{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1","title":"Stephen Ajulu","home_page_url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/","feed_url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/categories/health/feed.json","description":"Hello, I'm Stephen Ajulu, a seasoned multidisciplinary tech professional with over a decade of experience. I build impactful solutions using design, tech, and engineering in the pursuit of impact.","icon":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/me.jpg","authors":[{"name":"Stephen Ajulu","url":"https://stephenajulu.com","avatar":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/me.jpg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/red-meat-friend-or-foe/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/red-meat-friend-or-foe/","title":"Red Meat: Friend or Foe","summary":"Red meat, including beef, pork, and lamb, has long been considered a dietary villain due to its association with an increased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. However, recent research has shown that these claims may not be entirely accurate and that red meat can actually be a key healthy component of a balanced diet.\nFirst, it is important to understand that not all red meat is created equal. Processed meats, such as bacon, deli meats, and sausages, have been consistently linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases due to their high levels of salt, preservatives, and other additives. However, unprocessed red meats, such as grass-fed beef and wild game, are a rich source of nutrients, including protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins.\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eRed meat, including beef, pork, and lamb, has long been considered a dietary villain due to its association with an increased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. However, recent research has shown that these claims may not be entirely accurate and that red meat can actually be a key healthy component of a balanced diet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst, it is important to understand that not all red meat is created equal. Processed meats, such as bacon, deli meats, and sausages, have been consistently linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases due to their high levels of salt, preservatives, and other additives. However, unprocessed red meats, such as grass-fed beef and wild game, are a rich source of nutrients, including protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"health-benefits-of-eating-red-meat\"\u003eHealth Benefits of Eating Red Meat\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the key benefits of red meat is its high bioavailability of iron. Iron is essential for the production of hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body\u0026rsquo;s tissues. Red meat is particularly rich in heme iron, which is better absorbed by the body than non-heme iron found in plant-based sources. This makes red meat an important dietary source of iron for individuals at risk of iron deficiency, such as vegetarians, pregnant women, and athletes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRed meat is also a good source of zinc, a mineral that plays a vital role in the immune system, wound healing, and cell growth and division. Zinc is important for the proper functioning of enzymes, hormones, and the immune system, and it is also required for DNA synthesis and cell division.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother beneficial component of red meat is conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a type of fat that has been shown to have anti-cancer properties and to help in weight management. Studies have shown that CLA can help to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer, and may also help to improve insulin sensitivity, which can lower the risk of developing diabetes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, red meat is a good source of B vitamins, including B12, B3, B6, and B2, which play a vital role in energy metabolism, brain function, and maintaining a healthy nervous system.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn conclusion, red meat can be a healthy component of a balanced diet when consumed in moderation and when choosing high-quality, unprocessed sources. While processed meats have been linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases, unprocessed red meats provide a wealth of essential nutrients that are vital for overall health and well-being. It is important to consult with a doctor or a dietitian to understand the best way to include red meat in your diet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"additional-resources\"\u003eAdditional Resources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore you leave, here are some excerpts and links to additional articles on this.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRed meat is not a health risk. New study slams years of shoddy research\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://bigthink.com/health/red-meat-cancer-not-health-risk/#:~:text=They%20only%20found%20weak%20evidence,eating%20red%20meat%20and%20stroke.\"\u003eBig Think\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRed meat causes heart disease. Except when it doesn’t?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://bigthink.com/health/red-meat-heart-disease/\"\u003eBig Think\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA new study says it’s okay to eat red meat. An immediate uproar follows.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://bigthink.com/health/red-meat-health/\"\u003eBig Think\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEating red meat is likely to be healthier than many studies suggest\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://inews.co.uk/news/science/eating-red-meat-likely-healthier-studies-2092071\"\u003eiNews UK\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEat Less Red Meat, Scientists Said. Now Some Believe That Was Bad Advice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/30/health/red-meat-heart-cancer.html\"\u003eThe New York Times\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n","date_published":"2023-01-28T08:45:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/photo-1555265399-48aa9c11d869.jpeg","tags":["red meat","meat","research","chronic disease","carnivore","lipivore","health","lifestyle","bioavailability"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/the-science-behind-the-carnivore-diet-how-a-meat-only-diet-can-improve-health-and-promote-weight-loss/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/the-science-behind-the-carnivore-diet-how-a-meat-only-diet-can-improve-health-and-promote-weight-loss/","title":"The Science Behind the Carnivore Diet: How a Meat-Only Diet Can Improve Health","summary":"The Carnivore Diet, also known as the \u0026ldquo;all-meat diet,\u0026rdquo; has gained popularity in recent years as a way to improve health and lose weight. One of the most prominent advocates of the diet is Amber O\u0026rsquo;Hearn, who has been following the carnivore diet for over a decade and has seen significant improvements in her health. In this article, we will take a deep dive into the carnivore diet, its potential benefits, and the science behind it.\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eThe Carnivore Diet, also known as the \u0026ldquo;all-meat diet,\u0026rdquo; has gained popularity in recent years as a way to improve health and lose weight. One of the most prominent advocates of the diet is Amber O\u0026rsquo;Hearn, who has been following the carnivore diet for over a decade and has seen significant improvements in her health. In this article, we will take a deep dive into the carnivore diet, its potential benefits, and the science behind it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-is-the-carnivore-diet\"\u003eWhat is the Carnivore Diet?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe carnivore diet is a diet that consists solely of animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. The idea behind the diet is to eliminate all plant-based foods, which are thought to be the source of many chronic health problems. The carnivore diet is a highly restrictive diet, and it requires a significant commitment to sticking to it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"benefits-of-the-carnivore-diet\"\u003eBenefits of the Carnivore Diet:\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are several potential benefits of the carnivore diet, including:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight loss: The carnivore diet is a high-fat, low-carb diet, which can lead to rapid weight loss.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eImproved energy levels: The carnivore diet is a great source of easily-digestible protein, which can lead to increased energy levels.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBetter mental clarity: The carnivore diet is also thought to improve mental clarity and focus.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReduced inflammation: The carnivore diet is high in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation in the body.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-science-behind-the-carnivore-diet\"\u003eThe Science Behind the Carnivore Diet\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe carnivore diet is based on the idea that humans are meant to eat a diet that is high in animal products, and that the inclusion of plant-based foods in the diet is the source of many chronic health problems.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe carnivore diet is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, which can lead to an increase in LDL cholesterol, the \u0026ldquo;bad\u0026rdquo; cholesterol. However, it is also thought to increase HDL cholesterol, the \u0026ldquo;good\u0026rdquo; cholesterol, which can help protect against heart disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe carnivore diet is also high in protein, which can lead to increased muscle mass and improved bone density.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe carnivore diet is a highly restrictive diet that requires a significant commitment to sticking to it. However, it can lead to a number of potential health benefits, including weight loss, improved energy levels, better mental clarity, and reduced inflammation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is important to note that the carnivore diet is not for everyone, and it is important to consult with a healthcare professional before making any drastic dietary changes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDiagram:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"/images/mermaid-diagram-2023-01-27-164447.png\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn conclusion, the carnivore diet may be a great option for those looking to improve their health and lose weight, but it should be approached with caution and under the guidance of a healthcare professional.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext time, we\u0026rsquo;ll cover the lipivore diet. Stay tuned.\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_published":"2023-01-27T13:24:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/photo-1529692236671-f1f6cf9683ba.jpeg","tags":["carnivore diet","meat is good","meat diet","all meat diet","controversy","improve energy levels"," improve mental clarity","improve focus","reduce inflammation","science","health benefits","meat","cows","goats","beef","butter","tallow","milk","raw milk"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/is-animal-fat-good-for-you-the-science-on-why-it-s-the-optimal-food-for-humans/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/is-animal-fat-good-for-you-the-science-on-why-it-s-the-optimal-food-for-humans/","title":"Is Animal Fat Good for You? The Science on Why it’s The Optimal Food for Humans","summary":"Is animal fat good for you? If you’re asking this question you probably have some skepticism, which is understandable considering red meat, pork, butter, and eggs–the main sources of animal fats that we eat–have been the most demonized foods on earth for over 70 years.\nYet when we look at the science of human dietary evolution, the long-term global health outcomes from reducing animal fat in our diets, and the modern controlled trials exploring the risks and benefits of animal fats, the picture becomes alarmingly clear:\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eIs animal fat good for you? If you’re asking this question you probably have some skepticism, which is understandable considering red meat, pork, butter, and eggs–the main sources of animal fats that we eat–have been the most demonized foods on earth for over 70 years.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYet when we look at the science of human dietary evolution, the long-term global health outcomes from reducing animal fat in our diets, and the modern controlled trials exploring the risks and benefits of animal fats, the picture becomes alarmingly clear:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot only is animal fat good for you, but reducing and replacing animal fats with vegetable oils is likely responsible for the dramatic spike in chronic \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/inflammation/\"\u003einflammatory diseases\u003c/a\u003e including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#chronic-inflammation\" title=\"Chronic Inflammation\"\u003e [1]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn fact, animal fat is likely the single healthiest and most beneficial nutrient in the human diet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis claim called out into the echo chamber of an anti-animal, the pro-plant dietary establishment can sound a little crazy. So don’t take our word for it. Let’s follow the science through the murk of dietary misinformation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"table-of-contents\"\u003eTable of Contents\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#what-is-animal-fat\"\u003eWhat is Animal Fat?\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#the-human-body-is-an-animal-fat-eating-machine\"\u003eThe Human Body is an Animal Fat Eating Machine\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#11-reasons-why-animal-fat-is-good-for-you\"\u003e11 Reasons Why Animal Fat is Good for You\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#the-demonization-and-re-evaluation-of-animal-fats\"\u003eThe Demonization and Re-Evaluation of Animal Fats\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#modern-science-on-animal-fat-and-health\"\u003eModern Science on Animal Fat and Health\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#is-animal-fat-good-for-you-the-takeaway\"\u003eIs Animal Fat Good For You: The Takeaway\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-is-animal-fat\"\u003eWhat is Animal Fat?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom a scientific perspective, animal fats and oils are lipids derived from animals. Oils are liquid at room temperature, and fats are solid. Both animal fats and oils are composed of triglycerides.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"animal-fats-in-the-western-diet\"\u003eAnimal Fats in the Western Diet\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnimal fats from \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/benefits-of-eating-meat/\"\u003emeat\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/milk-on-keto/\"\u003emilk \u003c/a\u003eproducts from ruminants (cows, buffalo, goats, sheep) provide 35% to 40% of the fat in the average \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/standard-american-diet/\"\u003eAmerican diet\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/fat/\"\u003efats \u003c/a\u003eare mostly composed of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, with less than 4% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) [\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5610116/\"\u003e1\u003c/a\u003e]. By contrast, most \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-vegetable-oil-bad-for-you/\"\u003evegetable and seed oils\u003c/a\u003e are majority PUFA.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCommon animal fats include:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/keto-meats/\"\u003eFatty meat\u003c/a\u003e–beef, bison, pork, lamb\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/butter/\"\u003eButter\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/ghee-vs-butter/\"\u003eGhee\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCream\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/keto-cheese/\"\u003eCheese\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/tallow/\"\u003eTallow\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/tallow-lard/\"\u003eLard\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-human-body-is-an-animal-fat-eating-machine\"\u003eThe Human Body is an Animal Fat Eating Machine\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eModern dietary researchers and \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/carnivore-diet/\"\u003ecarnivore diet\u003c/a\u003e thought leaders like Doctor Kiltz and \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/amber-ohearn-carnivore-diet/\"\u003eAmber O’Hearn\u003c/a\u003e all point out that our \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/what-cavemen-eat/\"\u003ecavemen ancestors ate\u003c/a\u003e a diet of huge, extremely fatty animals for nearly 2 million years of evolution. \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#the-evolution-of-the-human-trophic-level-during-the-pleistocene\" title=\"The evolution of the human trophic level during the Pleistocene\"\u003e[2]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur modern bodies bare the genetic inheritance of our “\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/amber-ohearn-carnivore-diet/\"\u003elipivore\u003c/a\u003e” eating habits in the way:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHumans have a unique propensity to store fat (as energy) in our bodies\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUnlike other predators, humans can easily enter \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/ketosis/\"\u003eketosis\u003c/a\u003e (mobilizing fat stores into powerful energy molecules) during mundane, calorically replete states, not just starvation states as is the case for other mammals\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHave massive brains composed primarily of fat\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the context of human \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/keto-diet-and-evolution/\"\u003edietary evolution\u003c/a\u003e, it was our scavenging of fatty bone meats and brains leftover from the kills of other predators that directly fueled our rapid brain development. \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#origins-of-the-human-predatory-pattern-the-transition-to-large-animal-exploitation-by-early-hominins\" title=\"Origins of the Human Predatory Pattern: The Transition to Large-Animal Exploitation by Early Hominins\"\u003e[3]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e![percussive tool and bone meats](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-13-at-11.37.53-AM-1030x563.png\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-13-at-11.37.53-AM-1030x563.png\u003c/a\u003e =1030x563)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSource: Amber O’Hearn\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur massive, fat-fueled brains are what separates us from our primate ancestors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOur ability to prioritize fat as a primary fuel source and feed our brains is, from a metabolic perspective, what makes us human.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e![Figure-1-Human-brain-Dr.-Miki-Ben-Dor-1536x689](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Figure-1-Human-brain-Dr.-Miki-Ben-Dor-1536x689-1-1030x462.jpg\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Figure-1-Human-brain-Dr.-Miki-Ben-Dor-1536x689-1-1030x462.jpg\u003c/a\u003e =1030x462)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom this historical dietary perspective, animal fat is good for you. To vilify animal fats would be oddly suspicious of the body in the context of dietary evolution.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt makes no sense to believe that our bodies evolved a strong desire for animal fat, a way to store it in our own bodies, and an efficient way to use animal fat as our primary energy source if eating it caused cancer and heart attacks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd in fact, modern studies tell us conclusively that it doesn’t.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#meta-analysis-of-prospective-cohort-studies-evaluating-the-association-of-saturated-fat-with-cardiovascular-disease\" title=\"Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease\"\u003e [4]\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#a-systematic-review-of-the-evidence-supporting-a-causal-link-between-dietary-factors-and-coronary-heart-disease\" title=\"A systematic review of the evidence supporting a causal link between dietary factors and coronary heart disease\"\u003e[5]\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#egg-consumption-and-risk-of-coronary-heart-disease-and-stroke-dose-response-meta-analysis-of-prospective-cohort-studies\" title=\"Egg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies\"\u003e[6]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"11-reasons-why-animal-fat-is-good-for-you\"\u003e11 Reasons Why Animal Fat is Good for You\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"1-humans-are-animals-that-produce-and-consume-their-own-fat\"\u003e1 Humans are Animals that Produce and Consume Their Own Fat\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHuman breast milk provides around 50-65% of its caloric nutrition as “animal” fat, 54% of which is saturated.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#review-of-infant-feeding-key-features-of-breast-milk-and-infant-formula\" title=\"Review of Infant Feeding: Key Features of Breast Milk and Infant Formula\"\u003e [7]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fact that humans produce an abundance of animal fat to feed our offspring during their most critical developmental phase is a strong indicator that animal fat is good for us.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"2-animal-fat-is-the-most-abundant-source-of-energy\"\u003e2 Animal Fat is the Most Abundant Source of Energy\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs mentioned above, our pre-human ancestors became humans when they learned first how to scavenge bone fats, and then to hunt giant, extremely fat animals. There’s a reason why nearly all the world’s megafauna is extinct. And we are it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur human ancestors adapted to select animal fat in part because it provides the most energy per gram of all macronutrients.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e| Macronutrient | Calories per gram |\n| Fat | 9 |\n| Carbohydrates | 4 |\n| Protein | 4 |\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we eat excessive amounts of carbs our body converts them to “animal” fat on our body.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we restrict carbs in alignment with ancestral eating patterns our body metabolizes our own animal fat into potent energy molecules called \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/ketosis/\"\u003eketones\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs we’re learning, the type of nutrient we get our energy from can have enormous effects on our metabolic health.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA review of 16 studies found that the consumption of high-fat dairy products like butter can lower your risk of obesity.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#the-relationship-between-high-fat-dairy-consumption-and-obesity-cardiovascular-and-metabolic-disease\" title=\"The relationship between high-fat dairy consumption and obesity, cardiovascular, and metabolic disease\"\u003e [8]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnimal fats are highly satiating, meaning that they make you feel fuller faster, and stay full for longer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdding more animal fats to your diet can help you eliminate the desire to snack on processed junk foods that feed \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/carb-addiction/\"\u003ecarb addictions\u003c/a\u003e.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#evidence-that-supports-the-prescription-of-low-carbohydrate-high-fat-diets-a-narrative-review\" title=\"Evidence that supports the prescription of low-carbohydrate high-fat diets: a narrative review\"\u003e [9]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"3-animal-fat-supports-cardiovascular-health\"\u003e3 Animal Fat Supports Cardiovascular Health\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStudies show that consuming animal fat in the context of \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/low-carb-high-fat-diet/\"\u003elow-carb high-fat\u003c/a\u003e supports cardiovascular health.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#saturated-fats-and-health-a-reassessment-and-proposal-for-food-based-recommendations-jacc-state-of-the-art-review\" title=\"Saturated Fats and Health: A Reassessment and Proposal for Food-Based Recommendations: JACC State-of-the-Art Review\"\u003e [10]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaving lower Lipoprotein(a)–a low-density variant of LDL (bad cholesterol)–is generally healthier because it’s a carrier for oxidized phospholipids in our blood plasma. Oxidized lipids can embed themselves in your arterial walls creating atherosclerotic lesions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsuming saturated fat reduces the levels of lipoprotein (a) in your bloodstream and increases “good” HDL cholesterol.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#saturated-fats-and-health-a-reassessment-and-proposal-for-food-based-recommendations-jacc-state-of-the-art-review\" title=\"Saturated Fats and Health: A Reassessment and Proposal for Food-Based Recommendations: JACC State-of-the-Art Review\"\u003e [11]\u003c/a\u003e The overall effect is the improvement of our heart disease risk factors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne controlled feeding study comparing the consumption of saturated fat to oleic PUFAs found that the saturated fat group reduced their Lp (a) between 8-11% while the oleic group did not.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#plasma-lipoprotein-a-levels-in-men-and-women-consuming-diets-enriched-in-saturated-cis-or-trans-monounsaturated-fatty-acids\" title=\"Plasma Lipoprotein (a) Levels in Men and Women Consuming Diets Enriched in Saturated, Cis-, or Trans-Monounsaturated Fatty Acids\"\u003e [12]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne large study reported that men and women aged 45-75 years who regularly consume dairy fat may have a reduced risk of a heart attack.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#intake-of-milk-fat-reflected-in-adipose-tissue-fatty-acids-and-risk-of-myocardial-infarction-a-case-control-study\" title=\"Intake of milk fat, reflected in adipose tissue fatty acids and risk of myocardial infarction: a case-control study\"\u003e [13]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, one study found that a daily serving of 14 grams of butter may lower your risk of type 2 diabetes by 4%. Type 2 diabetes is strongly associated with an increased risk of heart disease.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#is-butter-back-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis-of-butter-consumption-and-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease-diabetes-and-total-mortality\" title=\"Is Butter Back? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Butter Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Total Mortality\"\u003e [14]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"4-protects-the-liver\"\u003e4 Protects the Liver\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the context of a low-carb diet, animal fats have been shown to alleviate fatty liver disease.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#low-carbohydrate-diet-induced-reduction-of-hepatic-lipid-content-observed-with-a-rapid-non-invasive-mri-technique\" title=\"Low-carbohydrate diet induced reduction of hepatic lipid content observed with a rapid non-invasive MRI technique\"\u003e [15]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"5-supports-healthy-cell-and-brain-function\"\u003e5 Supports Healthy Cell and Brain Function\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMyristic acid, an animal fat found in milk products is essential for many cellular signaling pathways.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#post-translational-myristoylation-fat-matters-in-cellular-life-and-death\" title=\"Post-translational myristoylation: Fat matters in cellular life and death\"\u003e [16]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e60% of the human brain is fat, with some parts composed of more than 80% saturated fat.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#essential-fatty-acids-and-human-brain\" title=\"Essential fatty acids and human brain\"\u003e [17]\u003c/a\u003e The saturated fat we get from animals nourishes these areas of the brain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSFA from animal sources also supports the integrity of cell membranes.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#know-your-fats-the-complete-primer-for-understanding-the-nutrition-of-fats-oils-and-cholesterol\" title=\" Know your fats : the complete primer for understanding the nutrition of fats, oils and cholesterol\"\u003e [18]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"6-supports-infant-development\"\u003e6 Supports Infant Development\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA recent paper on new evidence-based dietary guidelines for feeding infants from birth to 24 months old recommends reducing PUFA from vegetable oils and adding meat.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#meat-helps-make-every-bite-count-an-ideal-first-food-for-infants\" title=\"Meat Helps Make Every Bite Count An Ideal First Food for Infants\"\u003e [19]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnimal fat fuels the rapidly growing infant brain and spares the protein for building a developing body.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot surprisingly, children on low-fat diets suffer developmental problems.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA study published in Pediatric Pathology \u0026amp; Molecular Medicine stated, “evidence supports the view that intervening in childhood (2-15 years) with low-fat low-cholesterol diets or even worse, lipid-lowering drugs to prevent atherosclerotic plaques in adulthood is wasted effort.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOverzealous parents may unwittingly induce malnutrition in their children and many children with restricted access to palatable foods, will yearn for them even more as they become older leading to \u0026ldquo;overweightness.”\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#the-role-of-dietary-and-plasma-lipids-in-childhood-atherogenesis\" title=\"The role of dietary and plasma lipids in childhood atherogenesis\"\u003e [20]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"7-animal-fats-provide-fat-soluble-vitamins\"\u003e7 Animal Fats Provide Fat-Soluble Vitamins\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnimal fats carry bioavailable fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are called fat-soluble vitamins because they are soluble in organic solvents and are absorbed and transported in a manner similar to that of fats.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe retinoid version of vitamin A is only found in animal sources such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-liver-good-for-you/\"\u003eliver\u003c/a\u003e, butter, whole milk, and egg yolks.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#fat-soluble-vitamins\" title=\"Fat-Soluble Vitamins\"\u003e [21]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn countries with a low intake of fatty animal foods, vitamin A deficiencies are prevalent.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#dietary-deficiency-of-vitamin-a-among-rural-children-a-community-based-survey-using-a-food-frequency-questionnaire\" title=\"Dietary deficiency of vitamin A among rural children: A community-based survey using a food-frequency questionnaire\"\u003e [22]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/vitamin-k2-foods\"\u003eVitamin K2 found only in fatty animal foods\u003c/a\u003e like pork chops, eggs, and full-fat dairy plays a crucial role in blood clotting, calcium metabolism, and heart health.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#maximal-dose-response-of-vitamin-k2-menaquinone-4-on-undercarboxylated-osteocalcin-in-women-with-osteoporosis\" title=\"Maximal dose-response of vitamin-K2 (menaquinone-4) on undercarboxylated osteocalcin in women with osteoporosis\"\u003e [23]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePioneering dietary researcher \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/weston-a-price-diet/\"\u003eWeston A. Price\u003c/a\u003e found that traditional diets high in animal fats showed remarkable dental health and extremely low prevalence of modern diseases.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"8-conjugated-linoleic-acid-cla\"\u003e8 Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFatty animal meat, especially when pasture-raised and \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/grass-fed-vs-grain-fed-beef/\"\u003egrass-fed\u003c/a\u003e, offers significant amounts of highly beneficial animal fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#conjugated-linoleic-acid-content-of-ribeye-steaks-from-beef-finished-on-pasture\" title=\"Conjugated linoleic acid content of ribeye steaks from beef finished on pasture\"\u003e [24]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGrass-fed meat and dairy contain 300-500% more CLAs than grain-fed varieties.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStudies show that CLA may have powerful anti-cancer properties. A 2016 Finnish study, found that women with adequate CLA levels had a 60% lower incidence of breast cancer.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#the-effects-of-conjugated-linoleic-acids-on-breast-cancer-a-systematic-review\" title=\"The effects of conjugated linoleic acids on breast cancer: A systematic review\"\u003e [25]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResearch done on mice found that eating meat with higher CLA concentrations “exerts profound anti-inflammatory effects”.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#a-conjugated-linoleic-acid-enriched-beef-diet-attenuates-lipopolysaccharide-induced-inflammation-in-mice-in-part-through-ppargamma-mediated-suppression-of-toll-like-receptor-4\" title=\"A conjugated linoleic acid-enriched beef diet attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in mice in part through PPARgamma-mediated suppression of toll-like receptor 4\"\u003e [26]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"9-monounsaturated-fat\"\u003e9 Monounsaturated Fat\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany types of red meat are high in monounsaturated fat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor instance, around ⅓ of the fat in \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-ribeye-healthy/\"\u003eribeye steak\u003c/a\u003e is monounsaturated fat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn studies, monounsaturated fat has been shown to be anti-inflammatory and may reduce the risk of heart disease.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#impact-of-dietary-fat-on-gut-microbiota-and-low-grade-systemic-inflammation-mechanisms-and-clinical-implications-on-obesity\" title=\"Impact of dietary fat on gut microbiota and low-grade systemic inflammation: mechanisms and clinical implications on obesity\"\u003e [27]\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#dietary-fats-and-cardiovascular-disease-a-presidential-advisory-from-the-american-heart-association\" title=\"Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association\"\u003e[28]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"10-stearic-acid\"\u003e10 Stearic Acid\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStearic acid is one of the most abundant fatty acids in\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/does-red-meat-cause-cancer/\"\u003e red meat\u003c/a\u003e. For example, it accounts for ⅓ of the saturated fat content in a ribeye steak.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStudies show that stearic acid can improve body fat ratio, support the function of mitochondrial –energy factories inside your cells– and promote weight loss.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#dietary-stearic-acid-regulates-mitochondria-in-vivo-in-humans\" title=\"Dietary stearic acid regulates mitochondria in vivo in humans\"\u003e [29]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStearic acid has been shown to lower or have a neutral effect on LDL (bad) cholesterol.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#cardiovascular-disease-risk-of-dietary-stearic-acid-compared-with-trans-other-saturated-and-unsaturated-fatty-acids-a-systematic-review\" title=\"Cardiovascular disease risk of dietary stearic acid compared with trans, other saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids: a systematic review\"\u003e [30]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"11-animal-fats-make-healthy-cooking-oils\"\u003e11 Animal Fats Make Healthy Cooking Oils\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSaturated bonds of most animal fats make them molecularly stable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe molecular stability of saturated animal fats makes them resist oxidation and rancidity. This holds true even when exposed to high heat.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#lipid-oxidation-and-improving-the-oxidative-stability\" title=\"Lipid Oxidation and Improving the Oxidative Stability\"\u003e [31]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGhee is an animal fat with a remarkably high smoke point of 485°F (250°C).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTallow has a 400°F/205°C smoke point, and butter has a 350°F (175°C) smoke point.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe stability of animal fats matters because it keeps them safe from forming toxic compounds like acrylamide.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor example, ghee produces considerably less acrylamide compared with \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/vegetable-oil/\"\u003evegetable and seed oils high\u003c/a\u003e in molecularly unstable PUFAs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn a study, soybean oil produced more than 1000% more acrylamide than ghee.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#acrylamide-formation-in-vegetable-oils-and-animal-fats-during-heat-treatment\" title=\"Acrylamide formation in vegetable oils and animal fats during heat treatment\"\u003e [32]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-demonization-and-re-evaluation-of-animal-fats\"\u003eThe Demonization and Re-Evaluation of Animal Fats\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEver since the 1960’s animal fat has been public health enemy number one. This can be attributed to the infamous Seven Countries study by oceanographic researcher and domineering personality, Ansel Keys.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen heart disease was on the rise, the American public was seduced by Keys’ career-defining hypothesis that heart disease rates correlated with the consumption of saturated fats mainly from animal foods. Upon publication of his study, he was rewarded with a Time Magazine cover.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e![Ansel Keys time magaize cover image](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/keys-1024x768-1.jpg\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/keys-1024x768-1.jpg\u003c/a\u003e =1024x768)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSource: \u003ca href=\"https://drcate.com/why-cholesterol-is-good/\"\u003eDr. Cate Shanahan\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeys’ study with its demonization of animal fat and its recommendation to replace saturated fats with PUFA-rich vegetable oil, is likely a critical factor in the rise of the so-called diseases of civilization.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-vegetable-oil-bad-for-you/\"\u003elearn more about why vegetable oil is bad for you here\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e![chart showing countries included and omitted in ansel keys seven countries study](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-28-at-11.54.16-AM-1030x858.png\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-28-at-11.54.16-AM-1030x858.png\u003c/a\u003e =1030x858)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne major problem with Keys’ study is that it omitted countries (and traditional cultures studied by pioneering researcher \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/weston-a-price-diet/\"\u003eWeston A. Price\u003c/a\u003e) that consumed high amounts of animal fats and had very low incidences of heart disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe red dots in the chart below represent the traditional Tokelau, Masai, and Inuit populations who consume “extremely” high percentages of saturated fat yet have extremely low rates of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e![chart of ansel keys study including Tokelau, Masai, and Inuit](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-28-at-11.55.52-AM-1030x653.png\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screen-Shot-2022-05-28-at-11.55.52-AM-1030x653.png\u003c/a\u003e =1030x653)\u003cbr\u003e\n![is animal fat good for you chart of countries who consume more animal fat](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2022-06-02-at-7.26.52-PM-1030x820.png\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2022-06-02-at-7.26.52-PM-1030x820.png\u003c/a\u003e =1030x820)\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you can see from the modern data when looking at the European continent the more animal fat populations consume the less heart disease they suffer.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#further-response-from-hoenselaar-published-online-by-cambridge-university-press-01-march-2012\" title=\"Further response from Hoenselaar Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 March 2012\"\u003e [33]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuffice it to say, popular media and the American Heart Association (funded in part by Crisco!) ran with Keys’ hypothesis, and his recommendations have brainwashed generations of Americans to fear healthy animal fats. And the results have been catastrophic.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the graphs below you can chart a correlation between the reduction in animal fat intake over the last century, the substitution of PUFA from vegetable and seed oils, and a spike in the diseases of civilization.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e![graph showing reduction in animal fat intake](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/croissant_animal.png\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/croissant_animal.png\u003c/a\u003e =430x313)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e![graph showing increase in PUFA intake](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/croissant_pufa.png\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/croissant_pufa.png\u003c/a\u003e =417x356)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e![graph showing changing disease types over time in America](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2021-12-04-at-12.20.36-PM-1030x593-1.png\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2021-12-04-at-12.20.36-PM-1030x593-1.png\u003c/a\u003e =1030x593)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"modern-science-on-animal-fat-and-health\"\u003eModern Science on Animal Fat and Health\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70 years later modern nutritional science is finally (though slowly) acknowledging that it’s been deadly wrong.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCurrent studies with over 1 million participants have determined that for the average person, \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/saturated-fat/\"\u003esaturated fat\u003c/a\u003e from mostly animal sources is not associated with heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and death from a heart attack \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#reduction-in-saturated-fat-intake-for-cardiovascular-disease\" title=\"Reduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease\"\u003e[34]\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#intake-of-saturated-and-trans-unsaturated-fatty-acids-and-risk-of-all-cause-mortality-cardiovascular-disease-and-type-2-diabetes-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis-of-observational-studies\" title=\"Intake of saturated and trans unsaturated fatty acids and risk of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies\"\u003e[35]\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#meta-analysis-of-prospective-cohort-studies-evaluating-the-association-of-saturated-fat-with-cardiovascular-disease12345\" title=\"Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease1,2,3,4,5\"\u003e[36]\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#association-of-dietary-circulating-and-supplement-fatty-acids-with-coronary-risk-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis\" title=\" Association of dietary, circulating, and supplement fatty acids with coronary risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis\"\u003e[37]\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#effect-of-the-amount-and-type-of-dietary-fat-on-cardiometabolic-risk-factors-and-risk-of-developing-type-2-diabetes-cardiovascular-diseases-and-cancer-a-systematic-review\" title=\"Effect of the amount and type of dietary fat on cardiometabolic risk factors and risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer: a systematic review\"\u003e[38]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e![title of study on reassessment of guidelines on consuming animal fats](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2022-06-02-at-10.03.33-PM-1030x586.png\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2022-06-02-at-10.03.33-PM-1030x586.png\u003c/a\u003e =1030x586)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis 2020 study co-authored by researchers from leading medical schools around the world found that “Although intake of processed meat has been associated with increased risk of CHD, intake of unprocessed\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-red-meat-bad-for-you/\"\u003e red meat\u003c/a\u003e is not, which indicates that the saturated fat content of meat is unlikely to be responsible for this association”.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#saturated-fats-and-health-a-reassessment-and-proposal-for-food-based-recommendations-jacc-state-of-the-art-review\" title=\"Saturated Fats and Health: A Reassessment and Proposal for Food-Based Recommendations: JACC State-of-the-Art Review\"\u003e [39]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Whole-fat dairy, unprocessed meat, and dark chocolate are SFA-rich foods with a complex matrix (of nutrients) that are not associated with an increased risk of CVD. “The totality of available evidence does not support further limiting the intake of such foods.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e![title of study showing negative impacts of substituting lean meat for meat high in animal fats](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2022-06-02-at-10.07.34-PM.png\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screen-Shot-2022-06-02-at-10.07.34-PM.png\u003c/a\u003e =950x410)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Dutch study from 2016 found that though total saturated fat intake is not related to incidences of heart disease, substituting animal protein for animal fat may increase your risk of heart disease.\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/#dietary-saturated-fatty-acids-and-coronary-heart-disease-risk-in-a-dutch-middle-aged-and-elderly-population\" title=\"Dietary Saturated Fatty Acids and Coronary Heart Disease Risk in a Dutch Middle-Aged and Elderly Population\"\u003e [40]\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs you can see below, unfortunately, people have been heading guidelines to eat leaner meat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e![graph showing total types of meat consumption in america](\u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/total-meat-consumption.png\"\u003ehttps://www.doctorkiltz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/total-meat-consumption.png\u003c/a\u003e =545x500)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"is-animal-fat-good-for-you-the-takeaway\"\u003eIs Animal Fat Good For You: The Takeaway\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen examining the available evidence, including evolutionary eating patterns, uniquely human metabolic traits for storing and utilizing fats, and the many crucial roles that animal fats play in the body, it is clear that animal fats are good for you.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExplore more about the health \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-saturated-fat-healthy/\"\u003ebenefits of saturated fats here\u003c/a\u003e, and go deeper into the question, \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-steak-healthy/\"\u003e“is steak healthy?” here\u003c/a\u003e. Already experiencing the \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/benefits-of-eating-meat/\"\u003ebenefits of eating meat\u003c/a\u003e, then learn more about \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/why-eating-meat-is-good-for-the-environment/\"\u003ewhy eating meat can be good for the environment here\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"original-source-is-animal-fat-good-for-you-the-science-on-why-it\"\u003eOriginal Source: \u003ca href=\"https://www.doctorkiltz.com/is-animal-fat-good-for-you/\"\u003eIs Animal Fat Good for You? The Science on Why it\u0026rsquo;s The Optimal Food for Humans - Dr. Robert Kiltz (doctorkiltz.com)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"article-sources\"\u003eArticle Sources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/\"\u003eChronic Inflammation\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajpa.24247\"\u003eThe evolution of the human trophic level during the Pleistocene\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/701477\"\u003eOrigins of the Human Predatory Pattern: The Transition to Large-Animal Exploitation by Early Hominins\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/91/3/535/4597110\"\u003eMeta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19364995/\"\u003eA systematic review of the evidence supporting a causal link between dietary factors and coronary heart disease\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8539\"\u003eEgg consumption and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4882692/\"\u003eReview of Infant Feeding: Key Features of Breast Milk and Infant Formula\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22810464/\"\u003eThe relationship between high-fat dairy consumption and obesity, cardiovascular, and metabolic disease\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28053201/\"\u003eEvidence that supports the prescription of low-carbohydrate high-fat diets: a narrative review\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e10, 11, 39. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109720356874\"\u003eSaturated Fats and Health: A Reassessment and Proposal for Food-Based Recommendations: JACC State-of-the-Art Review\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.ATV.17.9.1657\"\u003ePlasma Lipoprotein (a) Levels in Men and Women Consuming Diets Enriched in Saturated, Cis-, or Trans-Monounsaturated Fatty Acids\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16267503/\"\u003eIntake of milk fat, reflected in adipose tissue fatty acids and risk of myocardial infarction: a case-control study\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927102/\"\u003eIs Butter Back? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Butter Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Total Mortality\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16940371/\"\u003eLow-carbohydrate diet induced reduction of hepatic lipid content observed with a rapid non-invasive MRI technique\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21056615/\"\u003ePost-translational myristoylation: Fat matters in cellular life and death\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20329590/\"\u003eEssential fatty acids and human brain\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.worldcat.org/title/know-your-fats-the-complete-primer-for-understanding-the-nutrition-of-fats-oils-and-cholesterol/oclc/768135396\"\u003eKnow your fats : the complete primer for understanding the nutrition of fats, oils and cholesterol\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://journals.lww.com/nutritiontodayonline/Fulltext/2022/01000/Meat_Helps_Make_Every_Bite_Count__An_Ideal_First.4.aspx\"\u003eMeat Helps Make Every Bite Count An Ideal First Food for Infants\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11942533/\"\u003eThe role of dietary and plasma lipids in childhood atherogenesis\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218749/\"\u003eFat-Soluble Vitamins\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28816210/\"\u003eDietary deficiency of vitamin A among rural children: A community-based survey using a food-frequency questionnaire\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30816822/\"\u003eMaximal dose-response of vitamin-K2 (menaquinone-4) on undercarboxylated osteocalcin in women with osteoporosis\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298199111_Conjugated_linoleic_acid_content_of_ribeye_steaks_from_beef_finished_on_pasture\"\u003eConjugated linoleic acid content of ribeye steaks from beef finished on pasture\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4964663/\"\u003eThe effects of conjugated linoleic acids on breast cancer: A systematic review\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19846417/\"\u003eA conjugated linoleic acid-enriched beef diet attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation in mice in part through PPARgamma-mediated suppression of toll-like receptor 4\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28675945/\"\u003eImpact of dietary fat on gut microbiota and low-grade systemic inflammation: mechanisms and clinical implications on obesity\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28620111/\"\u003eDietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30087348/\"\u003eDietary stearic acid regulates mitochondria in vivo in humans\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19939984/\"\u003eCardiovascular disease risk of dietary stearic acid compared with trans, other saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids: a systematic review\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/45114756_Lipid_Oxidation_and_Improving_the_Oxidative_Stability\"\u003eLipid Oxidation and Improving the Oxidative Stability\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27374529/\"\u003eAcrylamide formation in vegetable oils and animal fats during heat treatment\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/further-response-from-hoenselaar/F122D4C4F6BEC958EE171146A62EDB9B\"\u003eFurther response from Hoenselaar Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 March 2012\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26068959/\"\u003eReduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4532752/\"\u003eIntake of saturated and trans unsaturated fatty acids and risk of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824152/\"\u003eMeta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease1,2,3,4,5\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24723079/\"\u003eAssociation of dietary, circulating, and supplement fatty acids with coronary risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4095759/\"\u003eEffect of the amount and type of dietary fat on cardiometabolic risk factors and risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer: a systematic review\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/atvbaha.116.307578\"\u003eDietary Saturated Fatty Acids and Coronary Heart Disease Risk in a Dutch Middle-Aged and Elderly Population\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n","date_published":"2022-12-29T19:00:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/adobestock_99708835-1030x699.jpeg","tags":["health","fats","oils"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/what-causes-alzheimer-s-scientists-are-rethinking-the-answer/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/what-causes-alzheimer-s-scientists-are-rethinking-the-answer/","title":"What Causes Alzheimer’s? Scientists Are Rethinking the Answer.","summary":"It’s often subtle at first. A lost phone. A forgotten word. A missed appointment. By the time a person walks into a doctor’s office, worried about signs of forgetfulness or failing cognition, the changes to their brain have been long underway — changes that we don’t yet know how to stop or reverse. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, has no cure.\n“There’s not much you can do. There are no effective treatments. There’s no medicine,” said Riddhi Patira, a behavioral neurologist in Pennsylvania who specializes in neurodegenerative diseases.\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eIt’s often subtle at first. A lost phone. A forgotten word. A missed appointment. By the time a person walks into a doctor’s office, worried about signs of forgetfulness or failing cognition, the changes to their brain have been long underway — changes that we don’t yet know how to stop or reverse. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, has no cure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“There’s not much you can do. There are no effective treatments. There’s no medicine,” said Riddhi Patira, a behavioral neurologist in Pennsylvania who specializes in neurodegenerative diseases.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat’s not how the story was supposed to go.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree decades ago, scientists thought they had cracked the medical mystery of what causes Alzheimer’s disease with an idea known as the amyloid cascade hypothesis. It accused a protein called amyloid-beta of forming sticky, toxic plaques between neurons, killing them and triggering a series of events that made the brain waste away.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe amyloid cascade hypothesis was simple and “seductively compelling,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.neurology.columbia.edu/profile/scott-small-md\"\u003eScott Small\u003c/a\u003e, the director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Columbia University. And the idea of aiming drugs at the amyloid plaques to stop or prevent the progression of the disease took the field by storm.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDecades of work and billions of dollars went into funding clinical trials of dozens of drug compounds that targeted amyloid plaques. Yet almost none of the trials showed meaningful benefits to patients with the disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat is, until September when the pharmaceutical giants Biogen and Eisai \u003ca href=\"https://investors.biogen.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lecanemab-confirmatory-phase-3-clarity-ad-study-met-primary\"\u003eannounced\u003c/a\u003e that in phase 3 clinical trial, patients taking the anti-amyloid drug lecanemab showed 27% less decline in their cognitive health than patients taking a placebo did. Last week, the companies revealed the data, now published in the \u003cem\u003eNew England Journal of Medicine\u003c/em\u003e, to an excited audience at a meeting in San Francisco.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/Circle-1-1.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBecause Alzheimer’s disease progresses over 25 years, the hope is that lecanemab, when given to people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, will slow that progression, said \u003ca href=\"https://atri.usc.edu/faculty/paul-aisen/\"\u003ePaul Aisen\u003c/a\u003e, a professor of neurology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. By extending the milder stages of the disease, the drug could give people more years of independence and more time to manage their finances before being institutionalized. “To me, that’s really important,” he said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome are less hopeful that the results will show any meaningful difference. “It’s nothing different [from] what we saw in the earlier trials,” Patira said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The clinically important difference is probably not there,” said \u003ca href=\"https://depts.washington.edu/mbwc/about/profile/eric-larson\"\u003eEric Larson\u003c/a\u003e, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington. On the scale, the companies used to test the efficacy — calculated from interviews with the patient and their caregivers on their memory, judgment, and other cognitive functions — their results were statistically significant but modest. And statistical significance, which means the results were likely not due to chance, does not always equate to clinical significance, Larson said. The difference in the rate of decline, for example, might be unnoticeable to caregivers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat’s more, reports of brain swelling in some participants and two deaths — which the companies deny are due to the drug — have some concerns about the safety of the drug. But Alzheimer’s medicine is a field more accustomed to disappointment than success, and even the announcement by Roche that a second much-awaited drug, gantenerumab, failed in phase 3 clinical trials didn’t diminish the excitement over the lecanemab news.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDo these results mean the amyloid cascade hypothesis was right?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot necessarily. It does suggest to some researchers that with more coaxing, targeting amyloid could still lead to effective therapeutics. “I’m thrilled,” said \u003ca href=\"https://brain.harvard.edu/?people=rudolph-e-tanzi\"\u003eRudy Tanzi\u003c/a\u003e, an investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital. Lecanemab doesn’t offer a “stellar effect,” he acknowledged, but it’s a “proof of concept” that could potentially lead to more effective drugs or more effective if taken earlier.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany researchers, however, aren’t convinced. To them, the small to nonexistent effect sizes in these trials and earlier ones suggest that amyloid plaques are not the cause of the disease. Amyloid is “more the smoke, not the fire … which continues to rage inside neurons,” said Small.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"not-dead-but-insufficient\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNot Dead but Insufficient\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe underwhelming effects of lecanemab neither surprised nor impressed \u003ca href=\"http://cdr.rfmh.org/PersonalPages/Nixon.html\"\u003eRalph Nixon\u003c/a\u003e, the director of research at the Center for Dementia Research at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in New York. “If that was your goal, to reach this point in order to claim victory of that hypothesis, then you’re using the lowest possible bar I can think of,” he said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/RalphNixon-byMonicaAlmeida-1-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe researcher Ralph Nixon points to an abnormal blob amid the brain tissue of an Alzheimer’s patient in a microscopy image taken in the 1990s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKaren Dias for Quanta Magazine\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"introduction\"\u003eIntroduction\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNixon has worked in the trenches of Alzheimer’s disease research since the earliest days of the amyloid cascade hypothesis. But he has been a leader in exploring an alternative model for what causes the disease’s dementia — one of many other possible models that were largely ignored in favor of the amyloid explanation despite its lack of useful results, according to many researchers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA stream of recent findings has made it clear that other mechanisms may be at least as important as the amyloid cascade as causes of Alzheimer’s disease. To say that the amyloid hypothesis is dead would be overstating it, said \u003ca href=\"https://www.weaverlab.ca/drweaver/\"\u003eDonald Weaver\u003c/a\u003e, a co-director of the Krembil Brain Institute in Toronto, but “I would say that the amyloid hypothesis is insufficient.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe emerging new models of the disease are more complex than the amyloid explanation, and because they are still taking shape, it’s not clear yet how some of them may eventually translate into therapies. But because they focus on fundamental mechanisms affecting the health of cells, what’s being learned about them might someday pay off in new treatments for a wide variety of medical problems, possibly including some key effects of aging.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany in the field, including some who still stand behind the amyloid cascade hypothesis, agree that there’s a more complex story taking place in the folds of the brain. While these alternate ideas were once hushed and thrown under the rug, now the field has broadened its attention.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the wall of Nixon’s office hangs a set of framed microscopy photos, images from an Alzheimer’s patient’s brain that were snapped almost 30 years ago in his lab. Nixon points to a bulky purple blob in the photos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“We saw the same things that we saw recently … back in the 1990s,” Nixon said. But because of preconceptions about amyloid plaques, he and his colleagues couldn’t recognize the blobs for what they really were. Even if they had, and if they had told anyone, “we would have been run out of the field back then,” he said. “I was able to survive long enough to now have people believe.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-suspicious-plaques\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Suspicious Plaques\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eScientists studying Alzheimer’s disease often bring a deep passion to their work, not just because it’s addressing a major health burden, but because it’s one that often strikes close to home. That’s certainly the case for \u003ca href=\"https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/about/team/staff-profiles/kyle-travaglini/\"\u003eKyle Travaglini\u003c/a\u003e, an Alzheimer’s researcher at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn a hot August day in 2011, when Travaglini was starting his freshman year at the University of California, Los Angeles, he welcomed his grandparents for a college visit. As a boy, he had spent many happy hours walking with his grandmother in San Diego’s Japanese Friendship Garden, so it seemed only right that they should tour the UCLA campus together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/KyleTravagliniWithGrandmother2015_fromKyleTravaglini.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy the time the researcher Kyle Travaglini graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2015, his grandmother had an advanced cognitive decline from Alzheimer’s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCourtesy of Kyle Travaglini\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe and his grandparents strolled among the university’s giant pines and across its vast, open plazas. They peered up at the beautiful brick-and-tile facades of buildings built in the Romanesque style. His beaming grandparents asked him about everything they passed. “What’s this building?” his grandmother would ask.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen she’d face the same building and ask again. And again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“That tour was when I first started to notice … something is really kind of wrong,” Travaglini said. In the following years, his grandmother often blamed her forgetfulness on being tired. “I don’t think she ever really wanted us to see it,” he said. “It was a lot of masking.” Eventually, his grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, just as her own mother and tens of millions of other people around the world have been.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis grandfather initially resisted the idea that she had Alzheimer’s disease, as spouses of patients often do, according to Patira. That denial eventually turned into the frustration that there wasn’t anything they could do, Travaglini said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOld age doesn’t guarantee the development of Alzheimer’s disease — but it’s the greatest risk factor. And as the global average life span increases, Alzheimer’s disease endures as a major public health burden, and one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of modern medicine.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStarting with memory impairment and cognitive decline, the disease eventually affects behavior, speech, orientation, and even a person’s ability to move. Because the living human brain is complex and experiments on it are largely impossible, scientists often have to rely on rodent models of the disease that don’t always translate to humans. What’s more, patients with Alzheimer’s disease often have other types of dementia at the same time, which makes it difficult to tease apart what exactly is happening in the brain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough we still don’t know what causes Alzheimer’s, our knowledge about the disease has grown dramatically since 1898, when Emil Redlich, a doctor at the Second Psychiatric Clinic of the University of Vienna, first used the word “plaques” to describe what he saw in the brains of two patients diagnosed with “senile dementia.” In 1907 the German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer described the presence of plaques, tangles, and atrophy visualized by a silver staining technique in the brain of Auguste Deter, a woman who had died at the age of 55 from “presenile dementia.” That same year, the Czech psychiatrist Oskar Fischer reported 12 cases of plaques, which he referred to as “drusen” after the German word for a cavity in a rock with an interior lined with crystals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/Tryptich-Alzheimer-Plaque-Fischer-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom left: Alois Alzheimer, an illustration by Alzheimer of the plaques appearing in the brains of patients with dementia, and Oskar Fischer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom left: Science Source; Reprinted from Current Biology, 6/21, Ralf Dahm, Alzheimer’s discovery, 5, Copyright (2006), with permission from Elsevier; Courtesy of Filip em\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"introduction-1\"\u003eIntroduction\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy 1912, Fischer had identified dozens of dementia patients with plaques, and he had described their cases in unprecedented detail. Yet Emil Kraepelin, a founder of modern psychiatry and Alzheimer’s boss at a psychiatric clinic in Munich, Germany, decreed that the condition was to be named “Alzheimer’s disease.” Fischer and his contributions were lost for decades after he was arrested by the Gestapo in 1941 and taken to a Nazi political prison, where he died.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver the next several decades, more knowledge about the disease trickled in, but it remained a niche area of interest. Larson recalls that when he was a medical student in the 1970s, Alzheimer’s disease was still mostly ignored by researchers — as was aging in general. It was accepted that when you got old, you stopped being able to remember things.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe “treatments” for these conditions of old age could be harrowing. “People were tied in chairs, and people were given drugs that made them worse,” Larson said. Everyone thought dementia was just a consequence of getting old.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll of that changed in the 1980s, however, when a series of papers established the critical finding that the brains of elderly patients with dementia and the brains of younger patients with presenile dementia looked the same. Physicians and researchers realized that dementia might be not just a consequence of old age but a discrete and potentially treatable disease. The attention started pouring in. “The field has just been bursting at the seams for decades now,” Larson said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt first, there were many vague, untestable theories about what might be causing Alzheimer’s disease, ranging from viruses and aluminum exposure to environmental toxins and a nebulous idea called “accelerated aging.” A turning point came in 1984, when George Glenner and Caine Wong at the University of California, San Diego discovered that the plaques in Alzheimer’s disease and the plaques in the brains of people with Down syndrome (the chromosomal disorder trisomy 21) were made of the same amyloid-beta protein. The formation of amyloid plaques in Down syndrome was genetically driven, so might that mean the same was true of Alzheimer’s disease?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere this amyloid-beta came from was unclear. Maybe it was released by the neurons themselves, or maybe it came from elsewhere in the body and infiltrated the brain through the blood. But suddenly researchers had a likely suspect to blame for the neurodegeneration that ensued.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGlenner and Wong’s paper drew attention to the idea that amyloid might be a root cause of Alzheimer’s. But it took a seminal genetic finding by \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucl.ac.uk/uk-dementia-research-institute/john-hardy\"\u003eJohn Hardy\u003c/a\u003e’s laboratory at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London to electrify the research community.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-curse-on-family-23\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Curse on Family 23\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt began one night in 1987, as Hardy was sifting through a pile of letters on his desk. Because he had been trying to uncover genetic mutations that might lead to Alzheimer’s disease, he and his team had posted an advertisement in an Alzheimer’s Society newsletter, seeking the assistance of families in which more than one individual had developed the disease. The letters had arrived in response. Hardy began reading from the top of the stack, but the first letter the team had received — the one that changed everything — was at the bottom.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I … think my family could be of use,” read the letter from Carol Jennings, a schoolteacher in Nottingham. Jennings’ father and several of her aunts and uncles had all been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in their mid-50s. The researchers sent a nurse to collect blood samples from Jennings and her kin, whom Hardy anonymized in his work as Family 23 (because Jennings’ letter was the 23rd that he read). Over the next few years, they sequenced the family’s genes, searching for a shared mutation that could be the Rosetta stone for understanding the condition.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/Tryptich-Hardy-Letter-Jennings-1-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe letter that Carol Jennings wrote in 1986 to the researcher John Hardy, pictured at left, led to the pivotal discovery that a single mutation caused her family’s inherited early-onset form of Alzheimer’s. At right is a photo, taken in 1992, of Carol Jennings, her husband Stuart, and their two children.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom left: Courtesy of UCL QS IoN Medical Illustration; Courtesy of the BBC and Stuart Jennings; Ross Kinnaird/PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"introduction-2\"\u003eIntroduction\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn November 20, 1990, Hardy and his teammates stood in the office of their lab, listening to their colleague \u003ca href=\"https://www.michaeljfox.org/researcher/marie-christine-chartier-harlin-phd\"\u003eMarie-Christine Chartier-Harlin\u003c/a\u003e describe the latest results of her genetic sequencing. “As soon as she found the mutation, we knew what it meant,” Hardy said. Jennings’ family had a mutation in the gene for the amyloid precursor protein (APP), which researchers had isolated for the first time only a few years before. As its name suggests, APP is the molecule that enzymes break apart to form amyloid-beta; the mutation caused an overproduction of the amyloid.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHardy hurried home that day, and he remembers telling his wife, who was breastfeeding their first child as she listened to his news, that what they’d just found “was going to change our lives.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few months later, around Christmas, Hardy and his team organized a conference at the geriatric clinic in a hospital in Nottingham to present their findings to Jennings and her family. There was one sister, Hardy remembers, who kept saying, “Thank goodness, it’s missed me.” But it was obvious to Hardy after spending a bit of time with her that it hadn’t; everyone else in the family already knew that she had the disease as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJennings’ family was mildly religious, Hardy said. They kept saying that maybe they were chosen to help in the research. They were distressed but proud of what they had contributed — as they should be, Hardy said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe following February, Hardy and his team \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/349704a0\"\u003epublished their results\u003c/a\u003e in \u003cem\u003eNature\u003c/em\u003e, cluing in the world to the \u003cem\u003eAPP\u003c/em\u003e mutation and its significance. The form of Alzheimer’s disease that the Jennings family has is rare, affecting only around 600 families worldwide. People with a parent who carries the mutation have a 50% chance of inheriting it and developing the condition — if they do, it’s almost certain that they will develop it before the age of 65.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo one knew how far the similarities might go between the Jennings’ kind of inherited Alzheimer’s disease and the much more common late-onset form that typically occurs after the age of 65. Still, the discovery was suggestive.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe following year, over a long weekend, Hardy and his colleague Gerald Higgins typed up \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1566067?url_ver=Z39.88-2003\u0026amp;rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org\u0026amp;rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed\"\u003ea landmark perspective\u003c/a\u003e that used the term “amyloid cascade hypothesis” for the first time. “I wrote what I thought was a simple article saying, basically, if amyloid causes the disease in this case, maybe amyloid is the cause in all cases,” Hardy said. “I just typed it, sent it off to \u003cem\u003eScience\u003c/em\u003e and they took it without any changes.” He didn’t foresee how popular it would become: It has now been cited over 10,000 times. It and an earlier review published by \u003ca href=\"https://selkoelab.bwh.harvard.edu/biography/\"\u003eDennis Selkoe\u003c/a\u003e, a researcher at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, became foundational documents for the new amyloid cascade hypothesis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooking back on those early days, “I thought that anti-amyloid therapies would be like a magic bullet,” Hardy said. “I certainly don’t think that now. I don’t think anybody thinks that.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"leaky-bags-of-acid\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLeaky Bags of Acid\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResearchers soon started flocking to the beauty and simplicity of the amyloid cascade hypothesis, and a collective goal of targeting the plaques and getting rid of them as a remedy for Alzheimer’s started to emerge.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the early 1990s, the field became “monolithic in its thinking,” said Nixon. But he and some others were unconvinced. The idea that amyloid killed neurons only after it was secreted and formed deposits between the cells made less sense to him than the possibility that the amyloid accumulated inside neurons and killed them before it was released.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/RalphNixon-byMonicaAlmeida-2-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter the amyloid cascade hypothesis was proposed, the field of Alzheimer’s research became “monolithic in its thinking,” said Nixon.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKaren Dias for Quanta Magazine\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"introduction-3\"\u003eIntroduction\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNixon was following the thread of a different theory at Harvard Medical School. At the time, Harvard had one of the very first brain banks in the nation. When anyone died and donated their brain to science, it was cut into slices and frozen at minus 80 degrees Celsius for later examination. “It was a huge operation,” Nixon said, and one that made Harvard a hub for Alzheimer’s research.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne day, Nixon switched on a microscope and aimed it at a slice of brain stained with antibodies against certain enzymes. Through the microscope’s light, he could see that the antibodies were congregating on plaques outside the cells. It was immensely surprising: The enzymes in question were usually only seen in the organelles called lysosomes. “That suggested to us that the lysosome was abnormal and was leaking out these enzymes,” Nixon said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Belgian biochemist \u003ca href=\"https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1974/duve/facts/\"\u003eChristian de Duve\u003c/a\u003e, who discovered lysosomes in the 1950s, sometimes referred to them as “suicide bags” because they are instrumental in a vital (but at the time poorly understood) process called autophagy (“self-eating”). Lysosomes are membrane vesicles holding an acidic slurry of enzymes that break apart obsolete molecules, organelles, and anything else the cell doesn’t need anymore, including potentially harmful misfolded proteins and pathogens. Autophagy is an essential process, but it’s especially critical for neurons because unlike nearly all the other cells in the body, mature neurons do not divide and replace themselves. They must be able to survive for a lifetime.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWere parts of the adjacent neurons degenerating and leaking the enzymes? Were the neurons falling apart entirely? Whatever was happening, it hinted that the plaques were not simply products of amyloid accumulating in the space between neurons and killing them. Something might be going wrong inside the neurons themselves, maybe even before the plaques formed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut Selkoe and other colleagues at Harvard didn’t share Nixon’s enthusiasm about the lysosomal findings. They weren’t hostile to the idea, and they all stayed collegial. Nixon even served on the thesis committee for Tanzi, who had named the \u003cem\u003eAPP\u003c/em\u003e gene and been one of the first to isolate it, and who had become an ardent advocate for the amyloid cascade hypothesis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“All of these people were friends. … We just had different views,” Nixon said. He recalls that they were congratulatory about work well done but with an undertone, he said, of “we don’t personally think it’s as relevant to Alzheimer’s as the amyloid-beta story. And we don’t frankly care.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"no-alternatives-allowed\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNo Alternatives Allowed\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNixon was hardly the only one nurturing alternatives to the amyloid cascade hypothesis. Some researchers thought that the answer might lie in the tau tangles — abnormal bundles of proteins inside neurons that are also hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease and even more closely linked to the cognitive symptoms than amyloid plaques are. Others thought that excessive or misplaced immune activity might be inflaming and damaging delicate neural tissue. Still, others began suspecting dysfunctions in cholesterol metabolism or in the mitochondria that power neurons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut notwithstanding the range of alternative theories, by the end of the 1990s, the amyloid cascade hypothesis was the clear darling of the biomedical research establishment. Funding agencies and pharmaceutical companies were beginning to pour billions into the development of anti-amyloid treatments and clinical trials. At least in terms of relative funding, the alternatives were swept under the carpet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/AUTOPHAGYbyMerrillSherman_560-Mobile.svg\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMerrill Sherman/Quanta Magazine\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s worth considering why. Although major elements of the amyloid hypothesis were still a cipher, such as where the amyloid came from and how it killed neurons, the idea was in some ways gloriously specific. It pointed to a molecule; it pointed to a gene; it pointed to a strategy: Get rid of these plaques to stop the disease. To everyone desperate to end the misery of the Alzheimer’s scourge, it at least offered a plan of action.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn contrast, other theories were still relatively shapeless (in no small part because they hadn’t gotten as much attention). Faced with the choice of either chasing cures based on amyloid or pursuing a nebulous something-more-than-amyloid, the medical and pharmaceutical communities made what seemed like the rational choice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“There was a kind of Darwinian competition of ideas about which ones are going to be tested,” Hardy said, “and the amyloid hypothesis won.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBetween 2002 and 2012, 48% of Alzheimer’s drugs were under development, and 65.6% of the clinical trials were focused on amyloid-beta. A mere 9% of the drugs were aimed at tau tangles, the only targets other than amyloid that were considered potential causes of the disease. All the rest of the drug candidates aimed to protect neurons from degeneration to cushion against the effects of the disease after it started. Alternatives to the amyloid cascade hypothesis were scarcely in the picture.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf only the amyloid-focused drugs had worked.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/RalphNixon-byMonicaAlmeida-3-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his laboratory at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Nixon and his colleague Philip Stavrides look at microscopy images of Alzheimer’s brain tissue.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKaren Dias for Quanta Magazine\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"introduction-4\"\u003eIntroduction\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"drugs-and-dashed-hopes\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDrugs and Dashed Hopes\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt didn’t take long for disappointing results to start rolling in from the drug trials and experimental tests of the amyloid hypothesis. In 1999, the pharmaceutical company Elan created a vaccine that was meant to train the immune system to attack amyloid protein. The company stopped the trial in 2002, however, because some patients receiving the vaccine developed dangerous brain inflammation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the following years, several companies tested the effects of synthetic antibodies against amyloid and found that they caused no changes in cognition in the Alzheimer’s patients receiving them. Other drug trials took aim at the enzymes that cleaved amyloid-beta from the parent APP protein, and some tried to clear out existing plaques in patients’ brains. None of these worked as hoped.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy 2017, 146 drug candidates for treating Alzheimer’s disease had been deemed unsuccessful. Only four drugs had been approved, and they treated the symptoms of the disease, not its underlying pathology. The results were so disappointing that in 2018, Pfizer pulled out of Alzheimer’s research.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA 2021 \u003ca href=\"https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n156.full\"\u003ereview\u003c/a\u003e that compared the results of 14 of the major trials confirmed that reducing extracellular amyloid did not greatly improve cognition. There were also failures in trials that focused on targets other than amyloid, like inflammation and cholesterol, though there were far fewer trials for these alternatives, and thus far fewer failures.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/Dyptich-JessicaYoung_Endosomes-785x1720.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJessica Young studies dysfunctions of the endosomal-lysosomal pathway in cells that may cause or contribute to Alzheimer’s. In a micrograph of her work on stem cells derived from Alzheimer’s patients, the enlarged endosomes inside neurons appear as green dots.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom top: University of Washington; Allison Knupp/Young Lab\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It was just so dismal,” said \u003ca href=\"https://dlmp.uw.edu/faculty/young\"\u003eJessica Young\u003c/a\u003e, an associate professor at the University of Washington. As she went through school, first pursuing cell biology, then neurobiology, and finally Alzheimer’s research specifically, she watched as clinical trial after clinical trial failed. It was “disheartening to younger scientists who really wanted to try to make a difference,” she said. “Like, how do we get over this? It’s not working.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere was one brief bright spot, however. In 2016 an early trial of aducanumab, a drug developed by Biogen, showed promise for reducing amyloid plaques and slowing the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s patients, the authors \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/nature19323\"\u003ereported in \u003cem\u003eNature\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut in 2019 Biogen shut down their phase 3 clinical trial, saying that aducanumab didn’t work. The following year, after reanalyzing the data and concluding that aducanumab did work in one of the trials after all — modestly, in a subset of patients — Biogen requested approval for the drug from the Food and Drug Administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe FDA approved aducanumab in 2021 over the objections of its scientific advisers, who argued that its benefits seemed too marginal to outweigh its risks. Even several researchers who were loyal to the amyloid hypothesis were infuriated by the decision. Medicare decided not to cover the cost of the drug, so the only people taking aducanumab are in clinical trials or able to pay for it out of pocket. After three decades of global research primarily centered on the amyloid hypothesis, aducanumab is the only approved drug that aims at the underlying neurobiology to slow the progression of the disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“You can have the most beautiful hypothesis, but if it doesn’t play out with therapeutic efficacy, then it’s not worth anything,” Nixon said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"just-one-more-experiment\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘Just One More Experiment’\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, the failures of clinical trials don’t necessarily mean that the science they are based on is invalid. In fact, amyloid-hypothesis supporters have often argued that many of the attempted therapies could have failed because patients enrolled in the trials didn’t get the anti-amyloid drugs early enough in the progression of their disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe problem with that defense is that since no one knows for certain what causes Alzheimer’s disease, there’s no way of knowing how early the interventions need to be. Risk factors might arise when you’re 50 years old, or when you’re 15. If they happen very early in life, are they definitive causes of a condition that occurs decades later? And how useful can a potential treatment be if it needs to be prescribed that early?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The amyloid hypothesis has evolved over time so that every time there’s a new set of findings that questions some aspect of it, it morphs into a different hypothesis,” Nixon said. But the fundamental premise, that extracellular amyloid plaques are the trigger for all the other pathologies, has stayed the same.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToo Small, a researcher who works on alternate theories, a few of the amyloid cascade supporters who continue to hold their breath for encouraging results have “moved from being dispassionate scientists to being a little bit more ideological and religious,” he said. “They’re in this sort of self-fulfilling world of always ‘just one more experiment.’ It doesn’t make scientific sense.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMoreover, Small notes that while the drug trials were floundering, new scientific findings were poking holes in the fundamental hypothesis as well. Neuroimaging studies, for example, were confirming previous autopsy findings that some people who died with extensive amyloid deposits in their brains never suffered from dementia or other cognitive problems.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe failures also lend more significance to an “anatomical mismatch” that Alzheimer \u003ca href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02866241\"\u003enoted\u003c/a\u003e more than a hundred years ago: The two brain regions where the neural pathology of Alzheimer’s disease starts — the hippocampus and the nearby entorhinal cortex — generally show the least accumulation of amyloid plaques. Instead, amyloid plaques first get deposited in the frontal cortex, which gets involved in later stages of the disease and doesn’t show a lot of cell death, Small said. Decades can pass between the first appearance of amyloid and tau deposits and the neural death and cognitive decline seen in the disease — which raises questions about the causal connection between them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hypothesis took another hit last July when \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/content/article/potential-fabrication-research-images-threatens-key-theory-alzheimers-disease\"\u003ea bombshell article\u003c/a\u003e in \u003cem\u003eScience\u003c/em\u003e revealed that data in the influential \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/nature04533\"\u003e2006 \u003cem\u003eNature\u003c/em\u003e paper\u003c/a\u003e linking amyloid plaques to cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease may have been fabricated. The connection claimed by the paper convinced many researchers to keep pursuing amyloid theories at the time. For many of them, the new exposé created a “big dent” in the amyloid theory, Patira said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/HISTORY-OF-ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE_byMerrillSherman_1300-Desktop6.svg\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMerrill Sherman/Quanta Magazine\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"introduction-5\"\u003eIntroduction\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAisen acknowledges that science should encourage researchers to take different approaches. “But of course, in academic medicine and in commercial science, everybody has a lot riding on the outcome,” he said. “Careers are dependent upon the answer.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd there was a lot riding on the amyloid hypothesis. It takes on average more than a decade and $5.7 billion to develop a single drug for Alzheimer’s disease. “Pharmaceutical companies are not shy in saying that they’ve invested many billions of dollars in this,” Nixon said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePerhaps because of those heavy commitments and the near-lock that the amyloid hypothesis had on public attention, some researchers faced pressure to accept it even after its unsuccessful track record was clear.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Travaglini was a first-year graduate student at Stanford University in 2015, he was drawn to Alzheimer’s research as a focus for his doctoral thesis. It felt like a natural choice: His grandmother had been officially diagnosed with the disease, and he had already spent dozens of hours scouring the medical literature for information that might help her. He sought out the advice of two professors who were teaching a cell biology class he was taking.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“They were like, ‘Don’t even focus your class project on that,’” Travaglini said. They assured him that Alzheimer’s was basically already solved. “It’s going to be amyloid,” he remembers them saying. “There’s going to be anti-amyloid drugs that are going to work in the next two or three years. Don’t worry about it.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTravaglini then went to a third professor who also told him to steer clear of Alzheimer’s, not because it was going to be solved but because “it’s just too complicated.” Tackle Parkinson’s instead, the professor said: Scientists had a much better sense of that disease, and it was a much simpler problem.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTravaglini shelved his plans to work on Alzheimer’s disease and instead did his thesis on mapping the lung.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResearchers who were already committed to non-amyloid approaches to Alzheimer’s say that they ran into a lot of resistance. There were many people who “suffered under the yoke of the amyloid people,” Small said. They couldn’t get grants or funding — and they were, in general, discouraged from pursuing the theories they really wanted to pursue.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It was frustrating trying to get different stories out there,” Weaver said. It’s been “an uphill struggle” to get funding for his non-amyloid work.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen \u003ca href=\"https://www.utsa.edu/sciences/neuroscience-developmental-regenerative-biology/faculty/GeorgePerry.html\"\u003eGeorge Perry\u003c/a\u003e, a professor at the University of Texas, San Antonio put forth his theory that amyloid was coming from inside the neurons, “everybody hated it,” he said. “I discontinued the work because I couldn’t get funding for it.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/CerebralAmyloidAngiopathy_byNephron.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExtracellular amyloid plaques (dark fibers) in brain tissue are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNephron\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“There isn’t some great conspiracy or anything” to ban alternative approaches, said \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucl.ac.uk/child-health/people/iris-profile-rick-livesey\"\u003eRick Livesey\u003c/a\u003e, a professor of stem cell biology at University College London. But he notes that “there are some issues around innovation in dementia research.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2016, \u003ca href=\"https://www.unimedizin-mainz.de/pathobiochemie/research/behl-group.html?L=1\"\u003eChristian Behl\u003c/a\u003e, a professor of biochemistry at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany, took the bold step of organizing a meeting called “Beyond Amyloid,” an open-ended discussion of new ideas about the causes of Alzheimer’s disease. “I personally got quite some criticism from different colleagues out of the amyloid fields that disliked the idea to do such a meeting,” he said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"enlarged-endosomes\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEnlarged Endosomes\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite the obstacles, some non-amyloid-cascade research did make landmark progress during the early 2000s. In particular, a critical finding around the turn of the millennium reinvigorated interest in the lysosomal explanation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnne Cataldo, a postdoctoral fellow in Nixon’s lab, was studying the properties of organelles called endosomes in Harvard’s donated brains. Endosomes are a highly dynamic network of vesicles that sit under the cell membrane and aid lysosomes. Their job is to take in proteins and other materials from outside the cell, sort them, and ship them where they need to go — sometimes to the lysosomes for autophagy. (Think of endosomes as a cell’s version of FedEx, said, Young.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCataldo noticed that in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, the endosomes in neurons were abnormally large, as though the endosomes were struggling to process the proteins they were picking up. If molecules slated for destruction don’t get labeled, recycled, or shipped properly, that disruption of the endosomal-lysosomal pathway can trigger a cascade of problems both inside and outside cells. (Imagine unsorted, undelivered packages piling up in the fleet of FedEx trucks.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe endosome enlargement might have seemed like just a consequence of the increasing brain pathology except for two important points: It didn’t happen in the brains of people with other neurodegenerative diseases that they examined, only Alzheimer’s. And the enlargement started happening before amyloid plaques were deposited.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“That finding was very pivotal,” Nixon said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFurthermore, Cataldo showed that the endosomes were enlarged in people who did not yet have symptoms of Alzheimer’s but who carried a mutation, \u003cem\u003eAPOE4\u003c/em\u003e, that affected how their body handles cholesterol. \u003cem\u003eAPOE4\u003c/em\u003e is the most significant genetic risk factor ever found for late-onset Alzheimer’s. (It’s the mutation that the actor Chris Hemsworth, famous as the movie superhero Thor, recently learned that he carries.) People who have one copy of \u003cem\u003eAPOE4\u003c/em\u003e have a two- to the threefold elevated risk of developing Alzheimer’s; people like Hemsworth who have two copies have an eight-to twelvefold elevated risk.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCataldo, Nixon, and their colleagues \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1850219/\"\u003epublished their findings\u003c/a\u003e in 2000. Since then, evidence has implicated lysosomal disruptions in problems ranging from neurodegenerative diseases to “lysosomal storage diseases,” in which toxic molecules pile up in lysosomes instead of breaking down. It was also discovered that when APP is cleaved to make amyloid-beta in neurons, it happens inside their endosomes. And studies have shown that the endosomal-lysosomal system routinely starts to slow down and malfunction in aging cells — a fact that has made these organelles hot topics for longevity research.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/RalphNixon-byMonicaAlmeida-4-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNixon suspects that the endosomal-lysosomal pathway, the amyloid cascades, neuroinflammation, and other processes all contribute to Alzheimer’s as elements of a disease model that he sometimes calls “the elephant.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKaren Dias for Quanta Magazine\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"introduction-6\"\u003eIntroduction\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCataldo died in 2009, and work on endosomes in Nixon’s lab and with his collaborators stalled. But Small and his team were knee-deep in this research area at the time. In 2005, they \u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.20667\"\u003efound evidence\u003c/a\u003e that in certain endosomes, a complex of proteins known as a retromer might be malfunctioning in Alzheimer’s disease and triggering endosomal traffic jams that cause amyloid to accumulate in neurons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-persuasive-power-of-genetics\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Persuasive Power of Genetics\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust as the genetics experiments in Hardy’s lab and others first helped propel the amyloid cascade hypothesis to prominence, genetics did something similar for the alternative hypotheses over the past 15 years. “Genetics is definitely seen as the anchor for people to try and make sense of stuff,” Livesey said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5563735/\"\u003eStarting in 2007\u003c/a\u003e, massive statistical studies of the genome identified dozens of new genetic risks for Alzheimer’s. These genes were generally far weaker in their effects than \u003cem\u003eAPOE4\u003c/em\u003e, but they all increased the likelihood that someone might develop Alzheimer’s. They also directly connected the late-onset forms of the disease to multiple biochemical pathways in cells, including the immune system, cholesterol metabolism, and the endosomal-lysosomal system. Many of these genes were also among the earliest to become active in Alzheimer’s disease. These discoveries were when others started to believe “this is meaningful,” Nixon said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe endosomal-lysosomal hypothesis was not only becoming more concrete; it was looking increasingly likely to be an essential piece of the Alzheimer’s puzzle.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/Circle-2-1.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSupporters of the amyloid cascade hypothesis, however, still believe genetics are on their side. The only three genes known to directly cause Alzheimer’s, rather than just increasing the risk for it, are the proteins APP (the bane of the Jennings family), presenilin 1, and presenilin 2 — and mutations in all three of them cause pileups of amyloid.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Anybody who looks at that and says amyloid is not causative is just either hiding their head in the ground, or they’re being disingenuous,” Tanzi said. “Genetics will set you free.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut studies have also suggested that those genes could be involved in ways that don’t depend on the amyloid hypothesis. For example, in 2010, Nixon and his team \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20541250/\"\u003ereported\u003c/a\u003e that mutations in presenilin 1 disrupted lysosomal function. Evidence also suggested that all three causal genes are involved in making endosomes swell.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe debates about what the findings mean are still fierce, but many researchers in the Alzheimer’s field are feeling a rumbling beneath their feet as the field shifts toward the idea that “amyloid is not unimportant, but it’s not the only thing,” Nixon said. “Now there’s a sufficient number of people [on board] that I think the message is, ‘Do your own thing now.’”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"flowers-of-dementia\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFlowers of Dementia\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn Nixon’s desk is a copy of the June issue of \u003cem\u003eNature Neuroscience\u003c/em\u003e, and next to it a mug that has the issue’s cover printed on it, given to him by the lead author of the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the cover feature of that issue, Nixon and his team reported one of the most powerful pieces of evidence yet that the simple version of the amyloid hypothesis is wrong and that something deeper within neurons is fundamentally malfunctioning. If their findings in mice and a handful of human tissues hold true in follow-up studies, they could critically change our understanding of the origins of Alzheimer’s disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsing a novel probe, they fluorescently labeled lysosomes involved in autophagy in mice that had been genetically induced to develop Alzheimer’s disease. The probe allowed the researchers to watch the disease progress in living mice under a giant confocal microscope. The first of the resulting micrographs was “the most spectacular image that we’ve ever collected,” Nixon said. “It was so out of the realm of anything I had seen.” It showed structures in the brain that looked like flowers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese “flowers” turned out to be neurons bulging with toxic accumulations of proteins and molecules. After a contest among the team members, the team decided to name these neurons “PANTHOS,” from the ancient Greek word for flower (ánthos) with an added “p” for poison.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/Polyptich-PANTHOSCells_2_byNixonLab.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNixon and his group discovered that lysosomal dysfunctions can cause diseased neurons to erupt into structures they called PANTHOS. In micrographs, PANTHOS neurons look astonishingly like flowers, but they are dying cells.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJu-hyun Lee\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"introduction-7\"\u003eIntroduction\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFurther work revealed that the PANTHOS neurons were products of autophagy gone wrong. Normally in autophagy, highly acidic lysosomes carrying digestive enzymes fuse with vesicles carrying waste. The fusion results in a structure known as an autolysosome, in which the waste is digested and then recycled into the cell. In mice with Alzheimer’s, however, the autolysosomes were swelling with accumulations of amyloid-beta and other waste proteins. The lysosomes and autolysosomes were not acidic enough for the enzymes to digest the waste.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe neurons kept making more and more autolysosomes, each of which grew bigger and bigger. Soon they were poking into the cell membrane, pushing it outward to form the “petals” of the flower shapes that Nixon had seen. Engorged autolysosomes also accumulated in the center of the neuron, fusing with the organelles there and forming piles of amyloid fibrils that started to look like plaques.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEventually, the autolysosomes burst and released their toxic enzymes, damaging and slowly killing the cell. The dead cell’s contents then leaked into the surrounding space — and started poisoning nearby cells, which in turn also became PANTHOS neurons before exploding. Microglia, cells that are part of the brain’s immune system, swooped in to clean up the mess, but in the process, they also started damaging nearby neurons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNixon and his co-workers also realized something else: With traditional staining and imaging methods, the masses of proteins accumulating in the autolysosomes inside PANTHOS neurons would have looked exactly like classic amyloid plaques outside of cells. The extracellular amyloid plaques weren’t killing the cells — because the cells were already dead.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir discovery implied that anti-amyloid therapies would be futile. “It’s like trying to cure a disease in someone who’s buried in the cemetery,” Nixon said. “Removing the plaque is removing the tombstone.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBecause their initial findings were in mice, the team searched for similar PANTHOS neurons in human samples. Knowing what to look for, they found them easily. Sitting at the controls of the confocal microscope that filled half of a dark and dusty room in Nixon’s lab, the research scientist \u003ca href=\"https://www.nki.rfmh.org/faculty/philip-stavrides-ms\"\u003ePhilip Stavrides\u003c/a\u003e toggled the field of focus up and down over one of the human Alzheimer’s brain samples. Bright bursts of the greens, reds, and blues of the poisonous “flowers” filled the microscope’s screen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/WHEN-AUTOPHAGY-GOES-WRONG560_byMerrillSherman_Mobile.svg\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMerrill Sherman/Quanta Magazine\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It is really a very interesting paper, and a step closer to the cause,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.amsterdamumc.org/en/research/researchers/charlotte-teunissen.htm\"\u003eCharlotte Teunissen\u003c/a\u003e, a professor of neurochemistry at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers. Understanding the mechanisms of early disruptions in Alzheimer’s disease could help not only in developing drugs but also in identifying biomarkers, she added. The paper “was exceptional,” said Perry.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeople have long debated which form of amyloid is most toxic and where it does the most damage, and this study provided ample evidence that intracellular amyloid may play an important role in the disease, Aisen said. What could be interesting now, he said, would be for neuropathologists to check how frequently and extensively these abnormalities appear in Alzheimer’s brains. For drug therapy research, he thinks there’s now “all the more reason to continue exploring small molecules that can penetrate into the cell and actually inhibit the enzymes that generate the amyloid-beta.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince the PANTHOS paper was published, Nixon and his team may have discovered why the lysosomes in Alzheimer’s patients are not acidifying properly. When APP is being digested in the endosome, one of the byproducts is amyloid-beta, but another one is a protein called beta-CTF. Too much beta-CTF inhibits the lysosome’s acidification system. Beta-CTF could therefore be another important potential target for drug development that has generally been ignored, Nixon said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"all-the-parts-of-the-elephant\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAll the Parts of the Elephant\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA week after he published the PANTHOS paper, Nixon and several other researchers were awarded the Oskar Fischer Prize, an award given at the University of Texas, San Antonio for novel ideas that gaze beyond prevailing theories of Alzheimer’s disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe award was originally intended to be for the one person who came up with the most comprehensive explanation of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease. But the founders eventually broke it up into multiple prizes “because it’s impossible to capture every different aspect” of such a complex disease, Nixon said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNixon won for his description of problems in the ability of endosomes to traffic proteins and lysosomes to clear proteins. Others won for their work on abnormalities in cholesterol metabolism, mitochondria, neural stem cells, and neuron identities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hypothesized sequence of events in the pathology is murky; various arguments can be made for what comes first, second or third. But all the dysfunctional pathways — involving the endosomes and lysosomes, the immune system, cholesterol metabolism, mitochondria, neural stem cells, and the rest — might be intertwined pieces of a single gigantic puzzle.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“They, in my mind, can all be integrated into one entity, which I call the elephant,” Nixon said. Endosomal-lysosomal dysfunctions, for example, could easily influence all the other pathways and send disruptions rippling throughout individual cells and the brain. But if the dysfunctions are intertwined, there might not be a single definitive trigger for Alzheimer’s disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOther researchers are also beginning to see Alzheimer’s disease less as a single discrete disorder than as an assortment of processes that go wrong together. If that’s true, treatments that target just one protein in this cascade, such as amyloid, might not have much of a therapeutic benefit. But a cocktail of drugs — say, one that targets the elephant’s legs, one that targets its tail, and one that targets its trunk — might be enough to knock the animal down.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/RalphNixon-byMonicaAlmeida-5-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNixon hopes to uncover the proteins other than amyloid that play a major role in endosomal-lysosomal dysfunction.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKaren Dias for Quanta Magazine\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"introduction-8\"\u003eIntroduction\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStill, too many people insist on casting the debate over what causes Alzheimer’s as an either-or problem, Nixon said. They chide him, arguing that his beliefs about the importance of the endosomal-lysosomal mechanism must mean that he doesn’t believe amyloid-beta has any role in the disease. “It’s like you can’t hold two relevant ideas in juxtaposition,” he said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid-beta may be one killer, but there could be a range of toxic accumulating proteins that are equally important in killing the cell, he said. Amyloid-beta is like a banana peel in a garbage can. “There’s a whole host of other garbage that might be even more disgusting than the banana peel,” Nixon said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall agrees that it could make the most sense for the endosomal-lysosomal hypothesis, the neuroinflammation hypothesis, and the amyloid cascade hypothesis to combine at some point into one larger theory. “You can Occam’s-razor this,” he said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe implications of taking this broader perspective could reach beyond the Alzheimer’s field. Clues gleaned from Alzheimer’s could help our understanding of other neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) — and aging. The reverse could also apply: Weaver often reads the ALS and Parkinson’s literature as well, hoping that their insights “will flip over to our world,” he said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"new-drugs-new-theories\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNew Drugs, New Theories\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnthusiasm for explanations beyond the amyloid cascade hypothesis doesn’t mean that people have lost interest in the anti-amyloid drugs now being tested. Aisen and many other researchers are still optimistic that we can build on the moderate success of lecanemab. Even if the drugs address only part of what’s wrong with Alzheimer’s disease, any improvement could be a lifeline for patients.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Patients need something,” Weaver said. “And I really hope that one of these [ideas] turns out to be right.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/Brain-microglia-engulfing-synapses.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe magenta structures in this micrograph outline the lysosomes inside a microglial cell, a part of the brain’s immune system. The green inside the lysosomes is material from synapses that the cell has consumed while cleaning up damaged neurons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJavier Rueda-Carrasco/Soyon Hong lab/UK DRI at UCL\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter so many years of drug failures, the lecanemab results were welcome news for Hardy. He flew from London to San Francisco so he could be present when the results were presented at the end of November at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference. He could have watched the results from home online, but he wanted to be part of the excitement and “to hear what other people think of the results.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven though Hardy helped to launch the amyloid cascade hypothesis decades ago and still believes in its power, he has also always been extremely receptive to evolving ideas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2013, Hardy and his team discovered that mutations in a gene involved in the immune system could increase the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Since then, he has shifted the focus of his lab to studying microglia. He suspects that amyloid deposits might activate microglia directly to cause damaging inflammation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo many researchers, the immune system offers an appealingly flexible explanation for Alzheimer’s, one that fits with both the amyloid hypothesis and other ideas. A report in the July 2020 issue of \u003cem\u003eThe Lancet\u003c/em\u003e listed the variety of known risk factors for dementia, ranging from air pollution to repetitive head trauma to systemic infections. “I mean, it goes on and on,” Weaver said. “They’re different as night and day.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe thread that connects them, he continued, is the immune system. If you bang your head and damage tissues, the immune system steps in to clean up the mess; if you get infected by a virus, your immune system wakes up to fight it; air pollution activates the immune system and causes inflammation. Studies have shown that even social isolation can lead to inflammation of the brain, and depression is a known risk factor for dementia, Weaver said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe immune system is also intimately connected to the lysosomal system. “How cells use the lysosomal pathway to internalize, degrade or recycle proteins is critical to how a neuroimmune response may occur,” Young said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut the endosomal-lysosomal network is also very finely tuned and has a multitude of moving parts that work differently in different types of cells. That makes it trickier to target, Young said. Still, she’s hopeful that there will be a burst of new clinical trials targeting this network in the next few years. Young, Small, and Nixon are all working on targeting different aspects of this network.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePart of the allure of the amyloid cascade hypothesis was that it offered a simple solution to Alzheimer’s disease. Some of these other hypotheses bring in extra layers of complexity, but it’s a complexity that scientists — and a growing number of startups — now seem willing to tackle.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"waiting-for-relief\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWaiting for Relief\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTravaglini went back to Alzheimer’s research at a late stage of his doctoral work. In October 2021, he started at the Allen Institute, sifting through slices of brain samples from people who had died of the disease. He and his team are compiling the \u003ca href=\"https://portal.brain-map.org/explore/seattle-alzheimers-disease\"\u003eSeattle Alzheimer’s Disease Cell Atlas\u003c/a\u003e — a reference that will detail the effects of the disease on the brain’s diverse mix of cells. As part of that work, they are analyzing changes in the activity of more than a hundred kinds of cells in the cortex during the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The cellular face of the disease is so important because it puts all of these molecular changes and hypotheses into the context of the cell that they’re actually occurring in,” Travaglini said. If you put amyloid or tau protein on cells in a dish, the cells start to deteriorate and die. “But it’s not been so clear how different kinds of cells are changing.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis work has already turned up interesting insights, such as the fact that the neurons most vulnerable to the disease are those that have made extra-long connections across the cortex of the brain — where much of our cognitive ability arises. Something about that type of cell could make it more susceptible to the disease, he said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTravaglini and his co-workers have also seen an increase in the number of cells such as microglia, adding even more evidence to the idea that neuroinflammation is a major part of the process. They have also already uncovered a number of genes that are expressed improperly in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, including genes linked to the lysosomal-endosomal network. Eventually, their work could help to uncover the timing of when things go wrong in specific cells, teasing apart one of the greatest mysteries of the disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/KyleTravagliniWithFamily2021_fromKyleTravaglini.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKyle Travaglini, his brother Colin, his grandmother, and his grandfather.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCourtesy of Kyle Travaglini\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTravaglini has tried to visit his grandparents as often as possible. A while ago, his grandmother needed to be moved into an assisted-living memory home; his grandfather went too. “He wanted to be with her,” Travaglini said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey were constant companions since they met in Philadelphia in college; they married more than 60 years ago in Japan, where he was stationed for military service. It has always been hard on him to see her slip away, but it became even harder recently when he too was diagnosed with dementia, although not Alzheimer’s. He would speak lovingly of her, but then add “she doesn’t really like me anymore,” Travaglini said. The family would remind him that wasn’t true, that it was the disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEarly in the morning of December 1, Travaglini’s grandmother died. She was 91.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHer Alzheimer’s had progressed too far for her to understand what her grandson was working on, but his grandfather at least had a chance to know that Travaglini pursued research in the dementia field. “He was really proud of that,” Travaglini said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFamily support matters to researchers like Travaglini in more ways than one. Millions of families are volunteering to help test new drugs and new ideas to advance understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, knowing full well that the results likely won’t materialize soon enough to help them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUntil effective treatments are found, Patira will continue to treat the dementia patients in her care by holding their hands through the journey and helping them navigate their evolving relationships with their families. Her patients’ biggest fear is that they will no longer be able to recognize their grandchildren. “That’s painful to think for yourself,” she said. “And that’s painful to think for the loved ones.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResearch in the field, now more open to other alternatives, will continue to move along, with both good and bad news. “Even if the studies don’t work, you learn something from the failures,” Patira said. “It’s frustrating as a clinician, but it’s good for science.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"carol-knew-the-implications\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘Carol Knew the Implications’\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShortly after Hardy’s discovery that the \u003cem\u003eAPP\u003c/em\u003e gene was why her family was so afflicted with Alzheimer’s, Carol Jennings quit her job as a teacher to work full-time supporting and advocating for Alzheimer’s disease research. In the following decades, she worked closely with Hardy and then with other researchers at University College London.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://d2r55xnwy6nx47.cloudfront.net/uploads/2022/12/Stuart.webp\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarol and Stuart Jennings, like many other volunteers from families touched by Alzheimer’s, have made tremendous contributions to the research.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCourtesy of Stuart Jennings\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJennings never took the genetic test for the \u003cem\u003eAPP\u003c/em\u003e mutation that led to her father, three aunts and an uncle — five out of the 11 people in her family — developing Alzheimer’s disease. “She didn’t think it was worthwhile, because there was nothing that we could do,” said Stuart Jennings, Carol’s husband, who is a Methodist minister and historian. “She would say, ‘I could get run over by a bus tomorrow; why worry about something that’s going to happen in 30 years’ time?’” Their two children have likewise not been tested.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2012, Carol Jennings was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 58 years old.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarol Jennings is one of the very small fraction of people whom researchers can look at and say exactly why her brain has deteriorated. The brains of the vast majority of Alzheimer’s patients, whose disease isn’t tied to a specific gene, are more open to interpretation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The interesting thing is that the early symptoms were [that] the things that she did badly got worse,” Stuart Jennings said. “We all used to joke she could get lost going from the bedroom to the bathroom.” Eventually, that became literally true. She had always procrastinated, but she became very last-minute.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen the things she was good at, like packing and organizing, started to deteriorate. It took years for her to get a formal diagnosis, but once she did, it was traumatic for the first couple of days, Stuart said: “Carol knew what the implications were.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo she started giving instructions. When she dies, she told Stuart, her brain must be donated to the brain bank run by the team at University College London, as the brains of her other afflicted family members have been. She told him that he didn’t have to keep her at home if he couldn’t cope, but he must keep her clean. All the little details were ironed out. “She was brilliant. She got it all organized. I just supported her, really,” Stuart said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe has managed to keep her at home, and UCL researchers continue to follow the Jennings family. Carol and Stuart’s son John works closely with them now, too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs he spoke over Zoom, Stuart sometimes patted Carol’s head from his seat beside her, as she lay in bed with a cold. Because of her Alzheimer’s, she can’t get out of bed or talk anymore other than to give yes or no answers to certain prompts. During the conversation, she drifted in and out of sleep — but when she was awake and watching the interview, it didn’t feel as though she was silent.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMaybe in those moments some part of her was back onstage lecturing about Alzheimer’s disease, stringing words together with ease, inspiring and awing an audience. In her talks, she would stress the idea that “this is about families, not about test tubes and labs,” Stuart said. “That was quite powerful, I think, for the drug reps to hear.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarol wasn’t bothered that disease-altering treatments didn’t arrive in time to help her — to her, that was a small point. “Carol’s always worked on the principle that it’s for the children and for the next generations,” Stuart said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"source-quanta-magazine\"\u003eSource: \u003ca href=\"https://www.quantamagazine.org/what-causes-alzheimers-scientists-are-rethinking-the-answer-20221208/\"\u003eQuanta Magazine\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n","date_published":"2022-12-24T10:00:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/alzheimer-byharolbustos-lede-scaled-1.webp","tags":["alzheimers","dementia","brain","the brain"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/the-testosterone-pandemic/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/the-testosterone-pandemic/","title":"The Testosterone Pandemic","summary":"Testosterone has been dropping each year by 1% since 1950.\nMen are becoming less manly, not only in behavior and appearance but also in their biological makeup.\nIn men, testosterone helps maintain and develop:\nSexual features Muscle mass Adequate levels of red blood cells Bone density Sense of well-being Sexual and reproductive function Peak mental function(memory, problem-solving and critical thinking) Signs, Symptoms, and Effects of Low Testosterone Signs and Symptoms of Low Testosterone Low sex drive Erectile dysfunction(difficulty achieving and maintaining an erection) Decreased sense of well-being Depressed mood and suicidal thoughts Difficulties with concentration and memory Fatigue Moodiness and irritability Loss of muscular strength A decrease in hemoglobin and mild anemia A decrease in body hair and hair loss Thinning of the bones (osteoporosis) Increased body fat Breast development (gynecomastia) Infertility A decrease in critical thinking and problem-solving Docile behavior Smaller penis and testicles Sleep disturbances and even sleep apnea Low ambition and desire to succeed Weakness How To Increase Testosterone And Get Your Life Back Food Avoid processed, prepackaged, and non-organic foods as they lack necessary micronutrients and often contain a plethora of harmful chemicals that severely inhibit testosterone production.\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eTestosterone has been dropping each year by 1% since 1950.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMen are becoming less manly, not only in behavior and appearance but also in their biological makeup.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn men, testosterone helps maintain and develop:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSexual features\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMuscle mass\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdequate levels of red blood cells\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBone density\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSense of well-being\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSexual and reproductive function\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeak mental function(memory, problem-solving and critical thinking)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"signs-symptoms-and-effects-of-low-testosterone\"\u003eSigns, Symptoms, and Effects of Low Testosterone\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"signs-and-symptoms-of-low-testosterone\"\u003eSigns and Symptoms of Low Testosterone\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLow sex drive\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eErectile dysfunction(difficulty achieving and maintaining an erection)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDecreased sense of well-being\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDepressed mood and suicidal thoughts\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDifficulties with concentration and memory\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFatigue\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMoodiness and irritability\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLoss of muscular strength\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA decrease in hemoglobin and mild anemia\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA decrease in body hair and hair loss\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThinning of the bones (osteoporosis)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncreased body fat\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBreast development (gynecomastia)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInfertility\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA decrease in critical thinking and problem-solving\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDocile behavior\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSmaller penis and testicles\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSleep disturbances and even sleep apnea\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLow ambition and desire to succeed\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeakness\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"how-to-increase-testosterone-and-get-your-life-back\"\u003eHow To Increase Testosterone And Get Your Life Back\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"food\"\u003eFood\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAvoid processed, prepackaged, and non-organic foods as they lack necessary micronutrients and often contain a plethora of harmful chemicals that severely inhibit testosterone production.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInstead, opt for healthier and organic foods i.e eggs, fish, fatty beef, cruciferous vegetables, pomegranate, shellfish, and oysters. Increase intake of Vitamin D(sun), Vitamin C, and Magnesium as these can help reverse the detrimental decrease of testosterone in men.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlso, note that testosterone production decreases significantly after eating. Hence constant snacking is bad for testosterone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eObesity leads to low testosterone as fat cells metabolize testosterone into estrogen. Obese men also have low levels of SHGB(Sex Hormone Binding Globin) which is a compound responsible for transporting testosterone in the bloodstream.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"sleep\"\u003eSleep\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeveral studies continue to show that good regular sleep of 8 hours can increase testosterone production by almost 60% in men especially if done in routine(same times). Human Growth Hormone has also been shown to increase during good REM sleep which also helps boost testosterone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"plasticsmicroplastics-found-in-food\"\u003ePlastics(+microplastics found in food)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlastics often contain xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens are everywhere, they can be found in food coloring, furniture, industrial products, plastic tubing, clothing, and personal grooming products(more on this can be found here: \u003ca href=\"https://stephenajulu.com/blog/endocrine-hormonal-disruptors-in-grooming-products-and-cosmetics/\"\u003eEndocrine(Hormonal) Disruptors in Grooming Products and Cosmetics\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe list is endless.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eXenoestrogens work by mimicking estrogen in the body of males similar to how your body is producing more estrogen than necessary. When more estrogen is produced and found in your body, your brain shuts down testosterone production and halts spermatogenesis(the art at which the male body creates sperms).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis not only decreases testosterone but also causes inflammation of the muscles and joints. These xenoestrogens together with the estrogen your body produces also cause you to gain fat further promoting the vicious cycle with no end.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sad truth is estrogen is replacing testosterone in many men and the effects are dire!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut they don\u0026rsquo;t have to.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can choose to negate these effects by drinking out of metal and glass containers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can also avoid overly processed foods, plastic-wrapped foods, unhealthy soaps, unhealthy cooking oils(see more here: \u003ca href=\"https://stephenajulu.com/blog/why-i-advocate-for-saturated-fats-over-vegetable-oils/\"\u003eWhy I Advocate For Saturated Fats Over Vegetable Oils(Updated)\u003c/a\u003e), and cosmetics.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTry \u003ca href=\"https://drsquatch.com/\"\u003eDR. SQUATCH\u003c/a\u003e soap\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs said previously, xenoestrogens are everywhere and can cause your libido to plummet, causes birth defects in children, and screws up your overall health.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA recent study showed that we consume the equivalent of one credit card worth of plastic every week! Shocking isn\u0026rsquo;t it?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo if you can AVOID THEM!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"exercise-and-fitness\"\u003eExercise and Fitness\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMen were made to hunt, gather, and be constantly active.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInstead, lots of men can be seen spending time at a desk docile and then going home only to sit on a couch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe were not created to eat, sleep, sit, and text. We were created for more.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the bright side, exercise is not hard to start. It can simply be a walk and if you are like me, it can be lifting heavy shit or spending hours at the gym lifting weights.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLifting weights has been shown to especially boost testosterone in men by almost 25%.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough too much cardio can have the opposite effect by actually reducing testosterone. Sprinting however is a good choice as this boosts testosterone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"sex-and-pornography\"\u003eSex and Pornography\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePornography and masturbation have been shown to decrease testosterone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to 2 studies, people who stopped masturbating for a week saw a 150% increase in testosterone. So, yea NOFAP works!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrequent masturbation nulls/dulls androgen receptors in the brain responsible for helping your body use testosterone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn fact, frequent masturbation enhances estrogen receptors, according to a different study. So keep your hands off yourself!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou\u0026rsquo;ll love this: In a different study, normal sex between a male and a female has been shown to increase testosterone production in men. So keep it up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMen are becoming weaker and are told being masculine is \u0026ldquo;toxic\u0026rdquo; when on the contrary men are supposed to lead, guide, protect and stand up for what is right. Sadly these men are now rare and hard to find.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMen are nowadays encouraged to bend over to the government, to mandates, to bosses that make them do things that aren\u0026rsquo;t right, aren\u0026rsquo;t what they believe in, or don\u0026rsquo;t want to do.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo stand up for yourself KING.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd if you feel you can\u0026rsquo;t then maybe it\u0026rsquo;s time you start following the things written above and look into ways you can increase your testosterone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHave a nice one!\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_published":"2022-08-16T21:32:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/800px-gigachad.png","tags":["testosterone","androgen","pandemic","men","endocrine","endocrinology"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/endocrine-hormonal-disruptors-in-grooming-products-and-cosmetics/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/endocrine-hormonal-disruptors-in-grooming-products-and-cosmetics/","title":"Endocrine(Hormonal) Disruptors in Grooming Products and Cosmetics","summary":"First, let\u0026rsquo;s start with the definition of the endocrine system.\nWhat is the endocrine system? The endocrine system is a complex network of glands, hormones, and receptors. It provides the key communication and control link between the nervous system and bodily functions such as reproduction, immunity, metabolism, and behavior.\nWhat are endocrine disruptors? Chemicals are an essential component of our daily lives. But some chemicals, known as endocrine disruptors, can have harmful effects on the body’s endocrine (hormone) system. Hormones act in very small amounts and at precise moments in time to regulate the body’s development, growth, reproduction, metabolism, immunity, and behavior. Endocrine disruptors interfere with natural hormone systems, and the health effects can be felt long after the exposure has stopped. Exposure to endocrine disruptors in the womb can have life-long effects and can even have consequences for the next generation.\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eFirst, let\u0026rsquo;s start with the definition of the endocrine system.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-is-the-endocrine-system\"\u003eWhat is the endocrine system?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe endocrine system is a complex network of glands, hormones, and receptors. It provides the key communication and control link between the nervous system and bodily functions such as reproduction, immunity, metabolism, and behavior.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-are-endocrine-disruptors\"\u003eWhat are endocrine disruptors?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChemicals are an essential component of our daily lives. But some chemicals, known as endocrine disruptors, can have harmful effects on the body’s endocrine (hormone) system. Hormones act in very small amounts and at precise moments in time to regulate the body’s development, growth, reproduction, metabolism, immunity, and behavior. Endocrine disruptors interfere with natural hormone systems, and the health effects can be felt long after the exposure has stopped. Exposure to endocrine disruptors in the womb can have life-long effects and can even have consequences for the next generation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"to-learn-more-read-endocrine-disruptors-what-they-are--how-to-avoid-them\"\u003eTo learn more, read: \u003ca href=\"https://stephenajulu.com/blog/endocrine-disruptors-what-they-are-how-to-avoid-them/\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eEndocrine Disruptors: What They Are \u0026amp; How To Avoid Them\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-are-some-of-the-known-endocrine-disruptors-found-in-cosmetic-and-grooming-products\"\u003eWhat are some of the known endocrine disruptors found in cosmetic and grooming products?\u003c/h3\u003e\n  \u003cfigure class=\"post-media\"\u003e\n    \u003cimg src=\"https://www.intechopen.com/media/chapter/72654/media/Table2.png\" alt=\"Most common endocrine disrupting chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto;\" /\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e\u0026lt;figcaption\u0026gt;Most common endocrine disrupting chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products. Trade name, CAS number and demonstrated hormonal activities.\u0026lt;/figcaption\u0026gt;\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eParabens\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Often found in many cleansers, soaps, and moisturizers, parabens are preservatives that are also endocrine disruptors, which means they can interfere with essential hormonal functions in the body and potentially cause chronic conditions over time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSulfates\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: A petrochemical byproduct, sulfates can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions and are commonly found in things like body wash.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePhthalates\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Used to make fragrances stick to skin, many scented cleaners and moisturizers contain phthalates, which can also be endocrine disruptors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSynthetic Fragrance\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Under the law to protect “trade secrets,” companies are not required to disclose what is actually in their fragrance—it could potentially contain a whole host of toxic chemicals that can cause allergic reactions and more.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBenzalkonium Chloride\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Used as a preservative, this ingredient has been associated with skin, eye, and respiratory irritation and is often used in moisturizers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eButylated hydroxy Anisole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: These are synthetic antioxidants that are likely carcinogenic and may cause liver damage.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eEthylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e:\u003c/em\u003e A binding agent, EDTA may cause organ damage and is found in many moisturizers and lotions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePolyethylene glycol\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Also found in creams, this ingredient and other PEG compounds may be carcinogenic, depending on how they are processed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOxybenzone\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: This ingredient is found in sunscreen as well as moisturizers that have sunscreen in it. It’s been linked to things like skin sensitization, allergic reactions, and hormone disruption.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFormaldehyde\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Yep. This known carcinogen is found in many body washes and shampoos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS and SLES)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Also found in various kinds of soaps, SLS and SLES are petroleum byproducts that can potentially cause irritation and allergic reactions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTriclosan:\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e Used as an anti-bacterial agent, and can be found in toothpaste, soaps, and hand washes. It is known to have hormone-disrupting properties.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePFAS:\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (\u003ca href=\"https://chemtrust.org/list-of-endocrine-disruptors-the-not-so-happy-families-of-toxic-chemicals/#pfas\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePFAS\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e) are added to some cosmetics, such as foundations and moisturizing creams, to help them penetrate the skin. Some PFAS have hormone-disrupting traits. Coop Denmark \u003ca href=\"https://www.foodpackagingforum.org/news/coop-denmark-bans-pfas-in-cosmetics\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehas banned\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e all cosmetics containing PFAS from its shops because of concerns over these harmful chemicals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFlouride:\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e Used in toothpaste. Found in tap water.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eKojic acid\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e4-Methylbenzylidene camphor\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eResorcinol\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOctocrylene\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTriclocarban\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eHomosalate\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBenzyl salicylate\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eGenistein\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDaidzein\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eEthylhexyl Methoxycinnamate(EHMC)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOctyl methoxycinnamate (OMC)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOctinoxate\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eCyclopentasiloxane\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDecamethylcyclopentasiloxane\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eButylphenyl methyl propanol\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eBMHCA\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTriphenyl phosphate\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeltamethrin\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n  \u003cfigure class=\"post-media\"\u003e\n    \u003cimg src=\"https://www.intechopen.com/media/chapter/72654/media/Table3.png\" alt=\"Some adverse effects of EDCs in humans.\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto;\" /\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e\u0026lt;figcaption\u0026gt;Some adverse effects of EDCs in humans.\u0026lt;/figcaption\u0026gt;\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e\n  \u003cfigure class=\"post-media\"\u003e\n    \u003cimg src=\"https://www.intechopen.com/media/chapter/72654/media/Table4.png\" alt=\"Studies exploring associations between exposure to cosmetics- and PCPs-released EDCs and endometriosis.\" style=\"width: 100%; height: auto;\" /\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\u003ccode\u003e\u0026lt;figcaption\u0026gt;Studies exploring associations between exposure to cosmetics- and PCPs-released EDCs and endometriosis.\u0026lt;/figcaption\u0026gt;\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"read-more-endocrine-disruptors-what-they-are--how-to-avoid-them\"\u003eRead More: \u003ca href=\"https://stephenajulu.com/blog/endocrine-disruptors-what-they-are-how-to-avoid-them/\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEndocrine Disruptors: What They Are \u0026amp; How To Avoid Them\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"read-more-endocrine-disrupting-chemicals-in-cosmetics-and-personal-care-products-and-risk-of-endometriosis\"\u003eRead More: \u003ca href=\"https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/72654\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEndocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products and Risk of Endometriosis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n","date_published":"2022-07-22T08:36:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/camilo-jimenez-0ylmwcxlwlw-unsplash.jpg","tags":["endocrine system","endocrinology","endocrine disruptors","hormones","hormonal","hormonal disruptors","health","pthalates","parabens","toxic cosmetics"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/why-i-advocate-for-saturated-fats-over-vegetable-oils/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/why-i-advocate-for-saturated-fats-over-vegetable-oils/","title":"Why I Advocate For Saturated Fats Over Vegetable Oils(Updated)","summary":"Here\u0026rsquo;s why I believe saturated animal fats, coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil should replace ALL your vegetable oils:\n1. Vegetable oils are not actually made from vegetables If you carefully examine every vegetable oil ingredient you\u0026rsquo;ll find that they are actually made from seeds and not vegetables. There are no oils made from vegetables unless you decide an avocado is a vegetable. The fact that they lie to consumers that what you are cooking was made from vegetables proves the point that they are not good as they are using clever marketing, since it\u0026rsquo;s believed vegetables are good and healthy.\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s why I believe saturated animal fats, coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil should replace ALL your vegetable oils:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"1-vegetable-oils-are-not-actually-made-from-vegetables\"\u003e1. Vegetable oils are not actually made from vegetables\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you carefully examine every vegetable oil ingredient you\u0026rsquo;ll find that they are actually made from seeds and not vegetables. There are no oils made from vegetables unless you decide an avocado is a vegetable. The fact that they lie to consumers that what you are cooking was made from vegetables proves the point that they are not good as they are using clever marketing, since it\u0026rsquo;s believed vegetables are good and healthy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"2-seed-vegetable-oils-are-unstable\"\u003e2. Seed \u0026ldquo;vegetable\u0026rdquo; oils are unstable\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVegetable oils are either polyunsaturated or trans fats/oils.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch5 id=\"heres-an-excerpt-from-a-nuffield-health-article-on-polyunsaturated-oils\"\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s an excerpt from a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/cooking-oils-a-guide-to-the-healthiest-fats#:~:text=Because%20of%20these%20multiple%20%27unsaturated,t%20be%20used%20in%20cooking.\"\u003eNuffield Health\u003c/a\u003e article on polyunsaturated oils:\u003c/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePolyunsaturated fat, found in nut and seed oils, is liquid at room temperature. These fats, which include the popular sunflower seed oil, have more than one (poly) double bond in their carbon chain, and these carbon bonds are missing their hydrogen atoms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBecause of these multiple ‘unsaturated’ or ‘incomplete’ double bonds, polyunsaturated fats are chemically unstable and prone to oxidation. This makes them the worst oils to cook with, as heat produces damaging free radicals within the oils.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch5 id=\"heres-an-excerpt-from-a-medlineplus-article-on-trans-fats\"\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s an excerpt from a \u003ca href=\"https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000786.htm#:~:text=Trans%20fat%20is%20a%20type,fats%2C%20like%20shortening%20or%20margarine.\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMedlinePlus\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e article on trans fats:\u003c/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrans fat is a type of dietary fat. Of all the fats, trans fat is the worst for your health. Too much trans fat in your diet increases your risk for heart disease and other health problems.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrans fats are made when food makers turn liquid oils into solid fats, like shortening or margarine. Trans fats can be found in many fried, \u0026ldquo;fast\u0026rdquo; packaged, or processed foods, including:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnything fried and battered\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShortening and stick margarine\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCakes, cake mixes, pies, pie crust, and doughnuts\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnimal foods, such as red meats and dairy, have small amounts of trans fats. But most trans fats come from processed foods.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs you can see, both polyunsaturated oils and trans fats are detrimental to you health.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"3-seed-vegetable-oils-contain-radicals\"\u003e3. Seed \u0026ldquo;vegetable\u0026rdquo; oils contain radicals\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003ch5 id=\"here-are-excerpts-on-radicals-especially-in-vegetable-oils-and-fats\"\u003eHere are excerpts on radicals especially in vegetable oils and fats:\u003c/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFree radicals roam inside our bodies, damaging our cells and our DNA by oxidizing them. (What’s oxidation? Think rust. And for the science geeks, free radicals are molecules with an unpaired electron.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFats and oils.\u003c/strong\u003e Fats and oils can become oxidized from exposure to light, air, or heat. Not only does this create free radicals, but it also causes the unpleasant odors and flavor that we associate with rancidity. When you heat fats or oils to high temperatures, as with deep-frying, they can become oxidized, creating free radicals. This effect is amplified when cooking fats are reused, as they may be in restaurants. For this reason, don’t use these delicate oils for cooking: flaxseed oil and nut and seed oils.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"4--vegetable-oils-cause-modern-day-lifestyle-illnesses-such-as-hypertension-cancer-heart-disease-and-more\"\u003e4.  Vegetable oils cause modern-day lifestyle illnesses such as hypertension, cancer, heart disease, and more\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003ch5 id=\"excerpts-from-lifespa\"\u003eExcerpts from \u003ca href=\"https://lifespa.com/diet-detox/diet/vegetable-oil-pufas/\"\u003eLifeSpa\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVegetable cooking oils were once touted as heart-healthy replacements for butter and lard. Unfortunately, they are the newest culprit in today’s rising levels of heart disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSadly, because of the processed nature of these oils, much of it ends up deposited in fat cells. In fact, from 1959 to 2008, the amount of linoleic acid deposited in subcutaneous fat jumped from 9.1% to 21.5%.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne 2018 study reports that linoleic acid promotes oxidative stress, oxidized LDL (bad cholesterol), chronic low-grade inflammation, and atherosclerosis, and is likely a major dietary culprit for causing coronary heart disease, especially when consumed in the form of industrial seed oils commonly referred to as “vegetable oils.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe amount of linoleic acid (processed vegetable oils) deposited in fat (belly fat, hips, cellulite) is associated with the risk of arterial health issues. \u003cstrong\u003eFurthermore, high levels of omega-6 fatty acids built up in fat stores will reduce concentrations of heart-healthy long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]), most commonly found in fish oils.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch5 id=\"for-those-opposing-the-above-point-my-question-to-you-is-this-why-is-it-that-heart-disease-cancer-and-hypertension-are-on-the-rise-despite-the-heart-healthy-free-of-cholesterol-vegetable-oils-commonly-used-today-why-is-it-that-since-we-replaced-saturated-and-monounsaturated-fatsoils-lifestyle-diseases-have-been-on-the-rise-answer-in-the-comments-just-look-at-obesity-we-are-a-morbidly-obese-race-never-before-has-humanity-been-this-fat-i-further-emphasize-these-points-with-this-excerpt\"\u003eFor those opposing the above point, my question to you is this. Why is it that heart disease, cancer, and hypertension are on the rise despite the \u0026ldquo;heart-healthy\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;free of cholesterol\u0026rdquo; vegetable oils commonly used today? Why is it that since we replaced saturated and monounsaturated fats/oils lifestyle diseases have been on the rise? Answer in the comments. Just look at obesity. We are a morbidly obese race. Never before has humanity been this fat. I further emphasize these points with this excerpt:\u003c/h5\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the early 1900s, before the soybean introduction, vegetable oils were available for culinary use, but they looked much different than today. Seed oils were cold-pressed in dark warehouses and delivered in dark brown bottles in the wee hours of the morning—much like the milkmen we know of today. These oils were so volatile to oxidation that any light exposure would accelerate their rancidity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, vegetable seed oils are industrially processed and oxidized to such an extent that for commercial cooking oils to have a stable shelf life, all the nutrients and protective antioxidants in the seed are processed out. These vegetable seed oils are boiled to over 400° Fahrenheit, denatured, bleached, and then deodorized because they smell so bad after processing. Contrary to the oils pressed and sold in dark rooms and dark bottles, today’s seed oils are void of the nutrients that once graced the seeds, so they can be sold 24/7 in clear plastic bottles in fully lit grocery stores.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHighly processed high linoleic acid vegetable oils are so stable, they use them to preserve food and extend shelf life. You will find them all in packaged food in the middle of your grocery store. Linoleic acids are so fully oxidized that not only are they toxic and damaging to the arterial wall, but intestinal microbes that typically feed on essential fatty acids and fiber won’t touch them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBread, for example, years ago would get hard and stale in just one day, making your local baker a regular stop on your shopping list. Today, bread stays soft for months thanks to highly processed vegetable oils used to extend shelf life—but not your life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeneficial microbes ingest good fats, but if microbes will not eat the processed fats in your bread, your bread will not go bad or mold. But when you eat the processed bread, those same microbes now in your gut won’t eat or digest them either. All the indigestible omega-6 fats end up in the liver to be broken down as toxic waste or stored in your fat as a toxic waste dump.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, gallbladder removal is the most common elective abdominal surgery in America. Gallstones, just one reason the gallbladder fails, affecting 10-15% of Americans, or 20-25 million people.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore importantly, why has gallbladder disease risen by 20%+ in the last 30 years? In large part, the answer is oxidized fats.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHeating PUFAs accelerates the free radical cascade of damage and oxidation in the body. In a famous New Zealand study, researchers evaluated arterial blood flow after a fried food meal. They used a blood pressure cuff to see how fast blood vessels would dilate back to normal after ingestion of a meal cooked in used fast food fryer oil.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe results were dramatic. Four hours after ingesting the meal cooked in one-week-old high omega-6 vegetable oil, they measured how quickly the artery would recover from the pressure of the blood pressure cuff. Before the meal, the vessels dilated normally, but afterward, there was almost no dilation!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat kinds of oils are making their way into your body? Hopefully now, armed with this information, you’ll look a little more carefully at processed foods and vegetable cooking oils, and opt instead for fresh foods and oils. They may go bad quicker, but they will keep you healthier.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"5-cholesterol-and-saturated-fats-are-essential\"\u003e5. Cholesterol and saturated fats are ESSENTIAL\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo, your brain is not made up of 90% water. It\u0026rsquo;s in fact made up of 60% fat. Are you aware your cell membrane is made up of cholesterol? Are you aware that up to 70% of your hormones are made from cholesterol? Are you aware that one of the reasons testosterone, fertility in women, and sperm count is due to lower dietary intake of saturated fats? Are you aware that animal fat and your own fat are almost chemical similar? What does this mean? This means that your body is better capable of processing animal fats than any other fat/oil on the planet. Are you aware that your own body produces up to 60% cholesterol? Are you aware that a majority of doctors and their societies/corporations have been in cahoots with food processing companies for financial gain? Why is medicine one of the most paid careers in the world? Why do patients taking statins also experience a hit/decrease in sexual desire and even develop erectile dysfunction?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAsk yourselves these questions and arrive at your own conclusions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"6-conclusion\"\u003e6. Conclusion\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe(Mankind) have been eating foods high in saturated fats and our diets have primarily consisted of red meat. Why is it that we are now experiencing the effects? Why now? I have the answer: Industrialization! How can a company sell a product? Through marketing. What\u0026rsquo;s the best form of marketing? Playing with the emotions of the customer. How can big food corps do this? By paying doctors who you believe have your self-interests at heart to tell you this is healthy. How do they crush the competition? Having the same doctors tell you that is not healthy. It\u0026rsquo;s really that simple. Think. I hope all of you have seen/read the best answer to: \u0026ldquo;Sell me this pen\u0026rdquo;. The best answer doesn\u0026rsquo;t involve explaining just its features to the customer but rather socially engineering a person by involving their feelings. An example answer to the above question: \u0026ldquo;Because this pen embodies functionality and class. Imagine pulling this out to write checks. You\u0026rsquo;ll look like a boss. To top this off it\u0026rsquo;s even refillable, this way you\u0026rsquo;ll always have your trusty sidekick who will never let you down. With this meter, you\u0026rsquo;ll easily know when your sidekick requires refilling, this way you stand out from the pack by being the only one who came with his own pen! This right here is a power move.\u0026rdquo; Something like that.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s a compiled list of the dangers of PUFA and Trans fats:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBlood Sugar\u003c/strong\u003e - PUFAs can damage the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin. If you want to lose body fat and achieve a high level of health, you want a very effective blood sugar handling system. PUFAs can damage this system. For those with blood sugar handling issues, the primary focus is usually reducing sugar intake, however, I believe it makes more sense to eliminate PUFAs from your diet.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSkin health\u003c/strong\u003e - PUFAs are closely linked to age pigment formation. In addition, a high level of PUFA in your body means when you are exposed to the sun, free radical damage is more likely. Free radical damage to the skin could lead to skin cancer.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMetabolism\u003c/strong\u003e - PUFAs can stress various systems in your body, particularly the rate at which your cells produce energy (i.e. your metabolism). This has numerous implications for thyroid health and general hormonal balance.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDigestion / Immune System\u003c/strong\u003e - PUFAs can impair protein digestion. Digestion problems are rampant in this day and age, and eliminating PUFAs is an often overlooked and very effective way of supporting digestion. Your immune system is closely linked to your digestive system, a problem with digestion almost guarantees a poorly functioning immune system.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetoxification\u003c/strong\u003e - The liver plays a major role in detoxification, PUFAs can overburden the liver. That sluggish feeling you feel after eating out? You may have just consumed PUFAs.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"plan-of-action\"\u003ePlan of Action\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAvoid PUFA oils completely, especially for cooking.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlways use heat-stable fats for cooking (i.e. coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, butter, tallow).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLimit the number of times per week you eat out and follow the eating out tips below.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsume high PUFA foods (i.e. nuts, seeds, fatty fish) in limited quantities (i.e. a few times a week instead of daily)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you consume animal products ensure that the animals are not fed any PUFA. This means consuming grass-fed beef and pasture-raised eggs and poultry. There are many other benefits to this approach as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you are a vegan or vegetarian and nuts and seeds are a significant component of your diet it may be beneficial to consume lots of coconut oil and possibly to supplement with Vitamin E.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you are a vegan or vegetarian and nuts and seeds are a significant component of your diet it may be beneficial to consume lots of coconut oil and possibly to supplement with Vitamin E.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVitamin E is a very powerful antioxidant and may help offset the damage caused by PUFAs. When you go out to a restaurant or if you are in the mood for some French fries, take some vitamin E when you get home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEat more saturated fat in general, but especially on days when you will be consuming PUFAs (whether intentionally or unintentionally). Saturated fat can offset the damage caused by PUFAs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you only want to do one thing for your health, limit your exposure to PUFAs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is rumored that pig farmers attempted to feed their pigs coconut oil to fatten them up (in the days when coconut oil, was cheap). Apparently, the pigs got lean and muscular on the coconut oil diet. Only after they started feeding them corn, soybeans, and grains did they begin to bulk up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen eating out look for farm-table restaurants and ask that your food be cooked in olive oil or butter (coconut oil would be great but this is very uncommon).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you have been consuming a high PUFA diet for many years and carry around high levels of body fat, chances are you are storing lots of PUFA in your own tissues. While reduced body fat should be your goal, you should be sure not to rush your weight loss. When you begin to shed those pounds you can release PUFA into circulation in the body. If done too quickly, this can be particularly damaging and stressful to the body (see the various televised weight-loss competitions).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAvoid omega-6 oils. Read the labels on packages carefully and severely limit or avoid corn, soybean, canola, and cottonseed oils, and all foods made with them. This includes fried foods from restaurants, and most snack foods like chips, popcorn, etc.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEliminate trans fats. Totally avoid \u003cem\u003epartially hydrogenated\u003c/em\u003e or \u003cem\u003ehydrogenated\u003c/em\u003e fats of any kind. If vegetable and seed oils weren’t bad enough, hydrogenating them turns them into the dangerous, heart-harming trans fats that everyone is warning about these days. \u003ca href=\"http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070116131545.htm\"\u003eResearch\u003c/a\u003e shows that these fats “may raise blood sugar levels” and “alter metabolism in humans.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead your labels carefully: Commercial baked goods—such as crackers, cookies, hempseed, and cakes—and many fried foods, such as doughnuts and french fries—may contain hydrogenated trans fats. Shortenings and some margarine can contain hydrogenated trans fats too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUse only healthy, traditional fats, such as:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLard (non-hydrogenated, especially from pasture-raised pigs)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTallow (especially from grass-fed cows)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eButter (especially from grass-fed cows)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCoconut Oil (cold-pressed, unrefined “virgin” oil is best)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOlive Oil (only cold-pressed, extra-virgin in dark bottles or cans)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvocado Oil (cold-pressed; great for high-heat)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese fats are incredibly stable and have been enjoyed safely by humans for thousands of years. They almost never go rancid and many can last for years stored in your pantry.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEat more greens. Leafy greens have a better balance of omega-3s to omega-6s than most seeds and grains (though flax and hemp seeds are notable exceptions). Omega-3s live in leaves, flax, and hemp seed as the omega-3 ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). Animals (like us) can convert ALA into even more dynamic omega-3s: EPA and DHA, which are essential for heart and brain health, especially in children. This conversion is \u003cem\u003every\u003c/em\u003e inefficient in humans, however, and that’s why the next two steps are so important.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEat healthier meats. Cows raised on grass produce meat, milk, and cheese with substantially more omega-3s than their corn-and soy-fed counterparts. Chickens fed a diet rich in bugs, flax and greens produce eggs that are as high in EPA and DHA as many species of fish. Grass-fed meats, dairy, and eggs are more expensive than grain-fed, but the money you spend today is minor compared to the very steep medical price tag attached to a diet high in omega-6s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEat fish. Wild-caught fish can also be a sustainable part of your new diet, as moderate fish consumption will be more effective when your diet has fewer omega-6s. Try to eat at least two meals of wild-caught, minimal-mercury fish per week. (Avoid farmed fish because they are fed GMO corn and soy!) Fish oil supplements can also help, though they’re not a long-term solution to this widespread nutritional deficiency.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"some-good-news-the-american-heart-association-recently-said-that-there-is-no-evidence-linking-dietary-saturated-fat-and-cholesterol-to-cardiovascular-disease-and-obesity\"\u003eSome good news: The American Heart Association recently said that there is \u003ca href=\"http://www.drbriffa.com/2009/04/17/no-evidence-that-saturated-fat-causes-heart-disease-its-official/\"\u003eno evidence\u003c/a\u003e linking dietary saturated fat and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8SSCNaaDcE\u0026amp;eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cheeseslave.com%2F2009%2F08%2F26%2Fdoes-cholesterol-cause-heart-disease%2F\u0026amp;feature=player_embedded\"\u003echolesterol\u003c/a\u003e to cardiovascular disease and obesity.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"polyunsaturated-cooking-oils\"\u003ePolyunsaturated cooking oils.\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePolyunsaturated cooking oils like corn, soybean, canola, safflower, and sunflower oils are often touted as “healthy” oils. While agribusiness conglomerates have done a good PR job with their number one, best-selling product, nothing could be further from the truth. \u003cem\u003e(Note: Also see “\u003c/em\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/the-skinny-on-fat-part-2\" title=\"The Skinny on Fat, Part 2\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Skinny on Fat, Part 2: How Carbohydrates Make You Fat\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cem\u003e” for the complete story.)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to rancidity, oxidation, and an overabundance of omega-6 fatty acids, yellow seed oils have a host of environmental problems too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYellow seed oils are brand new to humankind, and they only exist because the chemical processes and machinery invented during the industrial revolution made it possible to extract them. Today, the majority of these industrial oils are manufactured from \u003cem\u003egenetically engineered\u003c/em\u003e corn, soybeans, and rapeseed (canola) which have been heavily sprayed with Round-up (glyphosate) or atrazine, highly toxic, endocrine-disrupting herbicides, and other toxic pesticides.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen these oils are extracted and refined using carcinogenic \u003cem\u003ehexane\u003c/em\u003e (two carbon atoms short of octane—as in gasoline!) and are then finally \u003cem\u003ebleached\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003edeodorized\u003c/em\u003e to disguise their rancidity. The final product is not only essentially bad for you but it is also contaminated with traces of several highly toxic petrochemicals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"did-you-know-that-margarine-is-one-molecule-away-from-plastic-well-now-you-do\"\u003eDid you know: That margarine is one molecule away from plastic? Well, now you do!\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis article is a compilation of my thoughts, research, investigations, and excerpts from credible sources.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePS: Sources, if you believe I have not linked your website here yet have used your content, kindly write to me via the contact form: \u003ca href=\"https://stephenajulu.com/contact\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHave a great day!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ciframe src=\"https://anchor.fm/stephenajulu/embed/episodes/Monounsaturated-and-Saturated-vs-Polyunsaturated-and-Trans-FatsOils-e1sru8q/a-a940k28\" height=\"102px\" width=\"400px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"\u003e\u003c/iframe\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditional Resources:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/cooking-oils-a-guide-to-the-healthiest-fats#:~:text=Because%20of%20these%20multiple%20%27unsaturated,t%20be%20used%20in%20cooking.\"\u003eHealthiest Cooking Fats\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/diet-fitness/a10965/pufa-free-diet/\"\u003eWhy You Should Avoid PUFAs\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.westonaprice.org/blogs/cmasterjohn/ajcn-publishes-a-new-pufa-study-that-should-make-us-long-for-the-old-days/\"\u003ePUFA Study\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.westonaprice.org/blogs/cmasterjohn/ajcn-publishes-a-new-pufa-study-that-should-make-us-long-for-the-old-days/\"\u003ePUFA Study 2\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://stephenajulu.com/blog/key-ideas-in-the-big-fat-surprise-by-nina-teicholz/\"\u003eBook Summary: The Big Fat Suprise by Nina Teicholz\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/the-skinny-on-fat-part-2\" title=\"The Skinny on Fat, Part 2\"\u003eThe Skinny on Fat, Part 2: How Carbohydrates Make You Fat\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhoto by \u003ca href=\"https://unsplash.com/@suicide_chewbacca?utm_source=unsplash\u0026amp;utm_medium=referral\u0026amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\"\u003eAshwini Chaudhary(Monty)\u003c/a\u003e on \u003ca href=\"https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=unsplash\u0026amp;utm_medium=referral\u0026amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\"\u003eUnsplash\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_published":"2022-06-15T19:19:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/ashwini-chaudhary-monty-w0oykevw9n4-unsplash.jpg","tags":["health","lifestyle"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/health-tips-that-will-reverse-hypertension-high-blood-sugar-and-other-illnesses/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/health-tips-that-will-reverse-hypertension-high-blood-sugar-and-other-illnesses/","title":"Health Tips That Will Reverse Hypertension, High Blood Sugar and Other Illnesses","summary":"Here are health tips that will reverse hypertension, high blood sugar, cancer, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and other illnesses.\n1. Eat meals with less fibre and less starchy carbs 2. Keep off sugar completely 3. Avoid fruits and eat fewer vegetables 4. Use and eat saturated fats, especially animal fats 5. Eat more salt 6. Exercise 7. Skip breakfast. Practice intermittent fasting or one meal a day or two meals a day. 8. Drink water when thirsty 9. Get in the sun 10. Eat more meat and eggs 11. Avoid synthetic vitamins 12. Avoid packaged, fortified and processed food","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eHere are health tips that will reverse hypertension, high blood sugar, cancer, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and other illnesses.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"1-eat-meals-with-less-fibre-and-less-starchy-carbs\"\u003e1. Eat meals with less fibre and less starchy carbs\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"2-keep-off-sugar-completely\"\u003e2. Keep off sugar completely\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"3-avoid-fruits-and-eat-fewer-vegetables\"\u003e3. Avoid fruits and eat fewer vegetables\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"4-use-and-eat-saturated-fats-especially-animal-fats\"\u003e4. Use and eat saturated fats, especially animal fats\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"5-eat-more-salt\"\u003e5. Eat more salt\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"6-exercise\"\u003e6. Exercise\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"7-skip-breakfast-practice-intermittent-fasting-or-one-meal-a-day-or-two-meals-a-day\"\u003e7. Skip breakfast. Practice intermittent fasting or one meal a day or two meals a day.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"8-drink-water-when-thirsty\"\u003e8. Drink water when thirsty\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"9-get-in-the-sun\"\u003e9. Get in the sun\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"10-eat-more-meat-and-eggs\"\u003e10. Eat more meat and eggs\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"11-avoid-synthetic-vitamins\"\u003e11. Avoid synthetic vitamins\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"12-avoid-packaged-fortified-and-processed-food\"\u003e12. Avoid packaged, fortified and processed food\u003c/h4\u003e\n","date_published":"2022-05-17T12:00:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/hush-naidoo-jade-photography-pa0uoltkwao-unsplash.jpg","tags":["lifestyle","health"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/antimicrobial-formula/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/antimicrobial-formula/","title":"Antimicrobial Formula(Natural Antibiotic)","summary":"Here\u0026rsquo;s an antimicrobial recipe that can boost your immunity/health and help you fight off harmful bacteria, viruses, and even fungus.\nRequirements:\n15 cloves of garlic 1 whole lemon(with skin and seeds) 1 tbsp of turmeric 1/4 cup of grated ginger 1/4 cup of manuka honey 20 ml of olive/coconut oil 80ml of Apple Cider Vinegar 1 cup of water Blend these together for about 2 mins and put them in a jar. Refrigerate.\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s an antimicrobial recipe that can boost your immunity/health and help you fight off harmful bacteria, viruses, and even fungus.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRequirements:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e15 cloves of garlic\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 whole lemon(with skin and seeds)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 tbsp of turmeric\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1/4 cup of grated ginger\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1/4 cup of manuka honey\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e20 ml of olive/coconut oil\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e80ml of Apple Cider Vinegar\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 cup of water\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlend these together for about 2 mins and put them in a jar. Refrigerate.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe longer it stays and ferments the better.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnvfiCXs45E\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormula by Dr. Eric Berg\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_published":"2022-05-17T03:36:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/dominik-martin-jyfmyif4n70-unsplash.jpg","tags":["health"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/the-key-to-healthier-and-smoother-skin/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/the-key-to-healthier-and-smoother-skin/","title":"The Key to Healthier and Smoother Skin","summary":"1. It all starts with your gut. Are you eating good food or junk food? You should know eating junk food leads to junk-filled organs. This applies to your skin. You want to eat more animal-based fatty foods e.g beef. You want to avoid things made in factories. Eat real food. Like meat, eggs, organs, cruciferous vegetables, tubers, and such. Stay away from sugar and vegetable oils. If your skin is dry, double down your intake of fatty meats. If it’s moderate or too oily eat a slice of good meat with minimum fat.\n","content_html":"\u003ch4 id=\"1-it-all-starts-with-your-gut\"\u003e1. It all starts with your gut.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAre you eating good food or junk food? You should know eating junk food leads to junk-filled organs. This applies to your skin. You want to eat more animal-based fatty foods e.g beef. You want to avoid things made in factories. Eat real food. Like meat, eggs, organs, cruciferous vegetables, tubers, and such. Stay away from sugar and vegetable oils. If your skin is dry, double down your intake of fatty meats. If it’s moderate or too oily eat a slice of good meat with minimum fat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"2-stop-using-skin-products-made-in-factories-or-with-chemicals-you-cant-ingestpronounce\"\u003e2. Stop using skin products made in factories or with chemicals you can’t ingest/pronounce.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou need to treat your skin like your mouth and stomach. Apply what you can safely eat or drink without major issues arising. E.g Rosewater, avocado, bee wax, honey, etc.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"3-stop-using-skin-products-all-together\"\u003e3. Stop using skin products all together\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour skin is like your stomach, do you really need to ingest something before the stomach can do its job? Then why do that to your skin? The skin is plenty efficient at doing its job.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"4-give-your-skin-some-rest\"\u003e4. Give your skin some rest\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI know a number of you will skip the first 3 tips so at least follow this one. Every Saturday and Sunday apply nothing on your skin. Nothing at all!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSee what happens if you do all this for a week. That’s it for now. See you next time.\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_published":"2022-04-16T13:00:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/lesly-juarez-1ahgngkuhr0-unsplash.jpg","tags":["health","beauty","self improvement","skin","youth","healthy skin"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/beneficial-yet-controversial-health-tips-for-the-modern-human-being/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/beneficial-yet-controversial-health-tips-for-the-modern-human-being/","title":"Beneficial Yet Controversial Health Tips for The Modern Human Being","summary":"Hello Everyone! How are you doing?\nHere are some of the most beneficial yet controversial health tips.\nDISCLOSURE: I AM NOT A MEDICAL DOCTOR.\n1. Literally everything popular is wrong. The exact opposite is true e.g. salt, sugar, red meat, complex carbs, water intake, etc etc. (I will explain more)\n2. There’s nothing more unhealthy than caring too much about your health 3. Slow metabolism = unhealthy. Here are common things that slow down metabolism: PUFA(“Vegetable” Seed Oils), Blue light, Routine, Gut irritants/endotoxin (Mostly from vegetables and grains), Estrogen, BPA / Plastics, Anger / Stress, Sedentary lifestyle, Poor sleep, Excessive endurance exercise / Frequent long-distance running\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eHello Everyone! How are you doing?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are some of the most beneficial yet controversial health tips.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDISCLOSURE: I AM NOT A MEDICAL DOCTOR.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"1-literally-everything-popular-is-wrong\"\u003e1. Literally everything popular is wrong.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe exact opposite is true e.g. salt, sugar, red meat, complex carbs, water intake, etc etc. (I will explain more)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"2-theres-nothing-more-unhealthy-than-caring-too-much-about-your-health\"\u003e2. There’s nothing more unhealthy than caring too much about your health\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"3-slow-metabolism--unhealthy\"\u003e3. Slow metabolism = unhealthy.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are common things that slow down metabolism: PUFA(“Vegetable” Seed Oils), Blue light, Routine, Gut irritants/endotoxin (Mostly from vegetables and grains), Estrogen, BPA / Plastics, Anger / Stress, Sedentary lifestyle, Poor sleep, Excessive endurance exercise / Frequent long-distance running\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"4-disease-often-starts-in-the-gut-via-endotoxin-production-and-inflammation\"\u003e4. Disease often starts in the gut via endotoxin production and inflammation.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis leads to a cascade of increased stress, lower metabolism, a shift to aerobic glycolysis, and decreased protective hormones. Cutting gut irritants is a powerful way to improve health.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"5-seedvegetable-oils-are-the-major-cause-of-disease-today\"\u003e5. Seed(vegetable) oils are the major cause of disease today.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey are hidden in everything. All restaurants cook with them. Cook with tallow, lard, suet, ghee, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or butter instead. Avoid packaged food.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"6-vegan-diets-kill-more-animals-than-a-grass-fed-carnivore-diet\"\u003e6. Vegan diets kill more animals than a grass-fed carnivore diet\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"7-carbohydrates-are-essential-for-brain-adrenals-youth-hormones-thyroid-and-gut-health\"\u003e7. Carbohydrates are essential for brain, adrenals, youth hormones, thyroid, and gut health.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"8-steak-is-a-superfood\"\u003e8. Steak is a superfood.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEasily digestible protein, highly nutritious, loaded with bioactive like taurine, carnitine, carnosine, creatine, and anserine that you can\u0026rsquo;t get elsewhere. It needs to be a dietary staple.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"9-do-not-drink-tap-water\"\u003e9. Do not drink tap water.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDo not shower in tap water. Tap water is incredibly toxic. Use a filter.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"10-vegetables-are-not-healthy-foods\"\u003e10. Vegetables are not healthy foods.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost have very few nutrients and are loaded with pesticides and gut irritants.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"11-most-nuts-and-grains-arent-healthy\"\u003e11. Most nuts and grains aren’t healthy.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost are loaded with omega 6 and compounds that irritate your gut like lectins(nuts) and gluten(wheat)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"12-salt-is-very-important-and-you-are-likely-taking-too-little\"\u003e12. Salt is very important and you are likely taking too little.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s a master electrocyte and helps control other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"13-arbitrary-water-limits-and-the-general-advice-to-chug-water-is-terrible\"\u003e13. Arbitrary water limits and the general advice to chug water is terrible.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThirst is an evolutionary conserved mechanism to regulate hydration and mineral balance. Excess water dilutes sodium and causes stress. Drink when thirsty\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"14-soy-is-bad-especially-for-men-as-it-lowers-testosterone-and-destroys-sperms\"\u003e14. Soy is bad especially for men as it lowers testosterone and destroys sperms.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"15-pay-the-farmer-now-or-the-doctor-later\"\u003e15. Pay the farmer now or the doctor later.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePay up for quality food. It will make you more money now and save you more money later.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"16-progesterone-is-the-real-female-hormone-not-estrogen\"\u003e16. Progesterone is the real female hormone, not estrogen.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIncredibly protective, stabilizing, anti-cancer, pro-GABA, mood-boosting, metabolism increasing. It is produced in the 2nd half of a Women’s cycle, but due to excessive birth control usage, most women have low progesterone to estrogen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"17-walking-is-strong-medicine\"\u003e17. Walking is strong medicine.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHelps with hormonal function, energy levels, digestion, mood, and lymphatic circulation. Walk in the sun every AM barefoot.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"18-moving-out-of-a-city-and-quitting-the-job-you-hate-are-the-two-most-underrated-ways-to-improve-health\"\u003e18. Moving out of a city and quitting the job you hate are the two most underrated ways to improve health.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"19-dht-doesnt-cause-hair-loss-stress-estrogen-calcification-low-thyroid-and-nutrient-deficiencies-do\"\u003e19. DHT doesn’t cause hair loss. Stress, estrogen, calcification, low thyroid, and nutrient deficiencies do.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"20-plastic-is-poison-bpa-free-means-nothing\"\u003e20. Plastic is poison. BPA-free means nothing.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"21-parabens-and-phalates-are-toxic-avoid-them\"\u003e21. Parabens and Phalates are toxic. Avoid them.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"22-have-fun\"\u003e22. Have fun.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConstructively that is. Find a hobby you like that gives other people value and do it to your heart’s content. In fact, make it your job. As long as you have fun, you’ll be great.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"23-sun-your-genitals\"\u003e23. Sun your genitals.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"24-beef-liver-is-essential\"\u003e24. Beef liver is essential.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is loaded with b vitamins you can’t get elsewhere. Vit A \u0026amp; copper work together to produce ceruloplasmin the master antioxidant w. delivers copper to cells to generate ATP. Vitamin A is required for hormone synthesis, skin health, immune function, etc. It’s tough to be at your optimal health without eating beef liver.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"25-eat-only-when-you-are-hungry-but-because-modernity-has-destroyed-most-of-our-senses\"\u003e25. Eat only when you are hungry but because modernity has destroyed most of our senses.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTry eating 2 meals a day then move to one meal a day. Trust me, if you load this 1 meal with grass-fed meat, eggs, complex carbohydrates e.g tubers, saturated fat, and a bit of vegetable. You’ll be fuller and feel great.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"26-your-stomach-acid-is-supposed-to-be-highly-acidic\"\u003e26. Your stomach acid is supposed to be highly acidic.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot basic not neutral. There’s a reason some of us are incapable of drinking milk. Increase its acidity by eating the right foods and fasting(IF, 2MAD, OMAD).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"27-if-your-great-grandparents-never-ate-it-then-its-probably-not-healthy\"\u003e27. If your great grandparents never ate it then it\u0026rsquo;s probably not healthy.\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"28-a-long-walk-a-day-will-keep-depression-at-bay\"\u003e28. A long walk a day will keep depression at bay\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd that’s it for today. Remember: none of this is medical advice. Kindly experiment and see if these changes lead to a positive impact. Of which I can vouch that they do.\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_published":"2022-04-16T12:00:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/emma-simpson-mngaalewep0-unsplash.jpg","tags":["health","self improvement","lifestyle","diet","food"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/benefits-of-a-cold-shower-bath/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/benefits-of-a-cold-shower-bath/","title":"Benefits of A Cold Shower/Bath","summary":"Hello there guys! How are you? Today I\u0026rsquo;d like to cover the benefits of bathing with cold water.\nIt wakes you up faster than a coffee cup. Struggling to shake off morning grogginess? Freezing water boosts the production of norepinephrine and dopamine, two hormones that shift your nervous system into a sympathetic state – which essentially means that it’s a great way to get hyped up. Relieves stress. As the first point mentions, cold water boosts the production of norepinephrine and dopamine. Dopamine is a happy hormone. It\u0026rsquo;s that simple. Makes the day easier. Once you\u0026rsquo;ve conquered your cold shower in the morning, things become less difficult as you\u0026rsquo;ve built up momentum by doing something difficult. Improves circulation. It can feel uncomfortable to immerse our bodies in cold water, but it can also be invigorating. That’s because water that’s colder than our natural body temperature causes the body to work slightly harder to maintain its core temperature. Helps fight off common illnesses. Our bodies are designed to become resistant to the elements we are exposed to. For example, leukocytes help fight infection in the body. The shock of cold water in the bloodstream stimulates leukocytes. This means that taking cold showers can help your resistance to common illnesses, like colds and the flu. Boost metabolism. Counter-intuitively, an icy bath or shower can help you warm-up before training. It flips your body’s internal thermostat, raising your metabolism and kick-starting your in-built heat-producing mechanisms – an energy-intensive process that torches through calories. Speeds up post-workout recovery \u0026amp; eases DOMs. Here’s how: it constricts the blood vessels near the surface of your skin, diverting blood towards your core – a process known as vasoconstriction. “The purported recovery benefit is that this reduces swelling and inflammation in the muscles,” says sports scientist Adam Ridler, a master trainer at Ten Health and Fitness. “It helps to draw waste substances and lactic acid away. When the body begins to warm up, vasodilation occurs, pumping fresh, warm blood around the tissues bringing nutrients, oxygen and aiding in recovery.” Build your resilience. “Cold showers definitely help with mental resilience,” says Hayes. “Simply having one is a feat of willpower in itself. You’re training your body and mind to go out of your comfort zone, which makes you stronger and more resilient. Things that once felt really tough can suddenly feel a lot less tough as you can tolerate more physical and mental discomfort.” Raises testosterone. When athletes were subjected to extremely low temperatures after a tough sprint session, the concentration of testosterone in their saliva was 21 percent higher two hours after their workout, and 28 percent higher after 24 hours, sports scientists at Swansea University found. Being athletes, they used a cryotherapy chamber, but a cold dip will work just as well. Keeps skin and hair healthy. Hot water extracts oil from the skin hence drying it out. And that\u0026rsquo;s it for today. My suggestion? Start taking cold showers. Do this gradually.\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eHello there guys! How are you? Today I\u0026rsquo;d like to cover the benefits of bathing with cold water.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt wakes you up faster than a coffee cup\u003c/strong\u003e. Struggling to shake off morning grogginess? Freezing water boosts the production of norepinephrine and dopamine, two hormones that shift your nervous system into a sympathetic state – which essentially means that it’s a great way to get hyped up.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRelieves stress.\u003c/strong\u003e As the first point mentions, cold water boosts the production of norepinephrine and dopamine. Dopamine is a happy hormone. It\u0026rsquo;s that simple.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMakes the day easier.\u003c/strong\u003e Once you\u0026rsquo;ve conquered your cold shower in the morning, things become less difficult as you\u0026rsquo;ve built up momentum by doing something difficult.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eImproves circulation.\u003c/strong\u003e It can feel uncomfortable to immerse our bodies in cold water, but it can also be invigorating. That’s because water that’s colder than our natural body temperature causes the body to work slightly harder to maintain its core temperature.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHelps fight off common illnesses.\u003c/strong\u003e Our bodies are designed to become resistant to the elements we are exposed to. For example, leukocytes help fight infection in the body. The shock of cold water in the bloodstream stimulates leukocytes. This means that taking cold showers can help your resistance to common illnesses, like colds and the flu.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBoost metabolism.\u003c/strong\u003e Counter-intuitively, an icy bath or shower can help you warm-up before training. It flips your body’s internal thermostat, raising your metabolism and kick-starting your in-built heat-producing mechanisms – an energy-intensive process that torches through calories.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpeeds up post-workout recovery \u0026amp; eases DOMs.\u003c/strong\u003e Here’s how: it constricts the blood vessels near the surface of your skin, diverting blood towards your core – a process known as vasoconstriction. “The purported recovery benefit is that this reduces swelling and inflammation in the muscles,” says sports scientist Adam Ridler, a master trainer at Ten Health and Fitness. “It helps to draw waste substances and lactic acid away. When the body begins to warm up, vasodilation occurs, pumping fresh, warm blood around the tissues bringing nutrients, oxygen and aiding in recovery.”\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBuild your resilience.\u003c/strong\u003e “Cold showers definitely help with mental resilience,” says Hayes. “Simply having one is a feat of willpower in itself. You’re training your body and mind to go out of your comfort zone, which makes you stronger and more resilient. Things that once felt really tough can suddenly feel a lot less tough as you can tolerate more physical and mental discomfort.”\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRaises testosterone.\u003c/strong\u003e When athletes were subjected to extremely low temperatures after a tough sprint session, the concentration of testosterone in their saliva was 21 percent higher two hours after their workout, and 28 percent higher after 24 hours, sports scientists at Swansea University found. Being athletes, they used a cryotherapy chamber, but a cold dip will work just as well.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKeeps skin and hair healthy.\u003c/strong\u003e Hot water extracts oil from the skin hence drying it out.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd that\u0026rsquo;s it for today. My suggestion? Start taking cold showers. Do this gradually.\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_published":"2022-01-31T08:51:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/seth-doyle-ji6lmwtghf4-unsplash.jpg","tags":["cold showers","cold shower","cold bath","cold baths","grooming","health","mental health"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/how-to-increase-your-testosterone/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/how-to-increase-your-testosterone/","title":"How To Increase Your Testosterone","summary":"Hello guys, how are you doing? It\u0026rsquo;s alright!\nTestosterone is the lifeblood for men. Low testosterone can impact all areas of your life. You\u0026rsquo;ll have depression, become unable to get it up, lose ambition, become dull, have low libido, low mental performance, low memory, low metabolism, and the list goes on.\nToday I want to cover how you can increase testosterone and feel GREAT! Feel masculine.\nSimple steps. No bullsh*t. Coming from a guy who had hypogonadism.\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eHello guys, how are you doing? It\u0026rsquo;s alright!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTestosterone is the lifeblood for men. Low testosterone can impact all areas of your life. You\u0026rsquo;ll have depression, become unable to get it up, lose ambition, become dull, have low libido, low mental performance, low memory, low metabolism, and the list goes on.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I want to cover how you can increase testosterone and feel GREAT! Feel masculine.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSimple steps. No bullsh*t. Coming from a guy who had hypogonadism.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst, get your levels checked. It\u0026rsquo;s a simple blood test. Remember to check FREE TESTOSTERONE. Relatively inexpensive, depending on where you get it done.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEat more meat and eggs\u003c/strong\u003e - Especially organic grass-fed fatty beef and organic eggs. I won\u0026rsquo;t go into the bro-science here as I believe this deserves its own article, which I\u0026rsquo;m working on. Just eat more meat and eggs. Grass-Fed Beef is one of the most nutritionally dense food on the planet plus it has zinc and fatty acids. Remember testosterone synthesis requires cholesterol! Even the end product: testosterone is for a lack of a better word \u0026ldquo;oily\u0026rdquo;. Let proteins make up half your plate. Organ meats are even better especially the liver. If you are feeling adventurous, eat the balls too!\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReduce running. Do sprints\u003c/strong\u003e - I respect the runners out there but scientific studies have shown that sprinting can increase testosterone by 40%. So do regular sprints.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLift heavy things\u003c/strong\u003e - Lifting heavy weights/things has been shown to boost testosterone considerably. It\u0026rsquo;s why gym-goers are so muscular(Testosterone is vital in muscle building). I\u0026rsquo;d suggest compound workouts that hit multiple muscles and muscle groups at the same time. Remember you don\u0026rsquo;t have to go to the gym to build muscle. There are bodyweight exercises and random household objects e.g that 10 liter bottled water or that heavy shopping bag.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGet some sun, son!\u003c/strong\u003e - Red light/infrared has been shown to boost testosterone by almost 60%. Plus Vitamin D is a requirement for testosterone synthesis. Get some sun and while you are at it sun your genitals/balls. This will drive up that percentage even more. Remember consistency is key. Just make sure you don\u0026rsquo;t get your little friends too hot as I\u0026rsquo;m sure you know high heat kills sperms.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCold showers\u003c/strong\u003e - There\u0026rsquo;s a reason why your 2 little friends hang on the outside. They can\u0026rsquo;t take the hit(sorry I meant heat but you know). Plus studies show that planned and timed exposure to stress(especially the cold) is, actually good for you. Men were meant to dominate. The more good things that stress you short term the better. You don\u0026rsquo;t want constant stress just a timed exposure. Constant stress leads to an increase in cortisol and that actually decreases testosterone.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLose weight/fat\u003c/strong\u003e - Especially around your midsection. Fat has something called \u0026ldquo;aromatase\u0026rdquo; that actually turns testosterone into estrogen and that is the worst thing that can happen to a man. Estrogen is fine in very low levels. Trust me, you don\u0026rsquo;t want this increasing. Lose weight bro! Build muscle. Muscle actually has the reverse effect. Yes everyone has abs but they are muscle, train them. Sprinting may help but you might have to start with running.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvoid Soy, Phylates, BPA, and anything that starts with \u0026ldquo;Benzo\u0026rdquo; in your products\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCut out simple carbohydrates\u003c/strong\u003e, replace them with complex carbohydrates and reduce carbs in general\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvoid sugar at all costs\u003c/strong\u003e - I\u0026rsquo;ll cover why in an upcoming article.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvoid processed food, \u0026ldquo;vegetable\u0026rdquo; oils, and wheat\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEat the right amount of \u003cstrong\u003edark leafy vegetables\u003c/strong\u003e - A good rule of thumb is 1/4 of your plate.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePractice one of the following: Intermittent Fasting, One Meal A Day, One and A Half Meals A Day, or Two Meals A Day.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinally nofap. Stop masturbating.\u003c/strong\u003e  It\u0026rsquo;s reducing your testosterone. Plus it dulls you. The eyes you get when you nofap/nonut is proof that withholding your semen actually increases your testosterone.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLast case scenario: Do \u003cstrong\u003eTestosterone Replacement Therapy\u003c/strong\u003e. If your levels are very low. It\u0026rsquo;s best to see a doctor, get a test done, and then commence treatment at once.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"low-t-is-detrimental-to-men-of-all-ages-its-a-silent-killer-fix-it-now-with-these-steps-more-t--better-life\"\u003eLow T is detrimental to men of all ages. It\u0026rsquo;s a silent killer. Fix it now with these steps. More T = Better life\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHave a great day men!\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_published":"2021-12-19T06:28:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/simone-pellegrini-l3qg_oblut0-unsplash.jpg","tags":["health","Men health","Masculine","testosterone","Man","manhood","Masculinity","Men","Gentlemen","Hormones","Male hormones"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/simple-way-to-be-healthy/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/simple-way-to-be-healthy/","title":"Simple Way To Be Healthy","summary":" Increase fat intake - Skip seed oils for cooking and frying instead adopt Organic Avocado Oil, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Coconut oil, Grass-fed butter, Grass-fed ghee, Grass-fed tallow, Grass-fed suet, and others like them. Avoid Canola, Sunflower, Peanut, Corn, Safflower, soybean, cottonseed, rapeseed, grapeseed, and other similar oils. Increase saturated fats. Fats are the building blocks of the most important hormones. Fast - Try One Meal A Day, Intermittent Fasting, One and A Half Meals A Day. Do Autophagy fasting Wednesday 7 pm to Friday 7 pm. Avoid sugar like the plague - Sugar is bad for you. It feeds cancer cells. Leads to metabolic syndrome and fatty liver. Among other issues. Avoid it. Avoid eating packaged foods. - Stop eating anything that is refined, processed, or manufactured. Instead, eat whole vegetables and meat/eggs. Avoid refined \u0026amp; processed carbs instead opt for unrefined carbs. Minimize starchy unrefined carbs go for fibrous unrefined carbs. Avoid fruits - See no 3. Fruits of the modern world have been bioengineered in order to contain more sugar. Avoid fruits and minimize honey. Avoid soy - Soy acts similarly to estrogen in men. Avoid it. Take salt - Salt is an important electrolyte. Take it moderately according to your personal taste. But don\u0026rsquo;t take too little. Your body and the hormonal system will be messed up if you take too little salt. Eat more meat, eggs, and animal organs - These are the absolute key to your health. Proteins are the building blocks of your body. Eat more meat and eat it frequently. Don\u0026rsquo;t forget to include organ meats such as the kidney and liver as this helps solve any problems that may arise due to missing vitamins. Eggs are also key. Go for organic grass-fed meat and eggs. Increase fiber intake - No brainer hence no explainer Drink more water More vegetables Exercise daily Remember: Low/NO Sugar, No Soy, Moderate Sodium, High Fat, Low Carbs, More Veggies, More Meat, More Water, More Fiber, Fewer Fruits, More Eggs, More Exercise and Less Frequently(One Meal A Day, One And A Half Meals A Day, Intermittent Fasting, Autophagy)\n","content_html":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncrease fat intake - Skip seed oils for cooking and frying instead adopt Organic Avocado Oil,  Organic Olive Oil, Organic Coconut oil, Grass-fed butter, Grass-fed ghee, Grass-fed tallow, Grass-fed suet, and others like them. Avoid Canola, Sunflower, Peanut, Corn, Safflower, soybean, cottonseed, rapeseed, grapeseed, and other similar oils. Increase saturated fats. Fats are the building blocks of the most important hormones.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFast - Try One Meal A Day, Intermittent Fasting, One and A Half Meals A Day. Do Autophagy fasting Wednesday 7 pm to Friday 7 pm.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvoid sugar like the plague - Sugar is bad for you. It feeds cancer cells. Leads to metabolic syndrome and fatty liver. Among other issues. Avoid it.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvoid eating packaged foods. - Stop eating anything that is refined, processed, or manufactured. Instead, eat whole vegetables and meat/eggs.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvoid refined \u0026amp; processed carbs instead opt for unrefined carbs. Minimize starchy unrefined carbs go for fibrous unrefined carbs.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvoid fruits - See no 3. Fruits of the modern world have been bioengineered in order to contain more sugar. Avoid fruits and minimize honey.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvoid soy - Soy acts similarly to estrogen in men. Avoid it.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTake salt - Salt is an important electrolyte. Take it moderately according to your personal taste. But don\u0026rsquo;t take too little. Your body and the hormonal system will be messed up if you take too little salt.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEat more meat, eggs, and animal organs - These are the absolute key to your health. Proteins are the building blocks of your body. Eat more meat and eat it frequently. Don\u0026rsquo;t forget to include organ meats such as the kidney and liver as this helps solve any problems that may arise due to missing vitamins. Eggs are also key. Go for organic grass-fed meat and eggs.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncrease fiber intake - No brainer hence no explainer\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDrink more water\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMore vegetables\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExercise daily\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRemember: Low/NO Sugar, No Soy, Moderate Sodium, High Fat, Low Carbs, More Veggies, More Meat, More Water, More Fiber, Fewer Fruits, More Eggs, More Exercise and Less Frequently(One Meal A Day, One And A Half Meals A Day, Intermittent Fasting, Autophagy\u003c/strong\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_published":"2021-09-02T12:49:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/jenny-hill-io2zgb3_kdk-unsplash.jpg","tags":["health"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/key-ideas-in-the-big-fat-surprise-by-nina-teicholz/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/key-ideas-in-the-big-fat-surprise-by-nina-teicholz/","title":"Key Ideas In \"The Big Fat Surprise\" by Nina Teicholz","summary":"The Big Fat Surprise Key Idea #1: Not all fats are created equal To best understand the two main types of fats and how they affect your body, it’s important to grasp the chemical composition of each.\nIn general, fat is made up of chains of carbon atoms, surrounded by hydrogen atoms. These carbon and hydrogen atoms are connected by bonds. There are two kinds of bonds: single and double.\n","content_html":"\u003ch2 id=\"the-big-fat-surprise-key-idea-1-not-all-fats-are-created-equal\"\u003eThe Big Fat Surprise Key Idea #1: Not all fats are created equal\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo best understand the two main types of fats and how they affect your body, it’s important to grasp the chemical composition of each.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn general, fat is made up of chains of carbon atoms, surrounded by hydrogen atoms. These carbon and hydrogen atoms are connected by \u003cem\u003ebonds.\u003c/em\u003e There are two kinds of bonds: single and double.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImagine a bond as a sort of handshake between a carbon and hydrogen atom. In a \u003cem\u003esingle\u003c/em\u003e bond, the atoms are connected by one hand each. In a \u003cem\u003edouble\u003c/em\u003e bond, the atoms hold both hands together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf a chain of fat is connected by single bonds, it\u0026rsquo;s called \u003cem\u003esaturated fat\u003c/em\u003e. If the chain has at least one double bond, it\u0026rsquo;s called \u003cem\u003eunsaturated fat\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnimal fats, such as butter, cheese, or meat, are saturated fats. Olive oil or other vegetable oils are unsaturated fats.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImportantly, the differences in the bonds of saturated and unsaturated fat explain some of their characteristics.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSaturated fat is called thus as it is saturated with hydrogen; its single bond can’t grab any other molecules to add to its chain, which makes it stable. These single bonds pack molecules together densely, which is why saturated fats – like butter – are solid at room temperature.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnsaturated fats, with their double bonds, are essentially “looser” as the extra “hand” can grab other molecules, such as oxygen in the air. When unsaturated fats are exposed to air, they \u003cem\u003eoxidize\u003c/em\u003e or go rancid, quickly. These types of fats are usually liquid – like cooking oil – at room temperature.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSaturated and unsaturated fats are the two most important kinds of fat. Understanding how they are chemically composed is important in understanding how they affect your body.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-big-fat-surprise-key-idea-2-nutritionist-ancel-keys-in-the-1950s-found-a-link-between-fat-cholesterol-and-heart-disease\"\u003eThe Big Fat Surprise Key Idea #2: Nutritionist Ancel Keys in the 1950s found a link between fat, cholesterol, and heart disease.\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour local supermarket probably carries a range of milk with different fat contents: nonfat, skim, 2 percent, and so on. Why do we make these distinctions?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA nutritionist named Ancel Keys played an early role in the debate over dietary fat. One of his prime fields of study was food and starvation. During World War II, he developed what was known as the “K-ration,” a ready-to-eat meal for soldiers of hard biscuits and sausages, among other items.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeys also had a passion for physiology and began researching heart disease. He combined this with his work in nutrition and discovered an interesting link: that a person’s fat intake played a crucial role in the development of heart disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reason for this is straightforward: the fat you eat affects your level of \u003cem\u003echolesterol\u003c/em\u003e. If you have high levels of cholesterol, that can increase your chance of getting heart disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThough having high levels of cholesterol can be dangerous, our bodies regardless do need a certain amount of cholesterol to function. Cholesterol is present in the membrane of every cell in your body, helping to control what goes in and out of your cells.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, cholesterol is also a primary element in the \u003cem\u003eplaque\u003c/em\u003e that can build in your arteries. The plaque thickens the walls of your arteries, restricting blood flow, and thus increasing your blood pressure. This eventually can lead to serious heart disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1958, Keys conducted an experiment in which he fed participants meals with either saturated or unsaturated fats, and then measured the participants’ cholesterol levels. He found that the cholesterol levels of participants who ate saturated fats went up, while the cholesterol levels of those on an unsaturated fat diet went down.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe thus concluded that saturated fats were unhealthy while unsaturated fats in contrast were healthy, as they lowered cholesterol levels and in turn, the risk of heart disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs we’ll see in the next book summary, Keys\u0026rsquo; conclusion had a profound effect on our understanding of fat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-big-fat-surprise-key-idea-3-keys-diet-heart-hypothesis\"\u003eThe Big Fat Surprise Key Idea #3: Keys\u0026rsquo; diet-heart hypothesis\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeys\u0026rsquo; hypothesis – that saturated fats cause heart disease – quickly spread through society as he worked tirelessly to convince influential institutions to embrace his ideas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first major supporter was the American Heart Association (AHA). The AHA was founded to gain more understanding about heart disease, and it quickly became the leading source of information on the topic. In 1961, Keys became part of the AHA\u0026rsquo;s nutrition committee.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShortly after Keys joined the organization and largely because of his influence, the AHA released a report linking fat and heart disease. Just two weeks after that report was published, the weekly magazine \u003cem\u003eTime\u003c/em\u003e published a cover story on Keys and his work. The magazine’s reach (at the time it was one of the most influential news magazines in the world) generated serious publicity for Keys\u0026rsquo; ideas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother study cemented Keys\u0026rsquo; hypothesis. Called the \u003cem\u003eFramingham Study\u003c/em\u003e, it monitored a group of some 5,000 people over the span of six years. Researchers analyzed how different factors, such as what participants ate or whether they smoked, affected their chances of developing heart disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Framingham researchers concluded that participants were more likely to develop heart disease when they had high levels of cholesterol. This result, combined with media coverage and AHA reports, led to the widespread acceptance of Keys\u0026rsquo; ideas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeys\u0026rsquo; hypothesis – that saturated fat causes heart disease by increasing cholesterol levels – became known as the \u003cem\u003ediet-heart hypothesis\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-big-fat-surprise-key-idea-4-once-saturated-fats-were-deemed-dangerous-food-makers-turned-to-something-even-worse\"\u003eThe Big Fat Surprise Key Idea #4: Once saturated fats were deemed dangerous, food makers turned to something even worse.\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter it became widely accepted that consuming saturated fats could lead to heart disease, food manufacturers had to start looking for fat alternatives.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeys\u0026rsquo; diet-heart hypothesis was so influential that even the American government started pushing the food industry to find a replacement for saturated fats.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnsaturated vegetable oils were the first choice; however, as unsaturated vegetable oil is liquid at room temperature, it wasn’t ideal, as solid fat was preferred.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYet unsaturated vegetable oil can be treated through a process called \u003cem\u003epartial hydrogenation\u003c/em\u003e, which “saturates” oils with just enough hydrogen to make the oil more solid.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy the late 1980s, partial hydrogenation was a very common process. You’d find partially hydrogenated oils in margarine, potato chips, cookies, and other baked goods. The problem of saturated fats solved, hydrogenated vegetable oil quickly become the backbone of the processed food industry.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, partially hydrogenated oils presented some serious problems, too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe process of hydrogenation produces \u003cem\u003etrans-fatty acids\u003c/em\u003e, which are dangerous for human health. \u003cem\u003eTrans fats\u003c/em\u003e rarely occur naturally but are usually the result of artificial processing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first research papers showing the dietary dangers of trans fats were published in the 1960s. Yet they were mostly ignored, as influential scientists who happened to work for food manufacturing companies wrote rebuttals against the papers’ claims.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first study that \u003cem\u003edid\u003c/em\u003e have an impact was conducted in 1994 by a researcher named Joseph Judd. In his study, participants consumed a diet either high in olive oil, high in trans fats, or moderate in trans fats.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInterestingly, Judd found that a diet high in trans fats caused a rise in cholesterol levels.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing this study, people more and more began to oppose the use of trans fats in processed foods, and they were even banned in some cities and states in the United States.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFood manufacturers now had to find another fat replacement. Unfortunately, the choices they made were still dangerous to our health.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-big-fat-surprise-key-idea-5-mcdonalds-tries-to-make-the-healthy-choice-but-learns-that-even-vegetable-oil-poses-problems\"\u003eThe Big Fat Surprise Key Idea #5: McDonald’s tries to make the healthy choice, but learns that even vegetable oil poses problems.\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are a few possible alternatives to trans fats. Some food makers returned to palm oil – often used for baked goods or potato chips – which they\u0026rsquo;d used before trans fats were introduced in the 1980s.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOther companies experimented with genetically engineered soybeans. Soybeans have some good health characteristics, such as being high in \u003cem\u003eoleic acids\u003c/em\u003e, which are also found in olive oil. Ultimately, genetically engineered soybeans weren\u0026rsquo;t a viable option as beans were in short supply.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome manufacturers tried to use liquid vegetable oils, such as sunflower oil. Vegetable oils are useful for fried products, but they couldn\u0026rsquo;t be used in most packaged foods as they go rancid too easily.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven using vegetable oil for frying can have serious consequences. In 2007, for example, fast-food chain McDonald’s started using vegetable oil in its fryers, believing it was a healthier choice. However, when vegetable oils are heated, they can create dangerous substances called \u003cem\u003etoxic breakdown products.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne especially dangerous toxic breakdown product called \u003cem\u003ealdehyde\u003c/em\u003e can interfere with your DNA. Aldehyde is also very chemically reactive, which means it can interact with chemicals in your body and potentially destroy your cells.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2010, a report by the Agency for Research on Cancer further illustrated the dangers of frying with vegetable oil. The report suggested that when vegetable oil is heated at a temperature often used in restaurant fryers, it releases emissions that are carcinogenic to humans.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn short, consuming foods fried in vegetable oils under certain circumstances could increase your chances of getting cancer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo food producers found themselves back at square one: saturated fats were bad, but trans fats were worse. And to boot, even seemingly healthy vegetable oils could pose health problems.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-big-fat-surprise-key-idea-6-a-kenyan-tribe-eats-a-hole-in-keys-hypothesis\"\u003eThe Big Fat Surprise Key Idea #6: A Kenyan tribe eats a hole in Keys’ hypothesis\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Keys’ diet-heart hypothesis was widely accepted, not everyone was convinced by it. Some studies did question its premise, yet few paid much attention to the counter-arguments.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne study in the 1950s had participants eat a diet that cut back on red meat, which itself is high in saturated fat. Much later, in 1962, the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c/em\u003e published the study’s preliminary results.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe results were interesting: they suggested that people who ate less red meat had lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and thus faced a lower risk of contracting heart disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime passed and members of the study group too passed away: 26 members from the low-red-meat group died, while six members from the control group died. Curiously, \u003cem\u003enone\u003c/em\u003e of the deaths in the control group were a result of heart disease (even though they ate a diet with red meat), while \u003cem\u003eeight\u003c/em\u003e of the deaths in the low-red-meat diet group were caused by heart disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe takeaway? That perhaps eating red meat was not as unhealthy as previously thought.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe eating habits of a Kenyan tribe called the Masai also countered Keys’ diet-heart hypothesis. Some 60 percent of the total calories a tribal individual consumes comes from foodstuffs high in saturated fats: meat, blood, and milk.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the 1960s, a group of researchers went to Kenya to measure the blood pressure of Masai tribesmen. Interestingly, they found that a tribesman’s blood pressure was 50 percent \u003cem\u003elower\u003c/em\u003e than an average American.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough the dietary habits of the Masai appeared to disprove Keys’ diet-heart hypothesis, he argued against the study’s methodology and convinced other scientists that the results couldn\u0026rsquo;t be trusted.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile studies against the diet-heart hypothesis were mostly ignored, the data still created enough doubt within the scientific community that some researchers continued to pursue the link between what we eat and our chances of heart disease.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-big-fat-surprise-key-idea-7-studies-show-that-children-need-fat-to-develop-normally-women-may-benefit-too\"\u003eThe Big Fat Surprise Key Idea #7: Studies show that children need fat to develop normally; women may benefit, too.\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInundated with messages from trusted sources that saturated fat is dangerous, many parents made sure their children ate a low-fat diet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe diet-heart hypothesis was so widely accepted that many Americans changed their buying habits. Between 1970 and 1997, the consumption of whole milk dropped from 214 pounds per person per year to 73 pounds. At the same time, the consumption of low-fat milk increased from 14 pounds per person per year to 124 pounds.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1995, a survey of thousands of mothers found that 88 percent believed a low-fat diet was “important” or “very important” for their children. Moreover, 83 percent reported that they sometimes or \u003cem\u003ealways\u003c/em\u003e avoided giving fatty foods to their children.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, one British study suggested that feeding children a low-fat diet could actually be harmful. In the study, a group of Gambian infants was fed a diet with much less saturated fat than a diet fed to a group of British infants. By age three, the Gambian children weighed 75 percent less than normal for their age.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWomen and low-fat diets were also a topic of research. While few studies focused on the effects of a low-fat diet on women specifically, some data showed that a low-fat diet might have a different effect on women than on men, for example. Unfortunately, most findings were ignored as none was as convincing or as seemingly complete as was the prevailing diet-heart hypothesis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Framingham Study mentioned in a previous book summary, for instance, there was no significant correlation between high cholesterol and death from heart disease in women over 50 years old. In 1992, a review of all heart disease data found that women with high cholesterol had in fact a \u003cem\u003elower\u003c/em\u003e mortality rate than men with low cholesterol.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo a diet low in saturated fats seems to affect women and children differently. But why? It turns out that there are different types of cholesterol, and not all of them are bad.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-big-fat-surprise-key-idea-8-get-to-know-the-two-types-of-cholesterol\"\u003eThe Big Fat Surprise Key Idea #8: Get to know the two types of cholesterol\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeys’ diet-heart hypothesis was popular in part as it was so simple and easy to understand. However, it turned out to be a little \u003cem\u003etoo\u003c/em\u003e simple.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe diet-heart hypothesis warned against cholesterol but didn’t differentiate between the \u003cem\u003etwo kinds\u003c/em\u003e of cholesterol.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe two kinds of cholesterol are characterized by the density of their \u003cem\u003ecarriers\u003c/em\u003e or lipoproteins. These carriers help cholesterol travel through your veins and arteries.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are \u003cem\u003ehigh-density\u003c/em\u003e lipoproteins (HDL) and \u003cem\u003elow-density\u003c/em\u003e lipoproteins (LDL). HDLs carry HDL cholesterol, while LDLs carry LDL cholesterol.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResearchers found that high levels of LDL-cholesterol were associated with people who smoked, were overweight, didn’t exercise, and had high blood pressure, while HDL-cholesterol was associated with just the opposite: people who exercised didn’t smoke and had a healthy body weight.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThus, LDL cholesterol was dubbed “bad” cholesterol and HDL cholesterol was “good” cholesterol.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is some truth to these labels. LDLs fix cholesterol into the walls of our arteries, whereas HDLs clear the cholesterol out of our arteries.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStudies have actually suggested that HDL-cholesterol helps to \u003cem\u003efight\u003c/em\u003e heart disease. In a follow-up of the Framingham Study, researchers found that low levels of HDL cholesterol were directly associated with heart attacks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn fact, the rate of heart attacks among people with low HDL cholesterol was \u003cem\u003eeight times higher\u003c/em\u003e than the rate of people with high HDL cholesterol.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRaising your level of HDL cholesterol is actually the best way to combat heart disease. However, many influential organizations, like the AHA, advocate instead for lowering your LDL-cholesterol levels, which is not as effective.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe two types of cholesterol have very different effects, and it\u0026rsquo;s important to understand these differences. There is a reason HDL cholesterol is “good” and LDL-cholesterol is “bad.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-big-fat-surprise-key-idea-9-olive-oil-and-the-mediterranean-diet-showed-we-could-eat-certain-fats-and-still-stay-healthy\"\u003eThe Big Fat Surprise Key Idea #9: Olive oil and the Mediterranean Diet showed we could eat certain fats and still stay healthy.\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince the primary focus in the 1980s was on lowering LDL cholesterol, many popular diets focused on that aspect. Olive oil was thought to lower LDL cholesterol, which is why the \u003cem\u003eMediterranean Diet\u003c/em\u003e became popular.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the early 1980s, an Italian researcher was studying the benefits of olive oil in maintaining cholesterol levels in the body. In one study, he found that when participants replaced olive oil with butter, their levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol increased by 19 percent after only six weeks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis and other similar studies led researchers to focus more on olive oil and its potential for decreasing LDL cholesterol. In the following years, several studies on olive oil were conducted, but they produced mixed results. For instance, it couldn\u0026rsquo;t be proven that olive oil reduced blood pressure or had other beneficial health effects, such as reducing the chance of cancer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegardless, researchers pointed to what became known as the \u003cem\u003eMediterranean Diet\u003c/em\u003e as a way to help combat heart disease. Such a diet, traditionally enjoyed by people living in Mediterranean countries such as Greece and Italy, includes high amounts of unsaturated fats, by using olive oil rather than animal fats. It also includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, and lean meat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Mediterranean Diet is still popular, largely because of recent studies further showing the benefits of such a combination of foods. In 2008, for example, one study found that such a diet lowered participants\u0026rsquo; LDL cholesterol more than a diet low in carbohydrates or fats.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2013, another study tracked the health of over 7,000 individuals who either ate a Mediterranean Diet or were in a control group. In the control group over a period of time, 109 people suffered a “cardiovascular event” such as a stroke, heart attack, or heart-disease-related death, compared to only 83 people on the Mediterranean Diet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese results have bolstered the credibility of the Mediterranean Diet. Although it was initially viewed with skepticism, the Mediterranean Diet is now seen as one way to maintaining a healthy body.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"the-big-fat-surprise-key-idea-10-a-diet-low-in-carbs-has-shown-encouraging-results-in-fighting-heart-disease-and-weight-issues\"\u003eThe Big Fat Surprise Key Idea #10: A diet low in carbs has shown encouraging results in fighting heart disease and weight issues.\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow else can we fight heart disease? It turns out that cutting out carbs, or foods high in starch or sugar, can help keep your heart healthy and keep you slim, too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt turns out that a diet recommending the consumption of fat instead of sugars, that is, a low-carb diet, has been around as long as 1863. That’s right: this is a diet that’s more than 150 years old!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReducing your intake of carbohydrates – whether complex carbs such as pasta and bread or simple carbs such as desserts and candy – has been lauded for its positive effects for some time. In 1919, a physician named Blake Donaldson recommended for his patients a diet low in carbohydrates.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot only did Donaldson’s patients, in general, lose weight, but also they struggled less with heart disease, gallstones, and diabetes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cardiologist Robert Atkins wrote his bestseller, \u003cem\u003eDr. Atkins\u0026rsquo; Diet Revolution,\u003c/em\u003e in 1972. It was heavily criticized by the scientific community at the time as it promoted the consumption of fat, which was thought to be unhealthy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the late 1990s however, the effects of the Atkins Diet were tested scientifically. In over 15 tightly controlled trials, researchers found that the diet increased a person\u0026rsquo;s “good” HDL cholesterol. Another experiment showed that the diet could also help to reduce blood pressure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome researchers studied the Atkins Diet alongside the Mediterranean Diet and concluded that the combination of the two was the most effective way to avoid heart disease. This is why diets that are relatively high in fat, like the Atkins Diet, are generally healthier than most people assume.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDiets low in carbohydrates have been proven to be beneficial, similarly as diets like the Mediterranean Diet have shown to increase “good” cholesterol and keep heart disease at bay.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt turns out that fat has an important place in a healthy diet after all!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"in-review-the-big-fat-surprise-book-summary\"\u003eIn Review: The Big Fat Surprise Book Summary\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe key message in this book:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDon’t blindly avoid saturated fats! It’s actually important to eat them. Fats have a wide variety of positive effects and balanced diets that are high in “good” fats and low in carbohydrates can keep you healthy.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eActionable advice:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"want-to-lose-weight-try-a-diet-low-in-carbohydrates\"\u003eWant to lose weight? Try a diet low in carbohydrates.\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA diet high in “good” fats, like olive oil, and low in carbohydrates, like pasta, has consistently been shown to help you lose weight and keep it off. So if you want to slim down, eating fat won’t make you fat: instead, cut back on bread and other foods high in carbs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSuggested\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003efurther\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ereading: \u003cem\u003eWhy We Get Fat\u003c/em\u003e by Gary Taubes\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhy We Get Fat\u003c/em\u003e explains why certain types of carbohydrates are the main reason we get fat. The book not only shows why people gain weight but why the topic is so controversial. It also talks about why some people get fat and others do not, the role genetic predispositions play in this process, and which foods we should all avoid.\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_published":"2021-06-27T15:23:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/thebigfatsuprisekeyideas.png","tags":["fat","health","lifestyle"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/how-to-become-healthy-my-tips/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/how-to-become-healthy-my-tips/","title":"How to Become Healthy + My Tips","summary":"Hi there!\nToday I\u0026rsquo;d like to take this opportunity to share with you tips and tricks that will help you get your health back and keep it.\nNB: I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. These are just my thoughts that I have seen others benefit from and have benefitted from, myself. Take them with a grain of salt, research, and adjust accordingly. 1. Cut out sugar completely Many don\u0026rsquo;t realize that sugar is as addictive as cocaine, or that it\u0026rsquo;s the number 1 food for cancer(No 2 being MSG). Cut it out completely, this means no sugar, no honey, no fruits, and no \u0026ldquo;hidden\u0026rdquo; sugars. Sugar causes inflammation and puts stress on the body. Plus there\u0026rsquo;s the fact that it spikes insulin. I don\u0026rsquo;t want to offend doctors and others but they keep endorsing foods with sugar, knowing very well how bad it is to the body.\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eHi there!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday I\u0026rsquo;d like to take this opportunity to share with you tips and tricks that will help you get your health back and keep it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"nb-i-am-not-a-doctor-or-a-nutritionist-these-are-just-my-thoughts-that-i-have-seen-others-benefit-from-and-have-benefitted-from-myself-take-them-with-a-grain-of-salt-research-and-adjust-accordingly\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNB: I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. These are just my thoughts that I have seen others benefit from and have benefitted from, myself. Take them with a grain of salt, research, and adjust accordingly.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"1-cut-out-sugar-completely\"\u003e1. Cut out sugar completely\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany don\u0026rsquo;t realize that sugar is as addictive as cocaine, or that it\u0026rsquo;s the number 1 food for cancer(No 2 being \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5746034/\"\u003eMSG\u003c/a\u003e). Cut it out completely, this means no sugar, no honey, no fruits, and no \u0026ldquo;hidden\u0026rdquo; sugars. Sugar causes inflammation and puts stress on the body. Plus there\u0026rsquo;s the fact that it spikes insulin. I don\u0026rsquo;t want to offend doctors and others but they keep endorsing foods with sugar, knowing very well how bad it is to the body.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"2-cut-out-vegetable-fats-embrace-animal-fats\"\u003e2. Cut out vegetable fats, embrace animal fats\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI know how controversial this is. But vegetable fat especially the liquid versions is unstable. It was found out to be one molecule away from plastic(we all know how bad plastic is to our bodies). It\u0026rsquo;s just not right for you. Before we used to eat animal fats, people were healthy, low heart and artery issues. Now just look at the world. If vegetable fat was good then things out to have changed, even a little bit. We are literally eating machine/engine lubricant. Don\u0026rsquo;t be fooled by these industries, they are lying to you to fill their pockets, and then the health guys benefit from this.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKindly read the book \u0026ldquo;\u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451624433/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8\u0026amp;camp=1789\u0026amp;creative=9325\u0026amp;creativeASIN=1451624433\u0026amp;linkCode=as2\u0026amp;tag=stephenajulu-20\u0026amp;linkId=505998cbd172625f0bb6b834c1d53b39\"\u003eThe Big Fat Suprise by Nina Teicholz\u003c/a\u003e\u0026rdquo; and learn how important saturated fats are for your body and the whole lie surrounding them. Testosterone is on the decline due to a lack of adequate saturated fats.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"3-eat-more-meat-and-eggs\"\u003e3. Eat more meat and eggs\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeat and eggs are important for your body. Forget vegetable protein. Animal meat and eggs are rich in proteins and crucial amino acids. Go for free-range products or as Kenyans call it \u0026ldquo;Kienyeji\u0026rdquo;. These have more nutrients. Especially Eggs, they are superfoods, eat more of them. Try the \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/carnivore-diet#:~:text=The%20Carnivore%20Diet%20is%20a,grains%2C%20nuts%2C%20and%20seeds.\"\u003ecarnivore diet\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"4-exercise-at-least-twice-a-week-and-for-40-minutes\"\u003e4. Exercise at least twice a week and for 40 minutes\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSelf-explanatory. Extremely underrated.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"5-fast-more-often-and-for-longer-periods-of-time\"\u003e5. Fast more often and for longer periods of time\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFasting isn\u0026rsquo;t just limited to religious reasons. Fasting has been known to promote \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?sa=t\u0026amp;rct=j\u0026amp;q=\u0026amp;esrc=s\u0026amp;source=web\u0026amp;cd=\u0026amp;cad=rja\u0026amp;uact=8\u0026amp;ved=2ahUKEwjktf2BvbfxAhWdA2MBHbTPDWAQFjAHegQIBhAD\u0026amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthline.com%2Fhealth%2Fautophagy%23%3A~%3Atext%3DAutophagy%2520is%2520the%2520body%27s%2520way%2Cis%2520%25E2%2580%259Cself%252Deating.%25E2%2580%259D\u0026amp;usg=AOvVaw1f16D_Ph_bw0wUUWK1c2Vi\u0026amp;cshid=1624785393855347\"\u003eautophagy\u003c/a\u003e. Which is a very important process that cleans up your body. It also gives your body rest. All the constant eating and snacking is sure to affect your digestive system.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"6-eatdrink-more-fermented-products\"\u003e6. Eat/drink more fermented products\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI don\u0026rsquo;t know where to begin. Properly fermented food has been shown to increase and diversify your gut microbiome which has been shown to improve mood and health. So try to incorporate fermented foods into your diet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere\u0026rsquo;s the full list of benefits: \u003ca href=\"https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/about-us/news/blogs/fermented-foods-the-latest-trend\"\u003eWhat Are Fermented Foods? - Heart Foundation\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"7-more-green-leafy-and-cruciferous-vegetables\"\u003e7. More green leafy and \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?sa=t\u0026amp;rct=j\u0026amp;q=\u0026amp;esrc=s\u0026amp;source=web\u0026amp;cd=\u0026amp;cad=rja\u0026amp;uact=8\u0026amp;ved=2ahUKEwi-qbyOvrfxAhUnAGMBHRbyCWAQFjAHegQIBRAD\u0026amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cancer.gov%2Fabout-cancer%2Fcauses-prevention%2Frisk%2Fdiet%2Fcruciferous-vegetables-fact-sheet\u0026amp;usg=AOvVaw06Rs6U1Fooyphm57GAQ62B\"\u003ecruciferous\u003c/a\u003e vegetables\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis has been shown to slow down and eradicate cancer among so many benefits.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"8-avoid-processed-and-fortified-foods\"\u003e8. Avoid processed and fortified foods\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor food to be fortified, it means the food has been processed to the point most natural nutrients are gone, and now are therefore adding synthetic versions to make it \u0026ldquo;nutritious\u0026rdquo;. Avoid them. Avoid processed foods, and yes Kenyans including ugali made from these factories.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"9-sunbathe\"\u003e9. Sunbathe\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sun is an important factor in our lives, it strengthens the bones, boosts sperm production(when used properly, remember heat isn\u0026rsquo;t good for our little guys), among a plethora of reasons. So sunbathe, \u0026hellip;\u0026hellip; nude if possible.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"10-sleep-at-least-6-hours-per-day\"\u003e10. Sleep at least 6 hours per day\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSleep improves critical thinking. It has also been noted that the growth hormone and testosterone increase while asleep, hence the morning erections. Aside from this, sleep is when the body cleanses the mind(through the use of cerebral fluid) and consolidates memory.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"11-eat-less\"\u003e11. Eat less\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo by no means am I telling you not to have your fill. I mean try adopting the \u003ca href=\"https://www.healthline.com/health/one-meal-a-day\"\u003eOMAD\u003c/a\u003e(One Meal A Day) feeding pattern where you eat one large meal every day and then sugarless coffee or tea(no milk) when you get hungry or \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?sa=t\u0026amp;rct=j\u0026amp;q=\u0026amp;esrc=s\u0026amp;source=web\u0026amp;cd=\u0026amp;cad=rja\u0026amp;uact=8\u0026amp;ved=2ahUKEwiy06bix7fxAhXLDWMBHam4DXYQFjAAegQIBBAD\u0026amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2uXfo5pF6U0\u0026amp;usg=AOvVaw3STYFwAsLRvhQKqavn-4JG\"\u003eOAAHM\u003c/a\u003e(One and A Half Meals, A Day).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"12-add-a-little-more-salt\"\u003e12. Add a little more salt\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow, listen. Salt is a key electrolyte and helps the body perform a lot of things, including removing toxins and waste from cells. You are probably taking too little. Up your salt intake. Check these articles out.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-dangers-of-sodium-restriction#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2\"\u003e6 Little-Known Dangers of Restricting Sodium Too Much (healthline.com)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/6-things-about-salt-that-arent-true\"\u003e6 things you thought you knew about salt that just isn’t true | Queensland Health\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/diet/salt-health-benefits-risks-types-how-cut-back-more/\"\u003eAll About Salt: Health Benefits, Risks, Types, How to Cut Back, and More | Everyday Health\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.intoxicatedonlife.com/17-surprising-reasons-to-eat-more-salt/\"\u003e13 Surprising Reasons to Eat More Salt. You heard me. (intoxicatedonlife.com)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"13-avoid-red-dyeartificial-msg-heat-and-soy-especially-in-men\"\u003e13. Avoid \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/url?sa=t\u0026amp;rct=j\u0026amp;q=\u0026amp;esrc=s\u0026amp;source=web\u0026amp;cd=\u0026amp;cad=rja\u0026amp;uact=8\u0026amp;ved=2ahUKEwjuyfeRxrfxAhXWCWMBHTCeDWAQFjALegQIBBAD\u0026amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthline.com%2Fnutrition%2Fred-dye-40\u0026amp;usg=AOvVaw228KK0vojHOlOZotmBKyuK\"\u003ered dye\u003c/a\u003e(artificial), MSG, heat, and soy, especially in men\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey have been shown to negatively affect testosterone and sperm production plus boost cancer. MSG is present in bouillon cubes(royco).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe red dye is used in \u0026ldquo;mabuyus\u0026rdquo;, ice cream, among others. Linked to ADHD, Allergies, Low Sperm Count, Low Testosterone(possibly due to the fact it\u0026rsquo;s similar to estrogen chemically)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5746034/\"\u003eTargeting Glutamine Metabolism for Cancer Treatment (nih.gov)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/red-dye-40\" title=\"https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/red-dye-40\"\u003ehttps://www.healthline.com/nutrition/red-dye-40\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"what-is-msg\"\u003eWhat is MSG?\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFull Name: MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is an artificial glutamic acid known as D- glutamic acid. This acid is combined with corn starch or soy starch to trick your taste buds into believing that the food you are eating is tasty \u0026amp; of nutritional quality. It contributes to cancer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe need to stop asking the wrong questions and instead ask ourselves why male fertility is on the decline.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"summary\"\u003eSummary\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLet half your plate be comprised of meat and fats(25% 25%), 40% vegetables(specifically cruciferous), 10% carbohydrates(especially arrowroots/tubers).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncorporate fermented foods such as fermented milk, greek/sugarless yogurt, wine, apple cider, miso, kimchi, sauerkraut(fermented cabbage), tempeh, and others as they contain good bacteria.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExercise atleast twice a week\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvoid sugar in all its forms\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWalk around after an hour of sitting\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvoid artificial red dye, msg, plastics, vegetable oil and soy\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSunbathe frequently nude\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSleep at least 6 hours\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFast frequently\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTry OMAD, OAAHM, or the Carnivore diet\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEat more salads\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEat more salt\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n","date_published":"2021-06-27T13:25:00+03:00","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/healthytips.png","tags":["health","meat","lifestyle"]},{"id":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/must-have-eye-wear/","url":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/posts/must-have-eye-wear/","title":"Must Have Eye Wear","summary":"Hi everyone, welcome back. Today, I\u0026rsquo;ll be talking about the importance of having at least 2 different types of eyewear.\nSo let\u0026rsquo;s dive in!\nThe first kind of eyewear you need is obvious.\n1. Sunglassess Sun glasses not only protect you from the visible light but also from invisible light know as ultraviolet light. This kind of light is emitted by the sun and on sunny days can cause degeneration and strain. Remember these light also reflect on water so not only are sunglasses going to protect you from ultraviolet rays from the sun but also reflected UV. Aside from this, sunglasses can reduce light input helping you function where light is focused on you.\n","content_html":"\u003cp\u003eHi everyone, welcome back. Today, I\u0026rsquo;ll be talking about the importance of having at least 2 different types of eyewear.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo let\u0026rsquo;s dive in!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first kind of eyewear you need is obvious.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"1-sunglassess\"\u003e1. Sunglassess\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSun glasses not only protect you from the visible light but also from invisible light know as ultraviolet light. This kind of light is emitted by the sun and on sunny days can cause degeneration and strain. Remember these light also reflect on water so not only are sunglasses going to protect you from ultraviolet rays from the sun but also reflected UV. Aside from this, sunglasses can reduce light input helping you function where light is focused on you.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet\u0026rsquo;s not forget their usefulness when you have a pink, black eye, eye bags and other eye issues(Fighting is greatly discouraged here, solve things like grown up adults).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt can also prevent \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photokeratitis\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePhotokeratitis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMake sure not to go too much into the dark side 🧛‍♀️🧛‍♂️ because that can cause your pupils to expand in order to help you see better therefore allowing more light and you know why that\u0026rsquo;s wrong right? UV rays!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey also make you look cool and hot(contradictory huh).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlso remember eyelid skin is one of the thinnest, so putting on some shades may prevent darkening and damage.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch5 id=\"things-to-look-for-when-shopping-or-looking-for-sunglasses\"\u003eThings to look for when shopping or looking for sunglasses\u003c/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e90 percent and above UV protection(Very Important).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA wraparound style.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePolarization(Optional. Reduces Glare).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTinting(Purely Cosmetic. Choose one you like).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow note UV is not bad, it\u0026rsquo;s the amount you get that should be reduce. Your body requires this. So just remember too much of something is the issue. The same can be said about the next one Blue Light.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"2-geekcomputer-glassesaka-blue-light-clear-glasses\"\u003e2. Geek/Computer Glasses(aka Blue light Clear Glasses)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you are like me, spending a lot of time in front of a computer screen then you need this. These protect your eyes from bluelight released by our devices. This means, laptops, phones, computer monitors, smart watches and such.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlue light is harmful because it causes ocular degeneration and it\u0026rsquo;s everywhere, i just mentioned a few, there\u0026rsquo;s the sun, fluorescent and LED light bulbs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlue light also causes eye strain and disruptive sleep and circadian rhythms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLook for one that promises 40% and above.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd that\u0026rsquo;s it for today, I\u0026rsquo;d like to introduce you to my sponsor today \u003ca href=\"\"\u003eJade Black\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey provide some quality and affordable eye wear with international free shipping for orders above 15,892.00 Kenyan Shillings or 145 dollars.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey have a huge catalog that I am sure, can cater for your eye wear needs and tastes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are some of the sunglasses and digital protection glasses I was able to find, note they\u0026rsquo;ll be affiliate links so each purchase you make will be helpful in supporting me and keeping this blog on \u0026ldquo;fire\u0026rdquo;.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou could get your loved one, something for valentines. If you buy 4(men 😉 2 for you and 2 for her, you get free shipping and down below i have a coupon code where you can get 10% off every purchase.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"for-him\"\u003eFor Him\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch5 id=\"sunglasses\"\u003eSunglasses\u003c/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.jadeblack.co/collections/mens/products/emperors-gold?ref=kuzqn53jomp-\"\u003eEmperors Gold - 44 Dollars or 4,558 Kenyan Shillings\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.jadeblack.co/collections/mens/products/the-scholars-1?ref=kuzqn53jomp-\"\u003eScholars L - 44 Dollars or 4558 Kenyan Shillings\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5 id=\"cleardigital-protectionbluelight-glasses\"\u003eClear/Digital Protection/Bluelight Glasses\u003c/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.jadeblack.co/collections/mens/products/commanders-prism-1?ref=kuzqn53jomp-\"\u003eCommanders Prism, Black and Gold - 44 Dollars or 4558 Kenyan Shillings\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.jadeblack.co/collections/mens/products/scholars-prism-gold?ref=kuzqn53jomp-\u0026amp;s=recomatic\"\u003eScholars Prism - 44 Dollars or 4558 Kenyan Shillings\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"for-her\"\u003eFor Her\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch5 id=\"sunglasses-1\"\u003eSunglasses\u003c/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.jadeblack.co/collections/womens-sunglasses/products/bellas?ref=kuzqn53jomp-\"\u003eBellas, Black - 44 Dollars or 4558 Kenyan Shillings\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.jadeblack.co/collections/womens-sunglasses/products/the-saints?ref=kuzqn53jomp-\"\u003eSaints, Grey - 44 Dollars or 4558 Kenyan Shillings\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch5 id=\"cleardigital-protectionbluelight-glasses-1\"\u003eClear/Digital Protection/Bluelight Glasses\u003c/h5\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"\"\u003eCommanders Prism, Black and Gold - 44 Dollars or 4558 Kenyan Shillings\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.jadeblack.co/collections/womens-prism/products/copy-of-generals-prism-gold?ref=kuzqn53jomp-\"\u003eGenerals Prism, Gold - 44 Dollars or 4558 Kenya Shillings\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch4 id=\"you-can-also-check-out-their-store-for-morethey-have-more-than-20-in-store--jadeblackco\"\u003eYou can also check out their store for more(they have more than 20 in store! 🤩): \u003ca href=\"https://www.jadeblack.co/?ref=kuzqn53jomp-\"\u003eJadeBlack.Co\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/h4\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"to-get-10-off-use-my-coupon-code-stephenajulu\"\u003eTo get 10% off, use my coupon code: STEPHENAJULU\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHave a great day everyone and to all the ladies Happy Valentines in advance 😘.\u003c/p\u003e\n","date_published":"2021-02-09T04:45:00Z","image":"https://ajulu.netlify.app/images/more-color_1800x.jpg","tags":["glasses","eyewear","bluelight","uv rays","uv light","harmful dangers of uv light","harmful uv","harmful bluelight","blue light","ultraviolet","eye wear","must have","jade black","jadeblack","sunglasses","digital protection","bluelight protection","prism","commanders","generals","bellas","health","lifestyle"]}]}