[Examine Newsletter] August 2024 Updates

See what’s new at Examine over the past month!  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Examine]( [View in browser](=) Hello {NAME}! Here’s your recap of Examine’s August 2024 updates. --------------------------------------------------------------- A love letter to PubMed August 1, 2024 If you’re into nutrition or ever tried to research health online, you’ve probably encountered the beast that is PubMed. But I bet there are some things about PubMed you weren’t aware of. For example, did you know that … … PubMed launched in 1997, with [Al Gore performing the “ribbon cutting”]( on live television by searching for Achilles tendon rupture treatments? … [One of Examine’s medical reviewers]( is a physician who was the original designer and principal developer of PubMed? … PubMed contains more than [37 million citations and abstracts of biomedical literature]()? Love is a many-splendored thing PubMed is awesome and fully worthy of your love whether you’re a researcher, academic, or layperson. Case in point: Have you seen the early 1990s movie called Lorenzo’s Oil? It’s a true story about fatty acids (yes, really!) starring Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte. Their child, Lorenzo, has a rare genetic condition called adrenoleukodystrophy. He’s a normal and energetic kid until a bunch of brain-related symptoms hit. His parents learn that Lorenzo will die within two years, due to long-chain fatty acids building up throughout his body in an uncontrolled fashion. His parents, despite not being scientists, hit the books and eventually spearhead a potential treatment made up of oils with specific fatty acids. While Lorenzo ended up living well past the movie release date, outliving predictions by a couple decades, the efficacy of Lorenzo’s oil has shown mixed results in subsequent trials. Still … mixed results for a fatal disease without other treatments, due to intense research conducted by non-scientist parents trying to save their little boy? Two thumbs up! (That was Roger Ebert’s rating too.) The real life events facing Lorenzo and his parents began in 1984. PubMed went live in 1997 (which, coincidentally, is also the year that [Skynet went live](=)). How much easier would it have been for Lorenzo’s parents to research fatty acids with the internet and PubMed? How many research breakthroughs since then have started with exploratory PubMed searches? And how important is it that everyone has access to scientific literature, not just scientists and Al Gore? A few caveats Although PubMed can be incredibly helpful, it isn’t useful for the 95% of people who don’t know how to read studies, don’t have academic access to journals, or are intimidated by the sheer size of PubMed. There’s also a very real chance that more and more people will eschew PubMed in favor of AI answering their health questions. This will, as you may predict, be fraught with peril due the complexity and nuance inherent in biomedical science and AI’s habit of making things up. If you ever get annoyed at the 3,227 PubMed results you have to sort through, just remember: we have soooooo much more health-related information at our fingertips than previous generations. Search interface issues are really just minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things. Go forth and explore … there’s literally always something new and fascinating to learn about health and the human body. Still, what if there was a middle ground between vast dusty archives and a hallucinating robot? Our team is working on a cool way to make Examine’s interface much easier to use, so that you can more quickly and accurately find answers on our site. We may not be PubMed, but we’re also a lot easier to read. Stay tuned. --------------------------------------------------------------- 📅 Top 5 Study Summaries for August August 8, 2024 Every month, we summarize 150+ recent studies for our [Examine+ Members](. You can read five of last month’s most favorited Study Summaries for free by clicking the links below. The Study Summaries marked with are Editor’s Picks, which provide more details about the study, mention related studies, and include helpful graphics. Want more evidence-based nutrition information? We post interesting tidbits on social media every day. Find us at our verified accounts on: - [Instagram](=) - [LinkedIn]( - [WhatsApp]() - [Facebook]() - [YouTube]() [Live long and eat olive oil: The association between olive oil and mortality](=) In this prospective cohort study in Italy, a high intake of olive oil was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality and the risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. [Magnesium for sleep and anxiety]() In this systematic review of primarily randomized controlled trials, most of the included studies reported that supplementation with magnesium improved sleep and anxiety. [The effects of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids on blood lipids and lipoprotein(a)]( In this randomized controlled trial, diets enriched in alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) or linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) had similar effects on serum lipoprotein(a). However, the alpha-linolenic diet had more of a beneficial effect on other blood lipids, including LDL-C. [Effects of turmeric and black pepper in breakfast on blood glucose, hunger, and palatability](=) In this randomized crossover study, adding black pepper and turmeric to breakfast lowered postmeal blood glucose levels. [Can a carbohydrate mouth rinse improve resistance exercise performance?]() In this randomized crossover trial, using a carbohydrate mouth rinse before performing resistance exercise (deadlifting) improved performance without affecting perceived effort. You can also check out the [most-favorited summaries from previous months]().🔥 --------------------------------------------------------------- So, did you find something of interest? If not, please reply to this email to let me know which topics you’d like us to tackle. And if you’re ready to stay on top of the latest research, you can [try out Examine+ for free for 7 days](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Updates! Faster site. Quicker answers. More informative. August 15, 2024 Some cool new updates have arrived at Examine, with more to come! Check out the ways we’ve made your experience better: NEW: ExamineGPT Beta ExamineGPT is a large language model trained exclusively on published Examine content to get you answers in seconds. Stay on the cutting edge - Targeted [email alerts](: Get detailed notifications for new content on pages you’ve saved. This includes every line we’ve updated and any new Study Summaries we’ve added! - Dynamic [homepage](: Our new homepage highlights the latest content, keeping you current. - Retraction notices: Studies that have been retracted will be marked. Speed boost - We've completely revamped our code, so the website is now 2-3x faster! Access the evidence you need in a snap. More features on the horizon - Effortless note-taking: Add your private insights to any page. - Personalized collections: Organize and manage pages on health topics, FAQs, guides, and summaries, making it much easier to look up information later. At Examine, we’re committed to providing you with unbiased, science-backed information you can trust. We’re constantly iterating to deliver you evidence-based insights faster and easier. We’d love to hear your thoughts! Just reply with any questions you have, or suggestions for future features you’d like to see. Thank you for being a valued member of the Examine community! --------------------------------------------------------------- Examine’s newest page updates August 22, 2024 The Examine Team has completed some [page updates]( since we last emailed you — check them out: Major Updates (Considerable updates to the FAQs, database, or both.) - [Apigenin](=) is a bioflavonoid that appears to reduce anxiety, affect immune health, and modulate hormones. It is found in chamomile tea and a variety of vegetables and herbs. Apigenin is stable when consumed as part of the diet but unstable when isolated from its source. - [Bergamot oil]( is the essential oil extracted from the peel of the bergamot orange, a citrus fruit. This oil is used in aromatherapy, perfumery, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals and may promote relaxation and help reduce anxiety in adults. Bergamot oil should not be confused with bergamot extract, which refers to polyphenol-rich extracts of the juice, pith, and/or peel of the bergamot fruit, or with wild bergamot, an unrelated perennial plant in the mint family. [Try Examine+ free for 7 days]( to get more detailed updates in the [updates log](. And for pages you’ve saved, these updates will be sent to your inbox to keep you current! - The [Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet](=) is a nutritional strategy originally developed to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). It emphasizes high-fiber foods, like whole grains, fruit, and vegetables, as well as fish, poultry, and low-fat dairy and limits the intake of sodium, highly processed foods, and saturated fat. - [Flaxseed](=) is the seed of the Linum usitatissimum plant and is frequently taken in the form of seeds, oil, or supplements as a source of fiber and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). It is most often used to promote healthy blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and cholesterol levels. - [Grapefruit]() is a citrus fruit rich in bioactive phytochemicals. It has been linked to small reductions in body weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure in preliminary studies. Importantly, grapefruit interacts with many commonly used medications and could have detrimental outcomes when combined. - [L-Tyrosine]() is an amino acid that is used as a precursor for the synthesis of the catecholamines dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE). DA and NE are depleted under stressful conditions, which can compromise cognitive function. L-Tyrosine supplementation may help alleviate acute stress-induced cognitive decline by restoring catecholamine levels in the brain. - [Nattokinase](=) is an enzyme derived from the fermented soy food product nattō which appears to have some direct fibrinolytic (blood-clot-busting) activity. It is thought to have cardioprotective effects. - [Oil pulling](=) is the Ayurvedic practice of swishing oil in the mouth to promote oral hygiene. While evidence to support the effects of oil pulling is limited, potential benefits include improved dental and gum health and reduced bacteria in the mouth. - [Psyllium](=) fiber, derived from several species of the Plantago genus, is usually taken in its powdered husk form. It is best known for constipation relief but may hold other benefits for digestive and metabolic health. - [Sodium bicarbonate]( is a buffer that neutralizes acidity in the human body. It is used in dental products and antacids and sometimes to treat acidosis in critical illness. When taken as a supplement, sodium bicarbonate can enhance exercise performance. - [Vitamin K]( is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a key role in blood coagulation, bone metabolism, and vascular health. Vitamin K1 is found in many leafy greens and soy, while vitamin K2 is found in meat and fermented foods and is synthesized by intestinal bacteria. Supplementation with vitamin K improves markers of bone health, and vitamin K is administered to newborns to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding. - [Ylang-ylang oil](=) is an essential oil that has most commonly been studied as aromatherapy for anxiety and promoting calmness. While ylang-ylang oil may have some sedative-like effects, it has not improved anxiety in randomized controlled trials. More research is required to substantiate ylang-ylang oil’s sedative-like effects and to shed light on the mechanisms of how it might exert these effects Minor Updates (Small additions, changes, or corrections.) - [Alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA)]( is an essential omega-3 fatty acid found primarily in plants, including walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseed, hemp seeds, canola, and their respective oils. ALA has primarily been studied for its potential benefits for cardiovascular health and the prevention of cardiovascular disease, but the effects seem to be marginal at best. - [Astragalus membranaceus]() is an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is claimed to have anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, and anti-aging effects. - [Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)](=) is a common functional disorder of the large intestine characterized by long-term changes in bowel habits (e.g., frequent diarrhea or constipation) and abdominal pain. The exact causes are unknown, but research suggests that multiple factors — such as the gut-brain axis, abnormal muscular contractions, and gut microbes — could play a role in the disease. IBS can be managed with dietary modifications, psychotherapy, supplements, and prescription medications. - The [ketogenic diet](=) limits carbohydrate intake and promotes a higher fat intake with a moderate amount of protein. Carbohydrates are usually limited to 50 grams per day. It has been used to help with weight loss, for glycemic control in people with diabetes, and as an adjunct treatment to treatment-resistant epilepsy. - [Macular degeneration]() (age-related macular degeneration) is a condition that causes blurred, limited, or no vision in the center of the eye’s visual field. - [Magnesium]( is an essential dietary mineral that is involved in energy production, nervous system function, blood pressure regulation, and blood glucose control. A lack of magnesium in the diet — which is common in modern societies — is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other health conditions. - The [Mediterranean diet]( refers to a dietary pattern originating from Greece, Southern Italy, and other countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. It has been extensively studied for cardiovascular disease prevention. It’s a plant-based diet that’s low in saturated fat, with key food components such as olive oil, leafy green vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, poultry, low-fat dairy, and a moderate intake of red wine. A quick reminder: we have a [referral program](! In case you didn’t know, you can log into your Examine account, set your unique referral code, and send links to your friends and family. If anyone signs up using your link, you’ll get a 33% commission for every payment they make, for life! We love hearing from you, so please reply to this email if you have any suggestions for studies or topics we should cover. Until next time! --------------------------------------------------------------- A more daring Examine? August 29, 2024 Here are some of the adjectives people use to describe Examine: - objective - neutral - nerdy Here are the types of adjectives that aren’t used: - opinionated - forceful - daring If someone described us as opinionated, I’d be mortified. Forceful? Ehhh, not sure. But daring? That might not be so bad. We’re generally not very daring. We have about 30 researchers quietly putting in the work, day in and day out, and we don’t really raise a fuss or brag about ourselves. In the public eye, Examine isn’t super well known (yet!), except when we’re mentioned on a hugely popular podcast or our analysis is cited by a major media source (see [here]() for a partial list). For a split second, it can look like Examine is kind of a big deal. But then we kind of recede into the background. Why is that? And should we change at all? One big reason: we don’t follow the controversy There are dozens of controversial topics that we don’t spend much time on. Here’s why: First, we concentrate on analyzing what works and what doesn’t based on randomized controlled trials. There are few to no human trials on some of the most controversial topics, so our analysis for those would be more mechanistic and less useful. Meanwhile, we have hundreds of trials we still need to cover for Examine pages that need updating. There’s only so much time to go around. Second, commenting on controversial topics and garnering attention that way doesn’t contribute to our main focus: helping our readers be healthier with unbiased health information based on the latest evidence. But maybe we’ve avoided controversy a little too much. A more daring Examine? Daring thing #1: The Examine podcast People love podcasts. We thought about launching one nearly every year for the past few years, and kept shunting it away as a non-core use of time. Not very daring of us! That should change in the coming months. The podcast is intended to be a more free-flowing space for conversation about a variety of topics, including controversial ones. Stay tuned. Daring thing #2: Our social media We’ve posted regularly over the past few years, but too many of our posts are text heavy, kind of dense, or visually boring. That’s not good, because more and more people are exposed to nutrition news and advice from social media. We’re on the cusp of a big revamp in our social media strategy. I don’t expect that most readers of this email use social media as their main nutrition information source, but I hope that you find our new formats useful and perhaps even legitimately engaging! Daring thing #3: Move fast and break things? We think a lot about new features and products before they launch. Specifically, I get scared and can go overboard asking the team for feedback or looking for potential pitfalls. But there’s a fine balance in that method. If you spend a lot of time amalgamating other people’s opinions and looking for potential pitfalls, you can lose trust in your intuition and progress can slow down. Sometimes intuition is right and sometimes it’s wrong, but you can’t know until you test it out a time or two. Intuition test number one is about to start, and it’s a biggie. I’d like for Examine to build a big new project “in public”. We’ll give very specific updates as to what’s going well and not well, and iterate on the inevitable mistakes we make along the way. We’ll proceed more quickly than usual, spending more time on action and less on internal discussion of what we should ideally do. Mistakes and feedback will abound, but hopefully we get it out the door quicker, with more real-life user experience to sharpen it. The idea is too half-baked to get into now, but it’s pretty darn exciting. Hopefully I’ll be emailing Examine+ members later this year with a beta invite. So there’s two medium sized things and one big thing: how’s that for a more daring Examine? --------------------------------------------------------------- Sincerely, Kamal Patel, Morgan Pfiffner, and The Examine Team Follow us on: [LinkedIn]( [Instagram](=) [Facebook]( [YouTube]() [WhatsApp]() [About Examine]( | [Careers]() | [Member’s Area]() [Unlock Examine+]( PO Box 592, Station-P, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2T1 [Switch to weekly emails](=) | [Opt out of all emails](