Good afternoon Nikkola Newsletterers!
It's been a week since I first introduced the Men's and Women's Fitness Daily Packs. I'm so excited about the response and know those who ordered them will love them.
One of the benefits I keep mentioning is the convenience of having five supplements packaged together into a morning and evening pillow pack. I'm typing this from a hotel room in Los Angeles, where I have a meeting later today, so I got to experience that benefit myself this week. Instead of packing five supplement bottles and sorting through them as I take them, I just threw some pillow packs into my suitcase. I'll put one in my pocket when I go to breakfast later this morning. If you can't tell, I'm pretty geeked out about these.
I've got many more goal-specific kits to share with you in the near future. The following are some of the other daily pack kits you may be interested in. If you'd like to get early access to one of these kits, reply to this email and let me know which one:
- Adrenal and Stress Support
- Immune Support
- Blood Pressure Support
- Digestive Support
- Blood Sugar Support
- Sleep Support
- Joint Support
- Cholesterol Support
Enjoy today’s carefully curated newsletter!
📖 Deep Dive
Quercetin: Health Benefits, Food Sources, Dosages, and Contraindications. Quercetin has quickly become one of the hottest-selling nutritional supplements in recent history. And rightfully so. It’s a potent immune-supporting compound. However, quercetin offers more health benefits than immune support alone. Find out why this flavonoid is so fabulous. Keep reading...
🩺 Health
Pharma companies aim to market popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro to kids as young as 6. While these medications have approval for people 12 and up, experts are sounding the alarm, questioning the long-term risks and the impact on our already problematic diet culture. Novo Nordisk is in Phase 3 trials for children between 6-12 years old, and Eli Lilly has also begun recruiting children for its trials. These drugs, which mimic the body's natural insulin-releasing hormones, come with an array of adverse effects, including gastrointestinal issues, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. As obesity rates soar, especially among children, there's a growing rush to find a "quick fix." But let's be real: Masking the symptoms of a deeper issue is not the same as treating the root cause. We should be focusing on instilling healthy habits in our kids, not exposing them to potentially risky medications at such a young age.
And some evidence shows that these drugs can lead to gastrointestinal issues. A recent study published in JAMA has raised eyebrows about the safety of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, medications often used for weight loss. The researchers found that these drugs are associated with a higher risk of gastrointestinal issues like pancreatitis, bowel obstruction, and gastroparesis. Compared to bupropion-naltrexone, another weight-loss drug, the risks were significantly elevated. For instance, the hazard ratio for pancreatitis was a staggering 9.09. Are the risks worth it for those really struggling to lose weight? Perhaps. It's just crucial that people get fully informed before starting the medication.
Forever chemicals increase thyroid cancer risk. New research is ringing alarm bells about the chemicals we're exposed to every day. A study has found that PFAS, a type of chemical often found in household items and even in our drinking water, might be linked to thyroid cancer. These chemicals mess with our bodies in all sorts of ways, like causing inflammation and messing with our hormones. What makes it worse? They stick around for a long time (like "forever")—both in the environment and in our bodies.
Guys, if you're dealing with erectile dysfunction (ED), you might want to lace up those gym shoes. A new study shows that regular exercise—can work almost as well as Viagra. And here's the kicker: the worse your ED, the bigger the improvement you're likely to see. Exercise boosts your heart health, lowers your blood pressure, and even ups your testosterone—all things that can help in the bedroom. So, before you go for pills or other treatments, maybe hit the gym first. Trust me, your love life will thank you.
Low serotonin tied to long-Covid. Recent research from the University of Pennsylvania has revealed that individuals suffering from long COVID-19 frequently exhibit lowered levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter essential for mood regulation and cognitive function. This decrease in serotonin is thought to be related to residual inflammation in the gut. The study suggests that serotonin levels could serve as a biomarker for diagnosing long COVID-19 and stratifying patients for clinical trials. This groundbreaking research not only contributes to our understanding of long COVID but also opens avenues for potential treatment strategies, including the possible use of serotonin-boosting medications.
Acid reflux medication may raise dementia risk. A recent study published in Alzheimer's and Dementia has found a potential link between the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and an increased risk of dementia. These medications, commonly used to treat acid reflux and heartburn, include well-known over-the-counter drugs such as omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid), and esomeprazole (Nexium). The comprehensive study, conducted in Denmark, involved nearly 2 million participants between the ages of 60 and 75. The research discovered that longer-term use of PPIs was associated with a higher likelihood of developing dementia.
🥩 Nutrition
Potato starch may help bone marrow transplant patients. A phase I pilot study by Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Michigan has found promising results using potato starch to modify the gut microbiome in bone marrow transplant patients. The aim is to reduce the incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a serious complication post-transplant. Over 80% of patients took the supplement with no adverse effects and showed significantly higher butyrate levels, a gut compound beneficial in alleviating GVHD. This simple, low-cost dietary intervention could revolutionize bone marrow transplant procedures by providing a safer preventative measure against GVHD.
Coffee, or at least caffeine, leads to a better metabolic profile. A recent study found that people who consume more caffeine have lower body fat, better blood sugar control, and even lower bad cholesterol levels. It just shows an association, not causation, but there's already a super-venti amount of research supporting the health benefits of coffee drinking.
You can build muscle and shed fat at the same time. This study is a few years old, but I thought I'd share it anyway. Reviewing existing research, the authors found that even well-trained athletes can both build muscle and decrease fat at the same time by (1) Strength training more than three days per week, (2) eating at least 1 gram of protein per pound body weight, (3) and making sleep a priority. Kind of sounds like The 3 Pillars of VIGOR, doesn't it?
🏋️♀️ Exercise
Hot yoga cools depression. A recent clinical trial led by Massachusetts General Hospital has found that heated yoga may offer significant relief for adults suffering from moderate-to-severe depression. Over an eight-week period, participants engaging in 90-minute sessions of Bikram yoga in a 105°F room showed a greater decrease in depressive symptoms compared to a control group. Notably, almost 60% of the yoga participants experienced a reduction of symptoms by 50% or more, compared to just 6.3% in the control group. Here's the kicker: the benefits were observed even in those who attended just one heated yoga session per week. This opens up a compelling non-medication-based avenue for treating depression, with the added bonus of physical well-being.
🌎 Other News
8-Year-Old Israeli ‘Poster Child’ for COVID Vaccines Dies of Sudden Cardiac Arrest. An 8-year-old Israeli boy featured in a video promoting the COVID-19 vaccine died suddenly last month from sudden cardiac arrest. Yonatan Moshe Erlichman, the son and grandson of prominent Israeli doctors, almost drowned in the bathtub after his heart stopped on the eve of Yom Kippur. Although paramedics were able to revive him, he died several days later on Sept. 28. In 2020, Erlichman appeared in a video with Shuski, described as a “friendly puppet ‘child,’” urging viewers to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it became available. Keep reading...
Meta's Instagram linked to depression, anxiety, insomnia in kids - US states' lawsuit. Dozens of U.S. states are suing Meta Platforms (META.O) and its Instagram unit, accusing them of fueling a youth mental health crisis by making their social media platforms addictive. In a complaint filed on Tuesday, the attorneys general of 33 states including California and New York said Meta, which also operates Facebook, repeatedly misled the public about the dangers of its platforms, and knowingly induced young children and teenagers into addictive and compulsive social media use. Keep reading...
