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Welcome to our Thursday’s Science Catch-up: curated links by The Health Sciences Academy. Get our email updates every other Thursday here (it’s free).
Let’s catch you up with studies and news that recently made the headlines!
Click on your favourite topics to read our summary:
1. Why are placebos getting more effective?
2. What’s the best way to stay motivated?
3. How to improve willpower? Feed it.
4. Pear-shaped vs. apple trumps body mass index as a measure of risk
5. ‘Everything in moderation’ advice is as flawed as low-fat and sugar-free
6. Mindfulness training helps patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)
7. Is your job making you fat?
8. Porridge a potential prebiotic?
9. Low-fat diet not most effective in long-term weight loss
10. Is fat stigma making you miserable?
Why are placebos getting more effective?
Fascinating. People seem to be getting better merely by taking part in scientific studies these days, regardless of whether they have been given real drugs… or a fake pill (placebo).
What’s the best way to stay motivated?
Behavioural economists found that it’s a sense of progress that makes us stay motivated at work. Progress seems to give work meaning. And meaning is why we work.
How to improve willpower? Feed it.
One of the best ways to manage that self-control resource is to set yourself up so that you don’t have to use it. Choice architecture is one way to do it, so you let your environment make those choices for you; no willpower needed. Think foods/drinks on your kitchen counter, fridge, cabinets… More about circumventing willpower here.
Pear-shaped vs. apple trumps body mass index as a measure of risk
Body fat distribution matters, even in those who qualify as “normal weight”. Excess visceral fat around vital organs puts you at a higher risk of disease. Waist-to-hip ratio is one way to measure this risk.
‘Everything in moderation’ advice is as flawed as low-fat and sugar-free
An unexpected finding! Researchers found that those who consume “greater food variety” (even if in moderation) have worse diet quality: they tend to eat less healthy foods (like vegetables) but more unhealthy foods (like processed meats and desserts), and show more central weight gain (an indicator of central fat and metabolic issues). On the other hand, those with the healthiest diets appear to eat a relatively small range of healthy foods, but in larger amounts.
Mindfulness training helps patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)
Did you know that psychological distress may lead to increased IBD symptoms and flare-ups? In this study, IBD patients who received guided meditations, mindfulness exercises, and group discussions of challenges or experiences, had greater reductions in anxiety and depression scores, and improvement in physical and psychological quality of life, compared to the patients who did not receive them. So, why not try?
Is your job making you fat?
It seems that the type of responsibility we have at work might affect our chances of becoming obese… probably due to overwhelming demands, conflict, loss of control, or stress. Conversely, having the freedom to use your skills and feeling in control is linked to lower body mass index (BMI) and a smaller waist size. Something to keep in mind!
Porridge a potential prebiotic?
Norwegian and Swedish researchers believe that oats should be added to the “prebiotics” category. They found that eating a bowl of porridge oats a day could alter gut microbial functions.
Low-fat diet not most effective in long-term weight loss
An old dilemma: do low-fat diets result in any greater weight loss, compared to other diets?
This new systematic review showed they didn’t. Most diets worked, but the low-fat ones weren’t particularly better than the rest.
A little caveat: these are general findings, so they don’t take into account individual variability. We’re in the era of personalised nutrition, which means that there isn’t one single universal diet that’s equally effective for everyone. That’s why it’s crucial to find out what works (and what doesn’t work) for you or your clients. We help our students with that in our Advanced Clinical Weight Loss Practitioner course.
Here’s the study abstract: Effect of low-fat diet interventions versus other diet interventions on long-term weight change in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Tobias et al., 2015. The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.
Is fat stigma making you miserable?
Messages or attitudes that shame, blame and denounce you about your weight have a terrible impact. Feeling judged for being overweight can undermine your self-control, give you feelings of incompetence, compromise your psychological health, and rise your cortisol levels. This might also increase your motivation to avoid “shaming” domains (e.g. the gym, or exercising in public), and escape the humiliation by engaging in unhealthy self-sabotaging behaviours… What do I say to that? The more you care about what others think, the less freedom you have. Stop caring about them. Get out and be proud! Watch this, I love it:
Available upon individual purchase. Learn more here! Taste Genomics 101: Are Your Food Preferences Genetic?Science Reports:
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What has inspired you this week? What are your thoughts on some of these topics? Leave a comment and let us know!
Alex Ruani, Doctoral Researcher, is the Chief Science Educator at The Health Sciences Academy, where her team of accomplished scientists and PhDs are training a new breed of over 100,000 highly-specialised nutrition professionals who are leveraging the latest personalisation strategies to help their clients. She is a Harvard-trained scientist and UCL Doctoral Researcher who is fanatical about equipping health professionals with the latest science-based tools so they can succeed in their practices – from identifying the unique nutrient needs to building highly personalised nutrition programs. Besides investigating and teaching the latest advances in health and nutrition biochemistry, Alex makes it easier to be smarter with her free email updates.
