White Box Nutrition (2025)

29/01/2023

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘃𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘁? 𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲

An often cited reason for cutting out meat is as part of anti-inflammatory diet.

Inflammation is natural process, and not inherently harmful.

Chronic inflammation, however may be linked with a variety of conditions including cardiovascular disease and dementia.

𝗦𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘁?

The first issue is that imitation meat (despite it's claims of being 'natural') is highly processed. There are a lot of steps required to turn pea protein, vegetable oil, starch, flavouring agents etc into something that resembles a burger.

36 participants took part in a study where they ate two portions per day of animal meat or plant-based imitation meat.

The blood levels of 92 different proteins that are considered to be biomarkers of inflammation were measured.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟵𝟮 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Other theories exist regarding a possible link between animal meat and inflammation, but for now it's safe to ignore claims that plant-based meat substitutes are inherently less inflammatory.

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Paul, coach at White Box Nutrition

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Crimarco A et al. Assessing the effects of alternative plant-based meats v. animal meats on biomarkers of inflammation: a secondary analysis of the SWAP-MEAT randomized crossover trial. J Nutr Sci. 2022 Sep 23;11:e82. doi: 10.1017/jns.2022.84.

15/01/2023

𝗡𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻.

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

80 participants with an average age of 30 were split into two groups.

Group one ate 30g of nuts (a mix of walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts per day.

Group two ate a placebo in the form of inert capsules.

After the first phase, there was a four week wash out and the groups were flipped.

All participants took part in 12 different cognitive tests which aimed to measure factors such as attention, memory and cognitive function.

The theory is that nuts (being high in fiber and ) can alter gut . The gut-brain axis is a hot topic of research, with many studies looking into whether what we eat can impact how well our brain works.

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀

The nut group significantly outperformed the placebo on two tests - picture recognition and the peg and ball test. Both tests focus on executive function.

Should we all start snacking on nuts for limitless brain power? Probably not. There is a long way to go with this research before we have a firm idea of how the gut-brain axis really works.

However nuts have plenty of good qualities, and providing you're aware of the calories contained within there's no harm in eating nuts regularly.

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Paul, coach at White Box Nutrition

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Crystal F Haskell-Ramsay et al., Mixed Tree Nuts, Cognition, and Gut Microbiota: A 4-Week, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Crossover Trial in Healthy Nonelderly Adults, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 152, Issue 12, December 2022, Pages 2778–2788, doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxac228

06/01/2023

𝗖𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁?

Beetroot has been touted as an aid for sporting performance, recovery and various other positive effects.

The theory is that the nitrates in beetroot are metabolized into nitric acid (NO) by the body, which uses it for a variety of helpful jobs such as improving blood flow and reducing inflammation.

A recent analysis of 15 studies and 320 participants focused on the potential benefits of beetroot for recovering from exercise-related fatigue.

𝗕𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟱 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗮𝘅 𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁/𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Whilst this looks like a clear win, there are some issues. The fifteen studies varied in design, exercises used, times of taking the supplement, types of participant etc. It was also impossible to do a true meta-analysis of the data.

As such, the standard advice applies. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 (𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹), 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗴𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁!

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Paul, coach at White Box Nutrition

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Gamonales JM et al. Effectiveness of Nitrate Intake on Recovery from Exercise-Related Fatigue: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 23;19(19):12021. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191912021. PMID: 36231323; PMCID: PMC9566188.

04/01/2023

𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

New year, new goals. For many, one goal will be to overcome some sort of challenge they're facing.

Solution focused therapy has some superb tools in it's toolbox, and one of my favourites is the miracle question, credited to Steve de Shazer.

Say you're dealing with a challenge at the moment and not sure how to tackle it. Ask yourself...

“𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱? 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱?”

What will be the first thing you notice?

What else would tell you that things are different?

What might others see in you that would tell them that the miracle has happened?

The question comes in all sorts of flavours and each can be very powerful.

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Paul, coach at White Box Nutrition

02/01/2023

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀

Drop sets can give a pump like nothing else and they certainly feel like they're doing something.

But do they increase strength and size more effectively than regular straight sets?

One meta-analysis attempted to answer that question. After analysing 5 good quality studies the results showed...

𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲.

Drop sets do score an extra point however, as they allow the same level of gains to be made in shorter training sessions, which can be useful for people on a busy schedule.

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Paul, coach at White Box Nutrition

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Coleman, M. et al. (2022). Muscular Adaptations in Drop Set vs. Traditional Training: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 2(1). doi.org/10.47206/ijsc.v2i1.135

30/12/2022

𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴

When we diet and end up in a calorie deficit, the body reacts by slowing down the calories it burns on autopilot to keep you alive. You'll hear this referred to metabolic adaptation or adaptive thermogenesis.

It's a safety mechanism the body uses to help prevent you starving to death.

One study looked compared two diets, one where participants consumed 25% of their daily calories as protein (High Protein / HP), and one where they consumed 15% from protein (Moderate Protein / MP).

The results showed that 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗣 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 (𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁) 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗣 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝟱𝟬 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆.

This may indicate that the higher protein intake (and higher thermic effect of food from protein) helps the body burn more calories per day and offset any adaptive thermogenesis caused by the dieting.

Also protein is known to be more filling (satiating) than other macronutrients, so the particiapnts likely felt fuller for longer and less likely to snack/eat larger meals.

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Paul, coach at White Box Nutrition

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Drummen M et al. High Compared with Moderate Protein Intake Reduces Adaptive Thermogenesis and Induces a Negative Energy Balance during Long-term Weight-Loss Maintenance in Participants with Prediabetes in the Postobese State: A PREVIEW Study. J Nutr. 2020 Mar 1;150(3):458-463. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxz281.

22/12/2022

𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘅𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

I'm fortunate to be able to work from home. It has many perks but there is a risk that you spend 24/7 in the same four walls and forget what the outside world looks like.

I've mentioned the benefits of before, but here's a new study that adds more evidence to support it.

63 participants were split into two groups. Half went for a one hour walk through the city, the other for an hour stroll through a natural/'urban forest' setting.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗺𝘆𝗴𝗱𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

Amygdala activation is linked with processing emotions and social interaction. It's also believed to play a role in deciding what sensory input to pay attention to and how to respond (e.g. fight, flight or freeze).

It appears natural settings help reduce the level of sensory input that requires processing and allows the amygdala (and person who owns it!) to relax.

When was the last time you took a wander in the woods?

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Paul, coach at White Box Nutrition

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Sudimac S, Sale V, Kühn S. How nature nurtures: Amygdala activity decreases as the result of a one-hour walk in nature. Mol Psychiatry. 2022 Nov;27(11):4446-4452. doi: 10.1038/s41380-022-01720-6. Epub 2022 Sep 5. PMID: 36059042; PMCID: PMC9734043.

17/12/2022

𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁, 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴?

One study split participants into 3 groups. These groups did either...

7.5 hours of uninterrupted sitting (SIT),
7.5 hours of sitting interspersed with 15 body-weight squats every 30 minutes (SQUAT) or
7.5 hours of sitting interspersed with 2 minutes of walking every 30 minutes (WALK)

𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗧 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗞 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗞 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲.

Why does this matter?

Our modern lifestyle is largely sedentary and researches are looking for the minimal effective dose for exercise. Can we get the population moving, even just a little bit? These super-short bouts of activity have become known as

Another study found that performing five 4-second cycle sprints every hour less than 3 minutes total per day) can prevent some of the adverse metabolic effects of inactivity.

20 seconds of elevated heart rate every 1-4 hours can significantly improve cardiovascular and metabolic health.

A bit more than this would be better, but the key takeaway is that something (no matter how short) is better than nothing.

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Moore DR et al. Walking or body weight squat "activity snacks" increase dietary amino acid utilization for myofibrillar protein synthesis during prolonged sitting. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2022 Sep 1;133(3):777-785. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00106.2022. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35952344.

11/12/2022

𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 (𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿) 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲

One study examined the association between weight lifting, cardiovascular exercise and all-cause mortality in 100,000 American adults, over the course of 10 years.

23% of participants reported having weight trained during the previous 12 months (16% lifted weights 1–6 times per week).

31.6% met or exceeded WHO recommendations for cardiovascular exercises (150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic per week).

This information was compared to all-cause mortality (the chance of dying from any cause).

𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
𝟭–𝟮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸: 𝟭𝟰% 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹-𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝟭𝟱% 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲.
𝟯–𝟳+ 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 : 𝟳% 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹-𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

Amazing results, but check out the difference for people who did weight training and hit or exceeded cardiovascular exercise guidelines.

𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗩 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲 & 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸
𝟭–𝟮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 𝟰𝟭% 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸
𝟭–𝟮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 𝟰𝟳% 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸

Whatever way you look at it, weights and cardio are a dream team for living longer.

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Gorzelitz J et al. Independent and joint associations of weightlifting and aerobic activity with all-cause, cardiovascular disease and cancer mortality in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. British Journal of Sports Medicine 2022;56:1277-1283.

07/12/2022

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘃𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

"𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲"

Your nutrition spidey sense is probably already tingling.

Take 140 participants, split them into two groups. Both groups fast overnight. Group 1 gets almonds to snack on, Group 2 gets an apple snack bar. Both have the same calorie content.

Both groups get offered a buffet meal later in the day, where the almond eaters consume 71 less calories than the bar eaters.

An interesting study for sure, especially as the almonds seem to impact appetite regulating hormones and feelings of fullness better than the snack bar.

But no, TV presenters and bloggers of the world, this does not mean we should "eat nuts to lose weight".

Especially as having a bag of nuts in the house and expecting people to consistently and accurately limit their intake to 30-50g is unreasonable. Seriously. Look at the size of a 30g portion of nuts. A squirrel eats more than that.

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Sharayah Carter et al. Acute feeding with almonds compared to a carbohydrate-based snack improves appetite-regulating hormones with no effect on self-reported appetite sensations: a randomised controlled trial. European Journal of Nutrition, 2022; DOI: 10.1007/s00394-022-03027-2

03/12/2022

𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀? 𝗦𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼.

Researchers selected 152 studies that looked at what happens when you add or remove a single type of food to someone's diet.

For example, having more grains, or more nuts, or fish.

Together, these studies involved just under 10,000 participants.

And what did they find?

Nothing at all.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀, 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗯𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗙𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱.

Picking on single food types or food groups is only good for one thing - launching a 'new' diet system that's totally unlike the others and definitely not just the same old rubbish with a different name.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆.

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Jayedi, A., Ge, L., Johnston, B.C. et al. Comparative effectiveness of single foods and food groups on body weight: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of 152 randomized controlled trials. Eur J Nutr (2022). doi.org/10.1007/s00394-022-03046-z

26/11/2022

𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗕𝗖𝗔𝗔/𝗘𝗔𝗔 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸.

However, there is one amino acid that deserves special mention - 𝗟𝗲𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲.

Think of the process of muscle growth as one that needs a signal to begin. Leucine plays a key role in sending that signal.

It's a super complex process. To get some idea how complex, Google "mTor signalling pathway".

While we may not fully understand all the intricacies of the process, there is a key takeaway when it comes to the role of leucine in muscle growth (aka muscle protein synthesis / hypertrophy).

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬-𝟰𝟬𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟯-𝟰𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲.

Leucine works best when consuming adequate protein at the same time.

Internet battles rage over the exact amount of leucine to have, but 4g seems to be a sweet spot. It works better than consuming less, and more than this seems to offer little or no added benefit.

We're still talking marginal gains though, and 99% of the muscle growth will come from consuming enough protein.

Still, leucine is an interesting topic to dive into and may be particularly useful for older people who start to experience age related muscle loss ( ).

It's quite easy to find the leucine content of foods online, so have a look at what you're consuming from one of your regular meals.

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Kramer FI et al. Both basal and post-prandial muscle protein synthesis rates, following the ingestion of a leucine-enriched whey protein supplement, are not impaired in sarcopenic older males. Clin Nutr. (2017) 36:1440–9. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2016.09.023

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