[Examine Newsletter] December 2021 Updates

See what's new on Examine this month!  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Examine](=) [View in browser]( Hello! Happy New Year! Here’s your recap of Examine's December 2021 updates. 📧 Reminder: If you would like to switch back to weekly emails (instead of a monthly newsletter) — just [click here](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 30, 2021 The Examine Annual Letter Here’s our annual letter. You’ll see some good stuff we did, some things we mucked up, and one big thing we’re really pumped about for 2022. Let’s get to it! Something big is in store for 2022 The Examine website looks really dated. This makes sense, as the site was originally developed on a shoestring budget in 2010. In the ensuing years, we’ve stretched the functionality of the original codebase about as far as it’ll go. So in 2020, we began planning a major overhaul. In 2021, our developers started writing an all-new code base, and we hired an experienced design firm to speed the transition to a faster, better-organized, modern-looking Examine. That’s our first goal — to make Examine into a better version of itself. But we’ve also spent months challenging all our own assumptions of what Examine is, to imagine what Examine could be. What if you could graphically view connections between hundreds of aspects of health? What if you could find the information you need in the blink of an eye, then easily “zoom in and out” to get the level of detail you want? Now, I don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver. We’re on the path to an exciting new design, but we still have a limited budget. Remember that Examine is an independent education company: there’s no big corporation pulling our strings, but by the same token, there’s no big corporation filling our pockets. What money we have comes from our [Membership]() sales. In other words, it comes from Examine readers, and so we want to use it to directly benefit Examine readers. Over the past two years, we’ve conducted lengthy interviews with dozens of our Members and had hundreds of internal debates, all to determine which changes will be most beneficial. And you should be seeing the first results of that process between March and May of 2022. In 2021, our research team has doubled in size Whereas 2022 will be The Year of the New Website, 2021 was The Year of the New Researchers. We spent months screening candidates. To become an Examine researcher, you need to know your stuff (such as biostatistics, epidemiology, and nutritional biochemistry), write clearly, and … be a nice person. To ensure accuracy and reduce potential bias, we constantly review (and thus criticize) one another’s work — a process that requires everyone to be courteous, humble, and open-minded. But wait, why did we double our research team? One reason is that the rate of study publication keeps increasing. We have to parse thousands of new papers each month, select the most important, summarize them for our [Members](), and use the accumulated data to update the hundreds of pages on the site. Which brings us back to our upcoming new website: the other reason we needed to double our research team is that the new website will require us to update and add many, many pages. It’ll be a busy year! We’ve made our fair share of mistakes along the way We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, and we’re excited for what’s to come. But let’s be honest: all is not rosy. We maintain [a list of our mistakes]() so you can keep us accountable, and while we’ve corrected many over the years, we also keep making new ones. A mistake isn’t always something we do, either. It can be something we don’t do. For instance, I mentioned that we use the data collected while summarizing new studies to update other pages on the site. That’s true. But we’re running behind! There are several reasons for this. One is that our current code forces us to update each page separately — this is fortunately a headache our new website should solve. And another reason was that we needed more researchers — which is why we hired so many this past year. So hopefully, we’ll start catching up soon. How can you help? Your feedback informs our overall strategy. It helps us decide the future of Examine. Whenever we send out an email, you can let us know your thoughts on it: just hit “reply” to this or any email, and I’ll read what you have to say. Other than that, just hang tight while we’re working on the new website. The wait may be a little long, and the waters may be choppy at times, but I think the final destination will be worth the ride. Happy holidays, and thanks for being an Examine reader! Sincerely, Kamal Patel Co-founder, Examine P.S. We’ll be having a New Year’s sale! (Psst.… We’ll also have an invite-only presale with an additional 10% off the sale price. [Sign up for exclusive access.](=)) --------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 23, 2021 Can fasting keep the holiday pounds off? I have a sweet tooth the size of Examine’s database. Case in point: When I was a small child, circa 1985, I found a bulk-size container of Nestle Quik in my basement. Struck speechless by my good fortune, I transformed into a small, pajama-clad automaton, scooping progressively stickier handfuls of chocolate powder into my mouth. Fast forward 36 years. Nowadays, many households have access to way more treats than Lil’ Kamal did, especially during the holiday season. Unsurprisingly, this is the time of year when weight gain tends to peak — which presents us with the opportunity to revisit a unique holiday dieting trial [we analyzed in 2019](). One study group maintained their regular holiday eating habits, while the other group had two “fasting days” a week, during which they ate only 730 kilocalories per day (provided via meal-replacement shakes). Did it work? Well, there’s some nuance to the study you should understand first. Here’s our full write-up: [Can fasting keep the pounds off?]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 16, 2021 Top 5 Study Summaries for December Every month, we summarize 150+ new studies for our [Examine Members](=). Below are five of our Members’ favorite summaries for this month, including three Editor’s Picks (tagged here with ). [Low-FODMAP diets can reduce Low-FODMAP diets can reduce IBS symptoms]() Low-FODMAP diets alleviated irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), especially in people with diarrhea. These diets did not affect BMI, anxiety, depression, or IBS-related quality of life. [Which probiotic strains can treat Which probiotic strains can treat IBS??]( This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials identified six single-strain probiotics and three mixtures that improved at least one IBS outcome. [Nitrate supplementation boosts Nitrate supplementation boosts muscle power](=) This meta-analysis of 19 crossover randomized controlled trials found that acute nitrate supplementation improved muscle power by about 5%. [Familiar music might Familiar music might Familiar music might improve memory during cognitive decline during cognitive decline during cognitive decline]() Listening to familiar music daily for three weeks improved memory, possibly by increasing cerebral efficiency in brain regions related to emotion, reward, motor learning, and memory. [A high-sugar diet may increase the risk of A high-sugar diet may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease]( In this 1-year prospective cohort study, a diet with a high glycemic index (or high sugar content) was associated with more amyloid-beta peptide accumulation in the precuneus, a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. This association was stronger in participants with elevated amyloid at baseline. You can also check out the [most-favorited summaries from previous months]().🔥 – So, did you find something of interest? If not, please reply to this email to let me know which topics you’d like us to tackle. And if you’re ready to stay on top of the latest research, consider becoming an [Examine Member](=) (with a two-week free trial). --------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 9, 2021 Abstract vs. full text: Examples from two recent studies You may have noticed that [attention spans have shortened]() over the past decade. I know mine has … … Okay, I’m back from perusing cat memes. What were we talking about? Oh, right, attention spans. It’s hard to stay focused when reading long, complex papers. Why not just rely on the abstract? Simpler, quicker! The problem is that abstracts leave out a lot of important details, sometimes due to word limits, and sometimes due to … other reasons. If a study has weaknesses, for instance, the authors aren’t likely to mention them in the abstract, even if they dutifully do so in the full text. Let’s consider two examples from just the past couple of months: 1) [Can the Food Compass accurately gauge how healthy a food is?](=) Respected nutrition researchers recently released the Food Compass, which attributes a healthfulness score to individual foods. The study’s abstract lists several strengths of the Food Compass scoring system, but when Examine researcher [Dan Feldman]( read the full text, he found several problems. For example, according to the Food Compass, Frosted Cheerios (FCS = 73) are healthier than raw corn (FCS = 70), olives (FCS = 70), and chicken breast (FCS = 52). 2) [Use it or lose it, but how much? Muscle decline in aging during inactivity]( This study’s findings are in line with those of previous studies: muscle loss from prolonged bed rest is a well-known phenomenon. But one of our researchers, [Lucas Roldos](, notes that the main analysis includes a study that doesn’t match any reference, whereas the analysis for overall leg muscle mass in young adults includes two studies that … did not include young adults. He mentions that the reference numbering is off, too, and points out that the overall mess might also mask other issues than those he detected. Now, I should stress that research is HARD. It’s much easier to pick apart research than it is to actually conduct studies and publish them. Thus, when we critique, we try to do so respectfully. It doesn’t get us as many clicks as being on attack mode all the time, but we strive toward nonjudgmental awareness nonetheless. If we mess up on that front, let us know so that we can improve. --------------------------------------------------------------- Latest on Social Media [Did you know? Keratin, a type of fibrous structural protein, is a key component of hair, nails, claws, hooves, horns, fur, feathers, and scales.⁠](=)[As you can see in this graph, weight gain often peaks during the holiday season. Could semi-fasting (i.e., eating only 730 kcal/day) twice a week prevent holiday gains? That’s the question a randomized controlled trial decided to answer. Tap the link in bio @examinedotcom for our full analysis.](=)[Did you know? Resistance training increases the number of nuclei in muscle cells. Even if you stop exercising for a long time, these nuclei remain, making it easier for you to rebuild the muscle you lost.⁠](=)[Some interventions that may help with abdominal pain:⁠(=)[Some interventions that may help with abdominal pain:⁠(=) follow us on: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [Instagram](=) [About Examine]( | [Careers]( | [Member’s Area]() [Free 2-week Membership trial]( PO Box 592, Station-P, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2T1 | [Email Preferences]( [Switch to weekly emails]( | [Unsubscribe](