[Examine Newsletter] April 2021 Updates

Hello, Here’s your recap of Examine's April 2021 updates. --- Apr 8, 2021 Sugar Wars, Episode 6: The Return of the Fructose Table sugar is half glucose, half fructose. For years, these two monosaccharides worked together on behalf of the Carbohydrate Republic. But then rumors started to swirl around fructose. Has fructose really turned to the dark side? Why is it always scowling and wearing a dark cloak? Luckily, our Jedi research masters found a recent meta-analysis of 25 randomized trials: [Sugar Wars, Episode 6: The Return of the Fructose]() For those of you not familiar with the previous five episodes of Sugar Wars, here’s a synopsis: Your body handles fructose and glucose differently. Fructose isn’t as easily absorbed and so is more likely to lead to liver damage when taken in large quantities. In addition, it is generally a more reactive molecule, possibly promoting the formation of harmful advanced glycation end products (AGEs). A lot of questions are still unanswered, though. How much fructose is too much? Does fructose have special benefits? Will consuming fructose make you better at wielding a lightsaber?… There are numerous variables at play, and so finding answers takes many trials. To quickly learn what the existing trials said, check out … [Sugar Wars, Episode 6: The Return of the Fructose]() [Read on Examine]() --------------------------------------------------------------- Apr 15, 2021 Vitamin D and COVID-19 I’ll get straight to the point with this one. We made a list of the most important studies published on COVID-19 and vitamin D: [What does the evidence say about vitamin D and COVID-19?]() Vitamin D may not be a cure for COVID, but studies have had very promising results. And there’s essentially no risk of side effects at reasonable doses. And it’s cheap. And it’s widely available. And a wide variety of people are likely to be low on vitamin D, including people living at higher latitudes, people with obesity, and people with darker skin tones. While there still aren’t many published results from randomized trials (proper research takes time!), a quick scan of the existing literature makes the potential cost-to-benefit ratio pretty clear: [Read on Examine]() --------------------------------------------------------------- Apr 22, 2021 Top five study summaries for April Every month, we summarize 150+ new studies for our [Examine Members](. Below are five of our Members’ favorites from this month’s issue. If you’re low on time and not sure whether to read on, here’s a rundown of the topics: - Eggs or cereal — which breakfast makes you eat less for lunch? - Based on the evolutionary biology of human inactivity, should you ditch your desk chair? - Which interventions can improve your skin barrier? - Can you take taurine to burn more fat during aerobic exercise? - Does the menstrual cycle affect exercise performance? Study 1: [Eggs or cereals — which breakfast makes you eat less for lunch?](=) This study compared the effects of two breakfasts (cereals vs. two eggs) on caloric intake at lunch in people with obesity. Study 2: [Based on the evolutionary biology of human inactivity, should you ditch your desk chair?](=) This 8-day study examined inactivity in 28 people of the Hadza of Tanzania, a population of hunter-gatherers. When at rest, do they use their muscles more than people sitting on chairs in industrialized populations? Study 3: [Which interventions can improve your skin barrier?](=) If the outermost layer of the skin, known as the skin barrier, does not function properly, foreign substances can enter the body and cause diseases such as atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis. Study 4: [Can you take taurine to burn more fat during aerobic exercise?](=) Taurine supplementation may increase lipid metabolism during high-intensity exercise and may thereby spare the muscles’ glycogen stores. Study 5: [Does the menstrual cycle affect exercise performance?](=) Hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle may affect exercise performance. Progesterone — which is associated with increases in heart rate, minute ventilation, and core body temperature — increases during the mid-luteal phase of the cycle. This phase is often associated with worse mood, which may increase fatigue and decrease the motivation to exercise. --- Did you see anything of interest above? If not, stay tuned for next month's top five! --------------------------------------------------------------- Apr 29, 2021 Mistakes we’ve made: Spring 2021 update We’ve updated our master list of mistakes, which compiles things we’ve gotten wrong since our founding in 2011. Curious? Check it out: [Our Mistakes]() Wouldn’t it be awesome if every company did this? - Maybe Apple could admit that their butterfly keyboard (used between 2015 and 2019) was a terrible idea? - Perhaps Microsoft could own up to, ahem, suboptimal Windows Update procedures? - Maybe Microsoft could even take a fond look back at Clippy, the mildly ridiculous and highly unpopular Microsoft Office assistant from the early 2000s? I jest, but this is also somewhat serious. I’d love to know that the companies I buy products from are composed of actual people who take responsibility for their mistakes. We all make mistakes, but we can only learn from them if we acknowledge them. Anyway, rest assured that Examine is a team of real people who do make mistakes. Here is a list of some of our bigger mistakes over the years: [Read on Examine]() --------------------------------------------------------------- 📣 Ready to stay on top of the latest research? 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