Highlights from Benchmark’s community
Cool Your Carbs 🍚
Did you know that leftover pasta may actually be better for you than freshly-cooked? When starchy foods like rice, pasta, and potatoes are cooked and then cooled, some of their starch undergoes a process called “retrogradation,” and becomes “resistant starch,” which is a type of dietary fibre. Unlike ordinary starch, which is quickly broken down into glucose and absorbed in the small intestine (causing a spike in blood glucose), resistant starch “resists” digestion. Instead, it travels to the large intestine, and acts as a prebiotic, feeding the good bacteria in the gut, and creating beneficial short-chain fatty acids. If enough retrogradation occurs, it may reduce blood glucose spikes after meals. There’s some evidence that resistant starch may help reduce inflammation and support appetite regulation through hormones like GLP-1, though these effects can vary and are still being studied. Once resistant starch forms, much of it can be retained even after warming your food back up. So you can feel good about eating those leftovers!
Small Changes, Together = Big Gains 💪
__Fascinating study__ of 59,000 UK adults sought to answer the question: what is the minimum combination of improvements in sleep, physical activity, and nutrition (aka “SPAN”) needed to extend both lifespan and healthspan? The study found that even modest improvements in all three of these behaviours together, were associated with meaningful reductions in mortality risk. A combined increase of approximately 15 min/day of sleep, 1.6 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and a slightly higher-quality diet (e.g., an additional ½ serving of vegetables per day or one fewer serving of processed meat per week) was associated with a 10% reduction in all-cause mortality risk. These are very small changes!
To reach the same level of risk reduction through any of these behaviors alone required much greater change: 60% more sleep (an additional 24 min/day), or 25% more MVPA (2 min/day). Diet changes alone were not enough to achieve this level of risk reduction. We know that these behaviours interact; for example, vigorous exercise can help you sleep better, and better sleep can help you exercise more. You can get more bang for your buck when you make changes across the “SPAN”, and this study suggests that it doesn’t take much to make a big difference.
Visceral Fat, Toxins & "Peakspan" 🎧
Carol shared an interview with Dr. Rhonda Patrick on Diary of a CEO that is packed with information and well worth a listen. Patrick explains why visceral fat, that can be present even in thin people, is so harmful to our health. She discusses its role in inflammation and insulin resistance, and how sleep can be an effective tool to combat it.
She discusses the dangers of chemicals such as phthalates (found in plastics, fragrances, packaging, and many products we use everyday), which ones are the worst offenders, and how to reduce our exposure.
Patrick also discusses a new study introducing yet another "span," known as "peakspan." Rather than how long we live (lifespan), or how long we live disease-free (healthspan), peakspan refers to how long we live within 90% of our peak performance. In this context, she makes the case for incorporating regular vigorous exercise for its high-yield benefits, even in very small doses.
"SPAN" Products 🛏️
Speaking of amping up your “SPAN” efforts, take a peak at members’ recent product picks. Cathy had great things to say about her mattress topper. Similar to Eight Sleep, featured in our Holiday Gift Guide, this helps promote better sleep through temperature regulation. It senses your body temperature and heats or cools your sleep space to match your preference (which doesn't have to match your partner’s). If trying to stay cool is keeping you up at night, this might be worth a look.
You may recall in our vitamin D issue, that Emily introduced us to Muscle5, a daily supplement that combines protein, creatine, calcium, and vitamin D into a powder. We just connected with the team behind it and learned that StayAbove Nutrition was born out of Research at McMaster University. The company is led by Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a physician-scientist, professor, and researcher with more than 500 peer-reviewed publications in muscle physiology, mitochondrial biology, and exercise medicine. For a deep-dive into mitochondria, muscle, and aging, check out his recent interview on The Metabolic Link podcast. If you’d like to try their products, they’ve created a special code just for us! Use BENCHMARK20 at checkout for 20% off.
