Coffee, Power Naps, Algae Oil, Fat Loss, Pushup Record, Splant Burger, and a whole lot more

A small but vocal crowd in the health and fitness world still dissuades people from drinking coffee. I don't understand that. Coffee provides a huge list of health benefits and, in terms of cost, is pretty cheap for a natural health product compared to most nutritional supplements.

Adding to its long list of research-supported health benefits, a new study shows that espresso can counteract the development of Alzheimer’s.

In this study, the researchers looked at the effects of individual compounds in espresso, such as caffeine, trigonelline, genistein, and theobromine, and compared their impact with that of a complete espresso extract. Not surprisingly, the complete espresso extract did better. This is due to its “entourage effect,” where the combination of compounds is better than the individual effects. That’s the same thing we see in essential oils research.

At any rate, if you need another reason to drink a cup of Joe, now you have it. And that leads us to this week’s anonymous poll.

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📖 My Deep Dives

The Amazing Brain-Rebooting Benefits of a Power Nap: Every once in a while, my computer bogs down. Everything I do takes longer than it should. Some programs don’t even work. When that happens, I do a forced shutdown and reboot the computer. A few minutes later, it runs like new. You can do the same thing for your brain. Rather than trying to think and do things with a fraction of your cognitive abilities, you can reboot your brain with a ten-minute power nap.

Some of the world’s leading companies encourage employees to sleep during their workday. For several years, companies like Google, Zappos, and Uber have had designated nap spaces and “nap pods” to help their workforce refresh their minds at midday. And no, they aren’t doing this to be ‘cool’ or ‘hip.’ There’s a science-backed reason behind it.

This midday snooze isn’t your typical slumber; it’s a ‘power nap.’ You might be wondering: “What is a power nap?” A power nap, as the name implies, is a short bout of sleep designed to quickly rejuvenate your brain, leaving you more alert, focused, and yes, more productive.

Read (or listen to): The Amazing Brain-Rebooting Benefits of a Power Nap.

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Algae-Based Omega-3 Supplements: Are they good for you? For years, maybe decades now, we’ve heard about how essential omega-3s, specifically DHA and EPA, are for our health. Fish oil has been the standard source of omega-3s, and mounds of research support its use. However, some people don’t eat animal products. Others have grown concerned about overfishing and would prefer an alternative source for omega-3 supplements. These consumer demands led to the development of algae oil, a vegan and sustainable omega-3 source.

At first, consuming an oil derived from that slimy green stuff might sound strange. But, when you think about it, fish oil is high in omega-3s because fish eat algae. So, we shouldn’t be surprised that if we can consume it in some way, we’ll get the same omega-3s the fish get without needing to consume it from them.

This article isn’t to convince you to ditch fish oil. We use it regularly. Instead, I only hope to give you an alternative if fish oil isn’t your thing. Hopefully, being healthy is your thing, and the research shows that for optimal health, you need to get in more omega-3s than your diet provides.

Read (or listen to): Algae-Based Omega-3 Supplements: Are they good for you?​

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Strength Training Stimulates Fat Loss: Here’s How: Weight training is the most important type of exercise for fat loss, overall health, and mental and physical strength and resilience. No, that’s not a typo. Weight training is more important than cardio, even for getting and staying lean.

Unfortunately, through public health propaganda, we’ve been led to believe that low-fat, minimal meat diets and lots of cardio are the solution. They’re not. A new study adds to the fat-burning benefits of resistance training.

Read (or listen to): Strength Training Stimulates Fat Loss: Here’s How.

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💡 Health and Fitness News

I can't imagine how sore you'd be. Daniel Scali from Australia just broke the record for the most push-ups completed in an hour. An astounding 3,249! That’s an average of 54 push-ups a minute for an entire hour! 🤯

Mashed-up plant matter identifying as a Smash Burger. The Smash Burger, it’s like the Hulk of the culinary world: big, beefy, and a tad aggressive. The rise of the Smash Burger has been nothing short of a skyrocketed skyrocket. Because of the popularity of this bovine work of art, an imposter identifying as a smash burger, biologically incapable of being called one, is coming to stores soon. Beyond Meat is introducing the Stack Burger this summer. I’ll stick with meat and leave the plants for condiments.

Drink! Every July, Google experiences a huge jump in search traffic for the term “dehydration.” While water is important, remember to at least add a little salt to it and, even better, an electrolyte blend (my favorite is LMNT).

Eat animal protein and full-fat dairy. Not only do they taste great and provide all the muscle-maintaining and building amino acids you need, but yet another study shows they don’t lead to heart disease like the government has sold us on for decades. Reviewing data from 62 countries with almost 245,000 participants, the researchers found that red meat, even if it’s processed, caused no ill effects, and full-fat dairy had a definite health benefit.

Aromatherapy helps burn victims. Pain and anxiety are consistently problematic for burn victims. A new study shows that both rose and lavender essential oil inhalation reduces pain and rose reduces anxiety.

Skinny-fat. According to research published in Frontiers in Nutrition, more than one-third of “healthy” weight women and more than one-quarter of “healthy” weight men are obese based on their body fat percentage. This shouldn’t be surprising since scale weight has been the main marker people have focused on in the past. And most weight loss diets ignore the importance of eating high-protein foods and resistance training. The net result is many men and women look alright with their clothes on but are soft and squishy underneath and low in muscle mass and bone density.

Constipation-Alzheimer's Connection. New research shows that people who poop once every three days have a 73% increased risk of developing Alzheimer's. Medications, magnesium deficiency, excessive fiber consumption, stress, and many more factors affect your regularity.

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🌎 Other Interesting News and Stories

Fauci Knew Chinese Lab Was Conducting Risky Experiments. Nobody should be surprised by now. I wouldn't be surprised if Anthony Fauci lied to the American public 400,000 times per year while in his role, which is the approximate annual amount he'll earn as a pension in retirement.

The Biden first family seems determined to confirm every stereotype of their antisocial behavior—to the point of dysfunctionality. That's the opening sentence of Victor Davis Hanson's latest essay on American Greatness. Reading his writing always seems like a good use of time. Here's his latest.

Have you heard of hairworms? Hairworms are all over the world and resemble shiny pieces of spaghetti. According to an article in Neuroscience News, "Their eggs hatch in water, and the hairworm larvae get eaten by tiny water-dwelling predators like mayfly larvae, which in turn get eaten by bigger, land-dwelling predators like crickets. After growing into adulthood inside of their new hosts’ bodies, the hairworms manipulate the hosts’ behavior, causing them to jump into water. There, the worms swim out of their hosts’ butts and seek out mates, knotting themselves together, to begin the cycle anew." Did you need to know that? Probably not, but now you do.