Thinking Nutrition

Latest Episodes:

The science of soy: health, harms and hyperbole Mar 10, 2020

Show notes

Soy. It’s one of the most polarising of foods. A casual search of the Internet will uncover first one article lauding it for its health benefits, while the next article will class it as food of the devil with eaters of it condemned to a hell of hormone-related disease. To help you make sense of the conflicting messages about soy, I’ll dig deeper into some of the key health areas linked to eating soy foods. And then I’ll clarify just how much credence you should give to both the health claims and the health alarms about it.

Links referred to in the podcast

Umbrella review of soy and isoflavones consumption and health https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mnfr.201900751
Meta-analysis of soy and cardiovascular disease https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28067550
Effect of soy on reproductive hormones in men https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19524224
Effect of soy on thyroid function https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16571087
Soy-based infant formula https://web.archive.org/web/20221108173936/https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/sya-soy-formula/index.cfm
Diet and cancer risk https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31360907

Episode transcript
To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com

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Do you need that protein supplement? Mar 03, 2020

Show notes

The protein powder supplement market is big business. Popular in the world of sport where muscle growth is a priority, the marketplace is dominated by glossy pictures of cut models and an ever-expanding list of claims for how these products will pack on the muscle. So, do the bros at the gym have it right in that you need these supplements if you’re serious about the gainz, or could plain old boring ‘food’ do the same job? In today’s podcast, I dig deeper into the world of protein and muscle growth and explore what the research says about protein supplements and then put this into context for what it means for the typical sportsperson.

Links referred to in the podcast

Review and meta-analysis of protein supplementation and muscle growth https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/6/376.long
Review of nutrient timing in exercise https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5
Soy protein supplementation in resistance training https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1997115/
Pea protein supplementation in resistance training https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-014-0064-5
Vegetarian versus omnivore athletes https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27854281
Diet intervention in young adults with depression https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0222768

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Got iron? Foods, functions and insufficiencies Feb 25, 2020

Show notes

Iron. It’s one of our most important essential minerals and sits at the heart of oxygen transport and energy metabolism in the body. In this podcast, I put the spotlight on iron, outline its key functions and explore the food factors that control how much of it we absorb. Because iron deficiency ranks as one of the world’s most common nutritional disorders, I go into detail of the consequences of this, how deficiency is tested for and importantly, how it can be managed with diet and supplements.

Links referred to in the podcast

Iron status in vegetarians https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6367879/
MJA review of iron and vegetarian diets https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2013/199/4/iron-and-vegetarian-diets
Feeding vegetables to fussy eaters https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1499404619308966

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Eating for two: you and your gut bacteria Feb 18, 2020

Show notes

There is nothing bigger in the world of nutrition and health at the moment than the gut microbiota. With potential far-reaching health implications, one of the best ways to keep your gut microbes happy is to feed them well. In this podcast, I’ll look at some of the health areas being linked to the gut microbiota. And then explore in greater depth one area, which is that of body weight regulation as the focus for this episode. And then I’ll drill down into letting you know the types of foods and nutrients that feed your gut microbes best.
Links referred to in the podcast

Pilot study of faecal transplants in obesity https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-05-randomized-trial-fmt-obesity-potential.html
Probiotic supplementation and weight loss https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09637486.2016.1181156
Change in microbiota with diet changes in African Americans https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms7342
Rapid changes in microbiota with diet changes https://www.nature.com/articles/nature12820

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How fermented foods benefit your health Feb 11, 2020

Show notes

Fermented foods are a hot food trend right now. But it has been an overnight success thousands of years in the making. In this first part of an ongoing series theme on all things gut health, gut bacteria and the gut microbiota, I explore the world of fermented foods, describe the popular ones and most importantly: look at what science has to say about their health benefits.
Links referred to in the podcast

Sauerkraut and IBS https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C8FO00968F
Kimchi and blood lipids https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3598433/
Kefir and health benefits review https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408398.2010.540360
Sourdough bread and gut discomfort https://jn.nutrition.org/article/S0022-3166(22)10981-8/fulltext
Association between gut microbiota and personality https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452231719300181
Dairy and bone health review 2018 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29560832
Dairy and bone health review 2019 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30657847

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Coffee and its surprising health benefits Feb 04, 2020

Show notes

Coffee. For some, it is deserving of its own essential food group. But is coffee more than just a way to achieve functioning human capacity first thing in the morning? You may have seen media headlines in the past warning about health risks of coffee. But now that the science has matured, coffee turns out to be one of the most surprisingly positive health stories of recent years. Forget about the latest superfood trend, coffee is where it is at. In this podcast, I’ll look closer at those health benefits and give you the validation you’ve been seeking to justify your caffeine habit.
Links referred to in the podcast

Review of coffee and health https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1541-4337.12206
Caffeine use in Parkinson’s disease https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3414662/
AIS fact sheet on caffeine https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/supplements/group_a/performance-supplements2/caffeine
Caffeine and the risk of miscarriage https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5733907/
Intermittent fasting in sport https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/Fulltext/2019/07000/Intermittent_Fasting_and_Its_Effects_on_Athletic.6.aspx

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Blue Zones: secrets of the world’s long-lived Jan 28, 2020

Show notes

What’s the secret to a long, healthy life? The answer here does not lie in exotic Himalayan berries, green smoothies, or jumping on the latest fad diet bandwagon. Instead, take a step back and learn from the habits of those in the world who already have the answer. Called ‘Blue Zones’, these are areas in the world where more people enjoy remarkably longer, healthier lives than anywhere else on the planet. In this podcast episode, I’ll outline their key health habits and of course bring in what science has to say about it and then put it into practical terms for how to implement this in your own life.

Links referred to in the podcast

Fruits, vegetables and happiness https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303260
Diet and telomere length https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2016149

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The user's guide to intermittent fasting Jan 21, 2020

Show notes

Intermittent fasting is currently one of the world's most popular health trends. Characterised by alternating periods of food absence followed by periods of normal eating, promoters of intermittent fasting claim that it is the ‘metabolic key’ to unlocking weight loss, reducing inflammation, cutting the risk of diabetes and heart disease and maybe….even extending your life. This show covers what intermittent fasting is, how to do it, and what the evidence says about that long list of health claims.
Links referred to in the podcast

Intermittent fasting vs traditional dieting for weight loss https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/10/2442
Review of the effects of intermittent fasting on health, ageing and disease https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmra1905136
Fasting during cancer treatment https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324169.php
Children's food choices after watching a healthy cooking show https://www.jneb.org/article/S1499-4046(19)31055-3/fulltext

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Making sense of nutrition confusion Jan 11, 2020

Show notes

If you want to be less confused about just how to make sense of conflicting nutrition messages that you hear about each day then you’ve come to the right place. In today’s podcast, I’ll unpack what makes nutrition appear to be such a confusing area. But importantly, I’ll help set you straight in knowing how to make sense of it all.
Links referred to in the podcast