A 2003 study at the University of Sydney demonstrated “a significant positive effect on both working memory … and intelligence”.
Creatine Improves Brain Performance
May 9, 2010
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Mental, Science | Tagged: brain, Creatine, memory | 
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Posted by Greg
White bread, rice, and other carbs boost heart disease risk in women – CNN.com
April 12, 2010A little mainstream reporting on the associative risks between refined carbohydrates and heart disease (in women, at least):
White bread, rice, and other carbs boost heart disease risk in women – CNN.com.
Leave a Comment » | Nutrition, Science | Tagged: Carbs, Glycemic Index, Heart Disease | Permalink
Posted by Greg
A Summary of Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
April 12, 2010I’ve finished reading Gary Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories
Criticisms I’ve seen on the web seem to focus on two themes:
- Taubes supports the Atkins diet and other low-carb diets, and since we all know that Dr. Atkins was a quack, Taubes must be too (or at least he must have some hidden agenda).
- Taubes sees Ketosis as a valid physiological condition, whereas many others question whether this causes strain on the liver, brain, or other systems.
With that, here is a chapter-by-chapter summary. If you find it intriguing, I suggest reading the book as there is a lot of evidence and information bundled in there that couldn’t make it out into my short summary.
17 Comments | Nutrition, Science | Tagged: Atkins, Bad Science, blood sugar, Body Composition, Carbs, Chronic Disease, diabetes, Fats, Gary Taubes, Insulin, Macronutrients, Saturated Fat, Weight Loss | Permalink
Posted by Greg
Bad Science From CNN
March 29, 2010CNN reports some bad science: rats fed a diet of “fattening” foods like cheesecake, frosting, and sausage became obese and showed behavior indicating they were addicted to the food and had a similar dopamine response as to e.g. cocaine.
My beef is this: if you’re feeding the rats cheesecake and frosting, then how do you know it’s the fat and not the sugar content that is causing all observed effects? The sugars may cause the body to metabolize the fat differently, causing obesity and the dopamine response, than would happen with the fat alone (or with a regulated amount of more complex carbohydrates).
2 Comments | Nutrition, Science | Tagged: Addiction, Bad Science, Dopamine, Fat, Rats | Permalink
Posted by Greg
How Exercising Keeps Your Cells Young
March 3, 2010Another benefit of exercise: remaining young at a sub-cellular level. Telomeres (caps on the end of DNA strands) measure the “age” of a cell, and get shorter with time. In younger subjects (average age in their 20′s), exercise didn’t make a significant difference in telomere length, but in older subjects (average age of 51) there was as much as a 40% difference between the telomere lengths of sedentary individuals and serious runners. It’s unclear how much exercise is necessary to reap these benefits before experiencing diminishing returns.
Phys Ed: How Exercising Keeps Your Cells Young – Well Blog – NYTimes.com.
Leave a Comment » | Exercise, Lifestyle, Science | Tagged: Aging, Telomeres | Permalink
Posted by Greg
