Tag Archives: Health and Nutrition

The Source of Anxiety and Jitters Caused from Drinking Coffee

Posted on November 19, 2018 by SofiaSavkovic | Leave a comment

There are many types of coffee beans in the market today, and the ones you buy can greatly impact your experience with drinking coffee.

Is coffee good for our health?

Coffee has both positive and negative health effects.

Health benefits of coffee:

Can improve physical performance because it stimulates the central nervous system
Can reduce the risk of cancer. A study done in 2012 concluded that people who drank 4-5 cups of coffee per day had 15% lower cancer risk rates.
Coffee contains nutrients such as vitamin B, magnesium and potassium, which are all essential to maintaining our health.

Risks of coffee:

Can cause insomnia due the easy stimulation of the central nervous system.
Can raise blood pressure
It is possible to overdose on caffeine, which can cause death in the worst cases
Causes anxiety due to a mold toxin called Ochratoxin

Yes! Anxiety from coffee is due to a mold toxin and not caffeine itself!

Ochratoxin

Ochratoxin (OTA) is a mold toxin found on coffee beans.

Image result for coffee beans with mold
Coffee beans with apparent mold due to fermentation.
Source: Kicking Horse Coffee Company Website, post by Maddie.

An important point to note is that this toxin will not reach high enough levels to have extremely negative health consequences (but don’t forget that overdose on coffee is possible, although that’s another discussion).

However, this toxin is the reason people feel anxious and jittery when drinking coffee, which is a huge discovery!

Why Does This Happen?

OTA is fermented quickly when coffee beans sit in water after they have been roasted. This forms chemicals that cause anxiety and rev up the nervous system. Clean coffee will not actually cause the jitters!

Ways to Prevent Anxiety and Jitters from Coffee

There are several proven ways to lower the overall anxiety we may feel after drinking coffee.

Sip your coffee throughout your morning
Drink with food
Hydrate with water throughout the day

Watch this video to find more ways on making the most out of your coffee, and drinking it to gain the most benefits!
Source: Med School Insiders Youtube Channel

But most importantly, try and consume quality coffee from coffee shops that make their own coffee beans or from brands that are highly aware of preventing the formation of this toxin, like BulletProof coffee.

Image result for bullet proof coffee and purity coffee
BulletProof coffee is a brand of coffee focused on avoiding mold toxins that cause anxiety. Source: BulletProof website.

If you would like to hear more about coffee and how you can have your favourite beverage without the added anxiety, listen to this interview with Dave Asprey, the creator of BulletProof coffee through the Stronger Podcast:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stronger/e/57248484?autoplay=true

It is evident that coffee has its advances and disadvantages, just like anything else we consume. However, based on recent studies, most of the adverse effects can be avoided by moderate daily consumption of quality coffee. And in these cases, the advantages far outweigh the negative aspects!

So if you were concerned about having to give up your favourite beverage, this is completely unnecessary…but you can stick with tea if you prefer.

By: Sofia Savkovic

What’s the difference between eating oranges and drinking orange juice?

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Alphonse Wang | 2 comments

Introduction

Oranges are very common fruits while orange juice is a very common drink in our daily life. As we can tell from the word, orange juice is liquid extracted from oranges, but do you know that there is a quite big difference between eating oranges and drinking orange juice? Orange juice, especially these you bought from supermarkets got much higher sugar content than what you might think.

Figure 1: A bottle of orange juice

A bottle of orange juice got about eight teaspoons of sugar. You would wonder same amount of oranges should contain the same amount of sugar since orange juice is extracted from oranges. The main factor makes these two different is the fiber.

Satiety

Image2: Orange juice and oranges

The most remarkable effect the fiber can bring us is that it can keep you satisfied. An experiment was done to figure out how many oranges and orange juice can a people consume? The result shows that a woman can approximately consume one and a half oranges until they feel full which contains about three teaspoons of sugar while a woman can consume 0.75L orange juice before they are full which contains eighteen teaspoons of sugar. For detailed information, you can check The effect of fiber on satiety and food intake: a systematic review.

Slow release into the blood

Besides the satiety fiber can bring it to us, fiber actually makes the sugar that we have eaten releases very slowly into our blood. That’ quite beneficial to our body. A sudden increase in sugar will definitely have a negative effect.

Other negative effects of consuming orange juice

Drinking sugary drinks such as orange juice will result in consuming more calories which differ from what we expected. When you consume drinks contain sugar, you will be able to consume calories easier than drinking drinks without sugar, so you are less likely to feel full. As the result, drinking sugary drinks will not only make you feel full but also make you more likely to consume more calories.

The negative effect will be larger if your orange juice is brought from the market instead of home-made juice. The food companies will try to make the juice more delicious by adding the additive so that they can sell more to get more benefit. In defense of sugar tells some reasons for that. That directly results in the high sugar concentration.

CONCLUSION

Consuming orange juice may result in high calories and high sugar, but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have orange juice. It’s ok to consume orange juice in a suitable range. However, you should eat more oranges instead of drinking orange juice since oranges are much healthier for you than orange juice.

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Posted in Public Engagement

Tagged food, fruit, health, Health and Nutrition, orange, science, Science in the News

Intermittent Fasting

Posted on November 5, 2018 by maria arcila barahona | 2 comments

Intermittent Fasting – A Simpler Way to Eat

Most of us grew-up hearing ” breakfast is the most important meal of the day” but what if that isn’t the case?

Intermittent fasting has gained a great deal of attention in the past years for the benefits in weight loss, overall healthier-eating, and a way to simplify our lifestyles. Popularized by Martin Berkhan, a nutritional consultant from Leangains, the success of intermittent fasting lies in the fact that it is not a diet but a lifestyle change. Intermittent fasting is divided into two stages, fasting and feeding. The most common type of fasting is the 16:8 known as the Leangains method, consisting of a 16 hour fast followed by an eight hour feeding period with no dietary restrictions.

16:8 Intermittent Fasting Pattern Credit: StayWow

Fasting and Our Ancestors

Our ancestors did not have the luxuries we have today, they had to hunt their food and this could lead to not finding anything to eat for hours or days at a time. This is the basis of intermittent fasting, going back to our old roots. By allowing our bodies to function as they are intended to do. Studies have shown, intermittent fasting protects against diabetes, obesity, cancers, heart disease, hypertension, neurodegeneration, and many more benefits.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting Credit: Fitness Junction

OUR BRAIN AND FASTING

One of the biggest misconceptions is that our brain can only use glucose for energy, but this could not be further away from the truth. In reality, while in the fasting state, our brains can utilize ketone bodies as a source of energy.

While fasting, brain proteins increase as the stress of fasting causes the body to preserve this very important organ. One of the most important brain proteins is a brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF. This protein works by growing neurons and as a natural antidepressant. In addition, it has been shown to help neurons stay healthier and resist brain diseases like dementia.

A study conducted by Dr. Bredesen consisted of ten patients with early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The patients started to fast for 12 hours a day and were tested for cognitive improvement or decline. Within 3-6 months, nine out of the ten patients had shown a reversal in cognitive decline. Studies on the cognitive benefits of fasting are booming and more research is being invested to show the benefits of fasting on the brain.

Video of What Intermittent Fasting Does to Your Brain Credit: Gravity Transformation – Fat Loss Experts

OVERALL BENEFITS OF FASTING

As we’ve seen, fasting is great for brain health, but the benefits do not end there. Fasting has been proven to increase levels of human-growth hormone, HGH, which is essential for cellular regeneration and decrease in body fat. It has also been shown to reduce insulin resistance and in this way decreases the chances of type-2 diabetes.

With all of the benefits of fasting, it is no wonder why this new lifestyle is gaining popularity so fast.

https://soundcloud.com/atpproject/episode-116-intermittent-fasting

Podcast on Intermittent Fasting Credit: The ATP Project on SOUNDCLOUD

Maria-Fernanda Arcila

2 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences

Tagged fasting, fitness, health and fitness, Health and Nutrition, Intermittent fasting, lifestyle, Nutrition, restricted eating, science, Science in the News, science of eating

Does Not Wearing Glasses Mean Contact Lenses for Life?

Posted on October 8, 2018 by JodieXie | 5 comments

“Why don’t you try contact lenses,” my optometrist offered when I told him I hated my glasses. This is a more common situation than not. I hated spending $200 on glasses each time I wanted to change my style, which is already on the lower end of the price range. Similarly, getting contacts would mean spending up to $1200 a year! Thus, are contact lenses the only solution to glasses?

NO!

A pair of stylish glasses. Credit: Max Pixel

I am sure you have heard of the term myopia and presbyopia or even astigmatism. These are all different types of refractive errors; a condition where the shape of your eye does not bend light properly. With the introduction of refractive surgery, the eye care scene grew drastically with new methods to correct refractive errors through changing the eye’s structures.

Where to Start?

Like any medical procedure, you will arrive for your initial consultation. Your visit will likely begin with the careful investigation of your medical history and countless tests to assess your eye. Then your doctor will discuss the different procedures you are a candidate for. Two of these are LASIK and PRK.

What is LASIK?

Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis or more commonly known as LASIK, is the most well-known refractive surgery technique. By using a laser, ophthalmologists form a thin flap in the cornea – a transparent dome covering the outermost layer of the eye – making the removal of a specific amount of corneal tissue possible, before refolding the flap into its original position. This alters the eye’s ability to focus light.

The basic steps on the LASIK procedure. Credit: Andrearchy LASIK

What is PRK?

Do you enjoy sports or just have a very active lifestyle in general? If so, another type of refractive surgery called photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is perfect for you. In contrast to LASIK, where instead of creating a corneal flap that can become dislodged with intense movement, the doctor will remove the corneal epithelial, which will allow a laser to reshape the deeper cornea.

Am I Free From Corrective Lenses Now?

It would be pointless if your surgery does not improve your eyesight at all. That’s money down the drain! With any of the procedures, most people end up with 20/40 vision or better. Thus, you can leave your fashionable glasses at home!

Snellen chart to help determine visual acuity.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Laser Correction Sounds Exciting, but Scary!

Unfortunately, there are inherent risks and potential side effects. Over time your eyesight will deteriorate and you might one day need glasses again to see properly. As for the immediate side effects of surgery, there is the rare chance of going blind, but in the hands of an expert surgeon the probability is 1 in 5 million. Instead, the possibility of chronic dry eyes is more worrisome. Thus, as you begin your journey remember to save up some money in advance for artificial tears!

By: Jodie Xie

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5 Comments

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication, Uncategorized

Tagged #medical, Cosmetics, Eye health, glasses and contact lenses, health, Health and Nutrition, Laser eye correction, lifestyle, ophthalmology, science, Surgery

The Ketogenic Diet Craze: The Diet That Wants You to Eat More Fat?

Posted on September 24, 2018 by jovengill | 3 comments

In America alone, experts have discovered that 45 million Americans go on a diet each year. This leads to the biggest question dieters face: what diet will be best for them? This is where the recently popular ketogenic diet (keto diet) comes in to rescue struggling dieters.

Essentially, the keto diet is a diet that focuses on consuming high amounts of fat and low amounts of carbohydrates (carbs). By eating high-fat and low-carb foods, the body enters the state of ketosis; ketosis is when the body is in a state where instead of burning carbohydrates for energy, the body is forced to burn fats for energy instead. Therefore, when you exercise regularly while being on the keto diet, it can you help you lose weight more efficiently.

The following video from the PictureFit channel explains the basic science behind the keto diet:

So what foods can you eat in the keto diet? There are lots of foods and for the most part, the keto diet is not excessively restrictive on what to eat but the main rule is to avoid high-carb foods. These high-carb foods include pasta, bread and potatoes. Some excellent keto diet foods are meat, avocado, cheese, eggs and vegetables because these foods are higher in fat content and lower in carb content.

Now does the keto diet actually work? An experiment conducted by Alexandra Johnstone tested to see if the keto diet actually helped people lose weight. There were 17 subjects that were considered obese in the experiment and they were placed on a keto diet that included low-carb and high-fat foods. The results showed that the mean weight of all the individuals decreased over a matter of 27 days by 6.34kg on the keto diet versus only a 4.35kg mean weight loss on a non-ketogenic diet. The experiment concluded that the keto diet proves to be successful and more efficient in helping people lose weight compared to other non-ketogenic diets.

The following figure from Alexandra Johnstone’s experiment shows a keto diet (bottom line) has greater weight loss benefits compared to a non-ketogenic diet (top line).

Graph of mean daily body weight (kg) on the keto diet (•) and on a non-ketogenic diet (▪) in the 17 subjects. Source: Alexandra Johnstone.

Not every diet is perfect and there is a flaw that comes with the keto diet. The “keto flu” can occur when beginning the keto diet because the body is getting accustomed to being in the ketosis state. It consists of flu-like symptoms and usually subsides in a couple of days but can last around three weeks. Fortunately, the “keto flu” will not come back if you continue to maintain your keto diet.

Therefore, it is important to evaluate the if the keto diet right for you, but based on the evidence of its effectiveness it appears to be a very effective diet for those struggling to lose weight!

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Posted in Biological Sciences, Public Engagement

Tagged Dieting, Health and Nutrition, Ketogenic Diet

Tag Archives: Health and Nutrition

The Source of Anxiety and Jitters Caused from Drinking Coffee