Recent science updates

Fiber and your health:

Did you know your intestinal microbiome and your immune system are tightly linked? Your microbiota are vital for extracting nutrition from your food, maintaining your metabolism, boosting pathogen resistance and immune function, and keeping your intestinal walls healthy. It’s health varies with your diet, lifestyle and environment. Greater nutritional diversity and more fiber leads to a healthier microbiome, which can help you stay healthy — particularly important in today’s world full of health threats and poor in whole-food options. This fascinating study compares the microbiome of hunter-gatherers, farmers, and city dwellers, who turn out to have widely different microbiomes.
Link: Gut Microbiome of the Hadza Hunter-Gatherers
Takeaway: A diet rich in fiber (like iDiet’s recommendation) is a great way to boost your overall health.

Dr. Roberts’ latest research:

Did you know Dr. Roberts studies more than weight loss? A major study was recently published in The BMJ, (the British Medical Journal, one of the world’s top four most cited medical journals). Dr. Roberts was the principal investigator, designing a nutrition study covering over 1000 under-nourished children across 10 villages in Guinea-Bissau (West Africa). The study was designed to rescue their developing brains through nutritional interventions. And it was a success. All aspects of memory and cognition studied in the intervention group improved markedly, compared to the controls. You can read the study here:
Link: Effects of food supplementation on cognitive function…in young children at risk of undernutrition: The BMJ

Dr. Roberts also created a successful campaign to build (and then expand) a school in Guinea-Bissau as well.

Artificial Sweeteners in the NYTimes:

This advice is generally consistent with iDiet’s recommendations on making the very personal decision whether to use non-caloric sweeteners or not. Keep in mind for most people, it’s not a question of sweetener vs nothing, but sweetener vs sugar, and both have their issues to consider. Also consider that non-caloric sweeteners run the gamut from naturally derived to man-made.

Link: NYTimes: https://learn.theidiet.com/Gl7

What is your personal preference?

Stress and eating:

How’s your stress level? Are you eating more or less now since February? If you want to lose weight for your health and wellness, come to us. If you feel you might have an eating disorder, check the comments for some helpful links. We want you healthy above all.

And if you have been helped by an eating disorder support group not listed below, please feel free to add it. https://learn.theidiet.com/GLX

NEDA: the National Eating Disorders Hotline https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline

Help with Anorexia, Bulimia, and binge eating:
https://www.bulimia.com/topics/eating-disorder-hotline/

ANAD: Anorexia helpline:
https://anad.org/our-services/eating-disorders-helpline/

One Man’s Battle with Obesity and COVID-19

We want you healthy, and alive! This story powerfully illustrates the increased risk of COVID in people with high BMI. There is still much to learn, but some theories include the increased leptin, androgens, and inflammation that accompany weight gain, as well as increased stress on, and changes in, the lungs and pulmonary system. This patient also had high blood sugar, which makes things worse. There is a proven correlation between high BMI and COVID complications. There is also a proven association between high BMI and many other chronic health conditions. The good news is, these risks are mitigated even in someone losing a small amount of weight, or experiencing slow weight loss — the thing is to be decreasing weight, not increasing weight.

Have you lost weight? If so, how did it affect your life? If you need help, reach out to us.

Link: Washington Post: https://learn.theidiet.com/covesity1