Hormone Imbalance, Eccentric Exercise, City Life & Sleep, Prediabetic Kids, and Much, Much More

Good afternoon Nikkola Newsletterers!

Vanessa and I stopped at Costco yesterday. As we walked through the store, I thought about how similar our path through the store is from one trip to the next. Outside of an occasional new item, like the Hot Honey Chicken Meatballs we got yesterday, the foods we buy are the same each time.

That’s the case for most people. Most of us eat 60-70% of the same foods from one week to the next. To a certain extent, we do this unconsciously because it requires less mental effort than eating novel meals every day.

You can use this to your advantage when you start eating better. Start by looking at your usual high-protein foods and buy more of them. For example, instead of cooking one pound of ground beef for a family of four, cook two pounds. Double up on the amount you eat.

Then, get in the habit of adding one new high-protein food each grocery shopping trip. It could be cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, chicken thighs, the possibilities are almost endless.

By committing to eating more protein, you’ll end up eating less high-carb, high-fat junk and end up eating better without ever “going on a diet.”

Give it a try over the next couple of months. You might be surprised by how much better you look, feel, and function.

Enjoy today’s carefully curated newsletter!

29 Ways You Cause Hormone Imbalance by Middle Age. “I turned 40 and my hormones…” I’ve heard something like this over and over. Age takes the blame for hormone-related health problems, but is it really age that’s to blame? No, it’s one’s nutrition and lifestyle choices. Some people still own pristine cars from the 50s and 60s because of the way they’ve cared for them. Others own cars that are just a few years old and look like junkers. Half a lifetime of poor diet and lifestyle choices compound until your body cannot counter those choices any longer. You see and feel their effects. Keep reading (or listen)…

Eccentric Exercise: More Muscle and Strength with Less Wear and Tear. When used appropriately, eccentric exercise helps you build more muscle and improves strength while giving your joints a break from the grind of concentric-focused, traditional strength training workouts. Unfortunately, eccentric training is often overlooked and underutilized. Keep reading (or listen)…

City life might be killing your sleep, and it's not just the blaring horns and noisy neighbors. María Ángeles Bonmatí Carrión, writing for The Conversation, underlines how light and noise pollution in urban areas are wreaking havoc on our sleep quality. Artificial light at night confuses our internal clocks, contributing to sleep issues and even increasing the risk of serious health conditions like heart disease and certain cancers. And don't forget the noise. Whether it's from the surge in outdoor dining post-COVID-19 or street cleaning operations, noise pollution further erodes our rest. So, the next time you find yourself tossing and turning at night, don't just blame it on stress; your environment might be the unseen culprit.

Not a surprise, but researchers found that kids with prediabetes are more likely than other kids to develop diabetes. In a critical new study by The Endocrine Society, researchers shed light on the increasing prevalence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes among children. This alarming trend underscores a pressing need for preventive measures. The study found that 6.5% of 552 pediatric patients with prediabetes developed type 2 diabetes over a seven-year period. Key risk factors included elevated non-fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels, as well as worsening obesity. The research suggests that weight stabilization and metformin therapy could be game-changers in preventing the progression to diabetes in our youth, with boys found to be more susceptible than girls. Call me old-fashioned, but before putting a child on metformin, I’d first try to get the parents to commit to getting rid of high-carb foods in the home and getting on a consistent exercise program.

Could the EU finally ban glyphosate? In a recent development that has far-reaching implications for agriculture and public health, European Union governments failed to reach a consensus on extending the approval for glyphosate use. The active ingredient in Bayer AG's Roundup weedkiller, glyphosate's future in the EU is now hanging in the balance. The European Commission announced that the vote by the EU's 27 members didn't achieve the "qualified majority" needed to either extend or block the herbicide's approval. The EU governments will make another attempt in November, and a decision is crucial by December 14 as the current approval expires the next day. The impasse comes amidst conflicting reports about glyphosate's safety, with the World Health Organization labeling it as "probably carcinogenic," while other agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, deem it non-carcinogenic. Based on the evidence I’ve read, it’s mind-blowing that stuff can still be used on foods we eat.

Artificial sweeteners spike blood sugar, even if they don’t contain sugar. A startling revelation by Dr. Avinash Hari Narayanan at London Medical Laboratory points to the adverse effects of artificial sweeteners like saccharin and sucralose. Not only do they mess with your gut microbiome, but they also spike your blood sugar levels, possibly exacerbating symptoms for both known and undiagnosed type 2 diabetics. John Hopkins University research concurs, showing noticeable blood sugar spikes in healthy individuals consuming these sweeteners. Even aspartame, another popular artificial sweetener, has been scrutinized for affecting glucose and insulin levels.

Training away type 2 diabetes. If you're dealing with Type 2 Diabetes, consider this: resistance training (RT) significantly lowers HbA1c and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels. The ideal workout? Aim for 12-16 weeks of training at 70-80% of your one-rep max, at least 2-3 times a week, performing 3 sets of 8-10 reps with rest intervals under 60 seconds. This isn't just about getting fit; a 1% drop in HbA1c can cut your risk of a diabetes-related heart attack by 14% and overall mortality by 21%. It's time to lift weights and drop numbers. Not sure how to do that? Join VIGOR Training.

Did your doctor cut your calories? Hopefully, he or she emphasized that you need to increase your protein and start weight training at the same time. Very Low-Calorie Diets (VLCDs) can be effective for rapid weight loss, but they come with a caveat: the potential loss of lean muscle mass. That’s very bad news for your health and longevity. The key to preserving muscle while on a VLCD, according to a recent review article? Resistance exercise training (RET) should be your go-to, backed up by adequate protein intake. The combination of RET and protein acts like a shield against muscle loss, keeping your metabolism up and even aiding in body recomposition. But remember, VLCDs are a short-term strategy; for long-term success, consult healthcare professionals and consider a more sustainable dietary approach.

There Is No Such Thing As 'Palestinians.' The patterns of the anti-Semitic/Marxist/”Palestinian”/LGBTQ/BLM/hate-filled alliance are nothing if not predictable. After expressing shock and dismay that their Palestinian friends in Gaza specifically targeted civilians, in under a week, they have quickly shifted back to their repeated old rhetoric. They are now blaming Israel for the horrific attacks from Hamas, calling Israel’s counter-attacks on Hamas a “terrorist siege,” blitzing the media with images of wounded from Gaza, and attacking Israel in all ways as an ‘apartheid state’ and, as Ocasio Cortez defined Israel, a nation devoted to “ethnic cleansing”. Keep reading…

Hamas terrorists ordered to kill as many people as possible, target schools in attacks: report. Newly uncovered documents reveal that Hamas terrorists were directed to kill as many people as possible, with a specific focus on elementary schools and youth centers. These meticulously rehearsed attacks resulted in a death toll exceeding 1,300 in Israel alone, according to official sources. Israeli officials say the attacks were not a byproduct of military action but rather a central objective, as can be concluded from the documents recovered from the bodies of dead militants at the sites of the attacks, The Wall Street Journal reported. Written orders carried by Hamas explicitly directed them to maximize human losses and take hostages, the Journal said, citing one set of orders that specifically targeted the farming community of Alumim, instructing militants to “achieve the highest level of human losses.” Keep reading…