[Examine Newsletter] October 2023 Updates

See what’s new at Examine over the past month!  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Examine]( [View in browser]() Hello! Here’s your recap of Examine’s October 2023 updates. --------------------------------------------------------------- The magic of i+1 learning Oct 26, 2023 Have you ever met someone who thinks they know more about health science than they actually do? They’ll cobble together factoids and opinions, then staunchly defend their views despite the rickety foundations. The opposite of this method is called i+1 learning. Let me first explain what that means, then I’ll ask if you want to learn more from Examine using this method. What does “i+1” mean? The [concept of i+1](=) comes from language learning. Specifically, from linguist Stephen Krashen. When you’re learning a language, you typically start with memorizing a bunch of grammar and vocabulary. An alternate method is to make sure you’ve mastered a simple concept (let’s call it “i”), and only after you’ve done that, tack on one additional small thing (let’s call it “+1”) to what you already know. Building on simple micro-concepts can help you avoid becoming overwhelmed, and help you avoid jumping to false conclusions. Could i+1 be used to learn about health and nutrition? Most likely yes, but let’s figure it out together. Here’s an example of i+1 in this context: [Meat] We’ll use meat to refer to any animal flesh that’s eaten. Sometimes, the term only refers to land animals (so not seafood), but it often encompasses all animal flesh. [Rot] If a microorganism (such as bacteria) decomposes an organic substance (like a dead animal), it’s called rot. Fermentation is a related word that will come up later. [Stomach] Your stomach breaks apart the food you eat and turns it into a slurry for further processing by the small and large intestine, among [other functions](). [Meat rots in your stomach?] Meat does NOT rot in your stomach. The stomach is way too acidic to host the bacterial counts necessary to rot meat. At a pH of 1.5-2.0, the human stomach is [even more acidic than many other meat-eating animal stomachs](). Instead, the low pH environment of the stomach favors the denaturing (unfolding) of meat proteins, ensuring rapid breakdown into peptides and amino acids by gastric enzymes. [Protein] There is no one thing called “protein”. Different proteins serve an astounding number of different roles in the body, from providing structure for cells to regulating chemical reactions to fighting infection. Our genes contain blueprints for protein construction, and [at least 20,000 different proteins]() are then created in our bodies using amino acids (the building blocks of protein) derived from the foods we eat. [Ripped] Ripped, jacked, swole. These terms all mean roughly the same thing: “having lots of muscle and a low body fat percentage.” The muscle and fat levels needed to achieve this state are widely debated. Some would call Fight Club’s Brad Pitt ripped, some would not. Everyone would agree that the Rock is ripped. [You can get incredibly ripped without protein from meat] While meat does contain more bioavailable protein than plant sources, [trials have shown]() total protein intake is the deciding factor in muscle building. You don’t have to eat optimal amounts of each essential amino acid in one food or even one meal. That’s the muscle side of the “being ripped” equation — protein source is even less important for the fat loss side. I’ve never seen this i+1, “building block” method used to teach nutrition. Is it something you’d be interested in seeing more of? In the above example, we’d continue with other sentences containing “meat”, “stomach”, etc., and add in one new word each time while hyperlinking to previous term explanations along with relevant studies. Some cards would be shorter and some would be longer, but never more than a paragraph or two. You might be able to reach a “flow state” while learning, because there won’t be any big inscrutable roadblocks. Eventually we’d introduce more complex terms, like mRNA, ribosomes, and [mTOR](). Except instead of a bunch of dense text like in that linked mTOR page, you’d already have mastered the basic building blocks and only be introduced to one new term at a time. Our aim would be digestibility and accuracy. If we only build on single, simple concepts and repeat them in different contexts, maybe that would help learners who have limited time or struggle to read through long and jargon-heavy articles on complex topics. If you did ten of these hypothetical cards per day, you’d learn 3,650 connected concepts in a year. That’s a massive amount of interesting and useful science! Reply back to this email with your thoughts. If 80% or more of responses are positive, we’ll ponder this method some more. It wouldn’t replace anything on the site of course — this would probably just be an occasional teaching method. If the idea is a clunker, we’ll ditch it, and if it’s a winner, we’ll run with it! --------------------------------------------------------------- Pages we’ve updated in October Oct 19, 2023 It’s Nick (Lead Researcher at Examine) — I wanted to show you the pages we’ve updated since September. Before I do that, though, I wanted to share a fun fact: in the last 4 months, we’ve updated over 100 pages, and over 70 of those have included major changes to our FAQs, database, or both. I say this all the time, but keeping all our pages current is a huge undertaking, and it’s only possible because of our team of 30+ hardworking and brilliant researchers. I’m tremendously grateful for every single one of them. Here’s what we’ve accomplished in the last month! Major Updates (Considerable updates to the FAQs, database, or both.) Intervention Pages Health Topic Pages - [Artificially Sweetened Beverages]() - [Beta-alanine]( - [Black Cohosh]( - [Calendula Officinalis]( - [Chondroitin](=) - [Chromium](=) - [Hesperidin]() - [Hyaluronic Acid]( - [Isoleucine]() - [L-Carnitine]( - [Lion's Mane]( - [Powdered Fruit & Vegetables]( - [Psychedelic Therapy]( - [Red Clover Extract]( - [Theanine](=) - [Whey Protein]( - [Yarrow]( - [Cystic Fibrosis](=) - [Disordered Eating]() - [Dyslexia]() - [Endometriosis]( - [Food Addiction]() - [Infantile Colic]() - [Intuitive Eating]() - [Myopia](=) Minor Updates (Small additions, changes, or corrections.) - [Alzheimer's Disease](=) - [Astaxanthin](=) - [Biotin]( - [C-Reactive Protein]( - [Fat Loss](=) - [HMB]( - [Horny Goat Weed]( - [Lifespan Extension]( - [Omega-3 Fatty Acids]() - [Probiotics]() - [Red Clover Extract]( - [Saturated Fat]() - [St. John's Wort]() - [Vitamin E]( - [Zinc]() For more details about each of these updates, check out our [shiny new update log](! Not only does the update log show every time one of our intervention or topic pages are updated, but it’ll also show you when new study summaries are added to the research feed, new versions of the supplement guides are released, and any technical changes are made to our site. Our goal is to be as trustworthy as possible, and being 100% transparent is a big part of that. On that note, you will also start seeing “under construction” notices on some of our pages soon. This will be our way of communicating to you that the page is currently being updated, and that you can expect newer, more current information on the page soon. Keep an eye out for that in the coming weeks. As always, I love hearing from you, so please reply to this email if you have any suggestions for studies or topics we should cover. And if you’d like to see all the content we have to offer, [you can try out Examine+ for free for 7 days](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 📅 Top 5 Study Summaries for October Oct 12, 2023 Every month, we summarize 150+ recent studies for our [Examine+ Members](. You can read five of this 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. [The best types of exercise for reducing blood pressure](=) In this network meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies, all modes of exercise were effective for reducing systolic and diastolic blood pressure, but isometric exercise seemed to be superior to other types of exercise. [The leucine trigger hypothesis: Debunked?](=) In this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, higher intakes of leucine around the time of resistance exercise were strongly associated with higher postexercise muscle protein synthesis rates in older adults, but not younger adults. [Artificially sweetened beverages vs. water for weight loss and cardiometabolic health](=) In this randomized controlled trial, nonnutritive-sweetened beverages and water had similar effects on body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors. [The battle of the plant proteins: pea vs. mycoprotein vs. a blend]( In this randomized controlled trial, 25 grams of pea protein, mycoprotein, or a blend of pea protein and mycoprotein increased muscle protein synthesis rates to a similar degree in young adults. [Cocoa flavanols improve cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults]( In this randomized controlled study, supplementation with cocoa flavanols increased cardiorespiratory fitness and improved blood pressure in a group of older adults without apparent health conditions. 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](. --------------------------------------------------------------- New page on NMN Oct 5, 2023 --------------------------------------------------------------- I’m Bill Willis, PhD. I’m a scientist at an academic medical center as well as a personal trainer and long-time researcher for Examine. Although my work in the lab involves studying how the body develops autoimmunity so that we can develop new treatments to stop it, I closely follow supplements in the anti-aging space because I get a lot of questions about it from my training clients and also out of personal interest. (Hey, who wants to age?) The good news is that there’s been some progress in the development and discovery of supplements in this space, such as nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). I’m reaching out because we’ve started a [page on NMN]() that you might want to check out. We gave it the full Examine treatment: a careful analysis and weighing of the evidence to date, void of sensationalism or commercial influence. What are NMN and NAD+? Nicotinamide mononucleotide is a form of a B vitamin that increases levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) in the body. NAD+ is an important compound that other enzymes require to function (i.e. a coenzyme), and does quite a bit of work on its own as an oxidizing agent in biochemical reactions. NAD+ is pretty much a powerhouse of biological activity, participating in a variety of processes, including DNA repair, immunity, redox signaling, and cell metabolism, to name a few. What we know about how it works: NMN is converted to NAD+ in the body after supplementation. The effects of NMN in research models are also driven by increased NAD+. Boosting levels of this co-enzyme increases the activity of sirtuins, a family of enzymes with possible anti-aging effects. Although positive effects have been observed in human trials (improved physical ability, reduced disease biomarkers in older people) the results have been subtle and have not matched the performance of NMN in rodent studies, where there’s clear evidence that it can slow aging-associated decline. NMN safety and efficacy in humans NMN achieved high marks for safety in early phase human trials, with no reported safety concerns. However, the doses of NMN tested to date have been on the low to moderate side in short-term trials, typically at 3-fold lower equivalent dosages compared to rodent trials. The long-term safety of taking NMN has not been tested, and some scientists highlighted theoretical interactions that warrant caution. As far as efficacy, NMN supplements clearly increase NAD+ levels in the body. There also has been evidence of positive outcomes in human trials, mostly in middle aged or older participants. The effects seem to be dose-dependent, though, and the dose required for health-promoting effects in different populations is still being worked out. Has NMN been shown to work in healthy adults? Or does it mostly shine in the context of a pathological condition? Nobody knows for sure, but there’s evidence for both. In theory, we might expect NMN to help healthy adults, since NAD+ becomes scarcer with aging due to increased consumption and reduced production. What’s up with the legal status of NMN in the U.S.? The short answer is that NMN legal status is murky. NMN seems to be in a state of legal limbo in the U.S., and there are many twists and turns to this emerging story. NMN had been granted GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) status by an FDA panel in 2018, which technically made it legal for use as a food additive. However, GRAS designation applies to food or food additives, not dietary supplements. In order for a supplement to be marketed and sold, manufacturers need to submit premarket notification of a “New Dietary Ingredient” (NDI) to the FDA, which, among other things, contains information for the basis of concluding that the supplement is reasonably safe. A company [successfully]( (warning: PDF download) submitted an NDI for approval to the FDA in 2022, paving the way for sales as a dietary supplement. Later that year, the FDA changed their stance on NMN’s dietary supplement status. Companies testing NMN in clinical trials successfully lobbied the FDA to get NMN classified as an investigational drug, which, according to the formal definition of a dietary supplement defined by the [FDA in 21 U.S.C. § 321(ff)]() (section 321(ff) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act) prevents the sales or marketing of NMN as a dietary supplement. So the FDA [then revoked the NDI](, effectively banning the sale or marketing of NMN as a supplement in the U.S. Whether or not it may still be marketed as a food additive under the original GRAS designation is not clear, since the GRAS status was not affected by the withdrawal of NMN NDI approval. Technically, NMN could still be sold as a food ingredient in the U.S., but most online retailers have pulled their products with NMN in response to its unclear legal status. --------------------------------------------------------------- The evidence on NMN is still evolving, and thus [our page on it]() will evolve as well. We’ll let you know what we find out as we flesh out more pages on aging related supplements, like [nicotinamide riboside]( or NR, a compound related to NMN. In the meantime, and as always, be wary of fantastical claims! Sincerely, Kamal Patel, Nick Milazzo, Morgan Pfiffner, and Bill Willis Follow us on: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [Instagram](=) [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](