WIL Weekly 5-Point Review #33

Light boosts mood, don't inject yourself with this and more...

This is my free weekly newsletter covering 5 interesting points from the week. Subscribe (if you haven’t already) if you’d like to get it in your inbox each week!

Research (again) finds higher cholesterol tracks with longer life

A new study published late last year titled Blood biomarker profiles and exceptional longevity: comparison of centenarians and non-centenarians in a 35-year follow-up of the Swedish AMORIS cohort found that Swedish centenarians (100+ year olds) tended to have very low fasting blood sugar and higher total cholesterol.

Higher levels of total cholesterol and iron and lower levels of glucose, creatinine, uric acid, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and total iron-binding capacity were associated with reaching 100 years.

…All but two of the studied biomarkers were associated with the likelihood of reaching age 100. For total cholesterol and iron, higher levels increased the odds, and for glucose, creatinine, uric acid, ASAT, GGT, ALP, LD, and TIBC lower levels increased the odds of becoming a centenarian. A dose-response relationship was found for uric acid; individuals within the lowest quintile had almost twice the chance of reaching age 100 compared to those in the highest quintile.

They note that other studies found a similar association between higher cholesterol and longer life. “[This] stands in contrast to clinical guidelines regarding cholesterol levels but is in line with previous studies showing that high cholesterol is generally favorable for mortality in very old age.”

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100% Fruit juice linked with weight gain in Children

Just this January, a paper titled Consumption of 100% Fruit Juice and Body Weight in Children and Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis came out. It found that unsweetened, pure and wholesome 100% fruit juices promote weight gain in children.

The study analyzed 17 prospective cohort studies of at least 6 month. They found that the cohort studies revealed that “1 serving per day of 100% fruit juice was associated with BMI gain among children.”

Hey… maybe we shouldn’t eat a plate of toast, a bowl of cereal, sliced fruit and a cup of orange juice for breakfast.

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Don’t be a loser, step into the light

Today (the day I’m writing this) has been quite dreary - it’s been overcast and raining all day. I noticed it was harder than usual to muster up the motivation to get this newsletter done today - just a slight dampening on my typical baseline mood and motivation. Then I realized I still hadn’t turned on the 12,000 LUX bright light device sitting on my desk. Simply pressing the on button on that picked my mood up after only a few minutes.

Andrew Huberman is always talking about getting bright light into the eyes first thing in the morning. (I’ve covered why bright light is so important for setting your circadian rhythm in this video.) According to psychiatrist Dr. Richard S. Schwartz of Harvard Medical School, "for both seasonal and nonseasonal depression, the effectiveness of light therapy is approximately the same as antidepressant medications, or popular forms of psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy."

Simply turning on a bright light for 30 minutes a day is as effective as antidepressants or therapy? If accurate, that’s mind blowing.

Note: Using it after sundown is likely a bad idea as it may worsen your mood and sleep.

“Light therapy requires a light box that emits 10,000 lux (a measure of light intensity). You sit in front of the light for about 30 minutes every morning, as soon as possible after you wake up. Light boxes aren't regulated, so it's important to make sure you buy one that meets certain specifications. Dr. Schwartz recommends checking out the Center for Environmental Therapeutics, a nonprofit organization that does research on light boxes and related therapies and provides advice for selecting a light box. Prices range between $100 and $200.”

Vegetarianism increases risk for depression?

A new study from early last year found an association between meatless diets and depression. The observational study titled Association between meatless diet and depressive episodes: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the longitudinal study of adult health (ELSA-Brasil) concluded that:

“Depressive episodes are more prevalent in individuals who do not eat meat, independently of socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. Nutrient deficiencies do not explain this association. The nature of the association remains unclear, and longitudinal data are needed to clarify causal relationship.”

Observational studies have a number of weaknesses but plenty of observational studies with anti-meat findings often make headlines. However, I’d be really surprised if I saw an article about this one in say The New York Times, Vox, or The Guardian.

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Before injecting something that can paralyze your stomach, maybe eat less carbs and drink Yerba Mate?

Vox released a video titled Ozempic is a game-changer. Here’s how it works. 11 months ago. They explained that “this drug could completely change the way we approach weight loss.” They explain that Ozempic contains a mimic of GLP-1, a hormone that “tells us when we’re full.” They also note that GLP-1 slows gastric emptying, “which means food doesn’t move through the digestive system as quickly and you stay fuller for longer.” They did note that there are some side effects like heart palpitations, nausea, gastrointestinal effects like diarrhea. The drug was originally intended to help treat type 2 diabetes, but more and more people are using it just for weight loss.

"Historically, weight loss drugs have been associated with dangerous side effects and have been pulled from the market.”

Unfortunately, it came out a couple months later that while rare, there is the chance for much more severe side effects like stomach paralysis and suicidal ideation. Further, a systematic review of case reports revealed that there are many other side effects including kidney issues, skin issues, immune issues, blood issues with inflammation of the pancreas being the most common side effect.

According to The positive effects of yerba maté (Ilex paraguariensis) in obesity,

In addition to human studies, in DdY mice fed with high-fat diet animal models, yerba maté has been suggested to promote satiety through various mechanisms, including induction and/or enhancement of intestinal glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), modulation of serum leptin levels and a possible direct central satiety-stimulatory effect

Further, a 2019 study noted that less consumption of carbohydrate predicted higher GLP-1 levels:

“We found that fasting GLP-1 concentration prior to ad libitum food intake was a negative predictor of carbohydrate intake and was also negatively associated with daily energy intake from foods categorized as high simple sugar-low fat but did not predict either the total daily food intake or the fat and protein intake.”

Another 2013 study, High Protein Intake Stimulates Postprandial GLP1 and PYY Release, indicates that protein raises GLP-1.

So, maybe try a low carb, high protein diet with some Yerba Mate before injecting something that could inflame your pancreas or paralyze your stomach?

*Note: This study did find that giving a participants did not eat less of the high protein meal than they did of the low protein, high carb meal. However this was only the result for one meal. We know from multiple studies that a high-protein diet sustained over a long period does eventually lead to a reduction in appetite that leads to higher weight loss.