietary problem from the past — is coming back
Higher potassium intake at dinner linked to fewer sleep disturbances – study (nutraingredients-asia.com)
A Japanese study underscores the potential of higher potassium intake, particularly at dinner time, in relation to improved sleep.
Drinking green tea linked to fewer white matter lesions in brains of olderAdults (medicalxpress.com)
Research led by the Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences has reported a significant connection between higher green tea consumption and fewer cerebral white matter lesions in older adults without dementia.
What I Learned (and Unlearned) Reading 10 Books on Nutrition (scotthyoung.com)
As I write this, I’m in the final stretch of the fourth month of my Foundations project.
Lead and cadmium found in muscle-building protein powders (cleanlabelproject.org)
Study finds unexpected benefit to plant-based diet (independent.co.uk)
Swapping out meat and dairy can do more than just help animals and the planet, according to a new study that shows a vegan diet can transform your gut and metabolism.