"My first podcast interview, over at Break Nutrition"

Great interview, of one of the smarter guys out there, with an amazing story.

Link via The High-fat Hep C Diet

Iron Overload: A Myth in Healthy People?

tl;dr: Oft-mentioned iron overload does not appear to be a problem in healthy humans, only in those with genetic defects. Iron is steadily lost through normal mechanisms and regained through dietary intake. Deficiency is the problem in healthy people.

So sometimes I get curious.

What's the excretion pathway for iron?

— Tucker Goodrich (@TuckerGoodrich) November 26, 2017

Minor losses through skin, blood, and sweat.

— P. D. Mangan 🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇪 (@Mangan150) November 26, 2017

This post has moved to Substack.

Meta-analysis of Oxidative Stress and Alzheimer's

No clear effect, little research. Did not look at focal analysis of specific regions or organelles.

"The field of oxidative stress as it relates to AD is large, with primary data coming from many different systems and supplemented by a large and rapidly growing narrative review literature. While this volume of data indicates intense interest in this topic, its utility is diminished by obfuscating or masking the complete picture of the oxidative changes in the AD brain. The purpose of this analysis was to quantitatively address this problem specifically for oxidative-stress related changes in the human AD brain. The pattern of oxidative changes identified in this analysis suggests that the antioxidant enzyme system in the brain is largely intact in AD and the global accumulation of oxidative damage is less substantial than has generally been reported."

And this:

"While this [brain malondialdehyde (MDA) level] is not the most specific or robust marker of lipid peroxidation, it is the most commonly studied marker of lipid peroxidation in AD brain..."

Sigh.

An excellent, comprehensive meta-analysis, well worth reading just to admire the work.

"Markers of oxidative damage to lipids, nucleic acids and proteins and antioxidant enzymes activities in Alzheimer's disease brain: A meta-analysis in human pathological specimens"

"Hello, Can We Have Your Liver?": Understanding a High-PUFA Diet.

tl;dr: A diet high in omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids has some positive effects on the body: lower weight gain, better preservation of lean mass, improved blood lipids, and increased brown adipose tissue; but also results in increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and beginning of progressive liver failure.

This paper's a classic

"Fat Quality Influences the Obesogenic Effect of High Fat Diets [HFD]"

Sounds benign enough, right?  We all like quality fats...

"To investigate whether polyunsaturated fats could attenuate the above deleterious effects of high fat diets, energy balance and body composition were assessed after two weeks in rats fed isocaloric amounts of a high-fat diet (58.2% by energy) rich either in lard or safflower/linseed oil. Hepatic functionality, plasma parameters, and oxidative status were also measured. The results show that feeding on safflower/linseed oil diet attenuates the obesogenic effect of high fat diets and ameliorates the blood lipid profile...."

That's terrific!  So we just need to eat more omega-6 and omega-3 fats, and we'll be thinner with better blood cholesterol!

Post has been moved to Substack.

DNA Heritage Test Results Depend on The Company Used

"How DNA Testing Botched My Family's Heritage, and Probably Yours, Too"

Seems like it's more about entertainment that knowledge at this point...

"Four tests, four very different answers about where my DNA comes from—including some results that contradicted family history I felt confident was fact. What gives?

"There are a few different factors at play here.

"Genetics is inherently a comparative science: Data about your genes is determined by comparing them to the genes of other people..."

New from Japan: Getting Sick in Japan

From Grace Under Pressure

"Getting Sick in Japan"

Read the whole thing!

New from Japan: Otsukaresama Deshita: The Most Commonly Used Phrase in Japan

From Grace Under Pressure:

"Otsukaresama Deshita: The Most Commonly Used Phrase in Japan"

Read the whole thing!

"Penile Frostbite: an Unforeseen Hazard of Jogging"

I can't bring myself to quote the part of this that I want to, but this is just after...

"Spouse's observations of therapy produced rapid onset of numerous, varied and severe side effects (personal communication)."

Make sure you're not holding a beverage, but read the whole thing!

From Alex Hutchinson on Twitter.

You Can't Outrun a Bad Diet...

"Blood Glucose Levels of Subelite Athletes During 6 Days of Free Living"

"Ath03 consumed on average ~150 g of carbohydrate less than the lower recommended limit, 1770 kcal less than required (Table 2) and was the only participant to demonstrate a significant amount time below 4.0 mmol/L."

Duh. Even athletes can't cope with too much Modern American Diet .

"How to Survive the Most Frigid Winter Runs"

Great article.

17 F, almost time for long pants.

Dressing to be comfortable when you've warmed up is the key. This is the art, and can be tricky at times!

I had a run recently where I managed to be cold for the first 30 minutes of a 2-hour run, but after that it was perfect. Literally felt like spring-time for the rest of the run, but was ~15F.

Adaptation is also key, it happens a lot more quickly to cold than to heat, in my experience, but can be a lot more unpleasant in the cold!