SHR

Howard, I applaud you for co-authoring the book Proteinaholic and approaching the Super Human Radio interview with a combination of open-mindedness, thoughtfulness, and skepticism. You were a joy to listen to and I believe that we need more individuals such as yourself promoting the diversity of thought that Proteinaholic brings to light. While the bulk of this letter addresses certain topics that we do not see eye-to-eye on, I want to start by highlighting the numerous points of agreement that were brought up throughout the hour interview. The irony with these, of course, is that they have little to nothing to do with protein. 1)      All humans in the world are the same species and we will therefore have a fundamental dietary pattern that best suits our needs. At the core, this will be a whole-foods, plant-based diet without all the processed crap (can I say that on here?). 2)      The...

Considering that obesity is a disease of energy imbalance that promotes storage over expenditure, it is not surprising that treatment revolves around reversing this equation to promote weight loss. However, it is questionable whether weight loss is sufficient to reverse all metabolic changes induced by obesity. A great example of this is the Look AHEAD trial, in which over 5000 overweight-obese patients with type-2 diabetes were followed for an average of 10 years while undergoing an intensive lifestyle intervention that promoted weight loss through a decreased caloric intake and increased physical activity. Despite losing significantly more weight than a control group, resulting in greater reductions in all nearly all cardiovascular risk factors, there was no difference between the two groups in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Another related issue is that formerly obese individuals are prone to regaining their lost weight, leading to a rebound of cardiometabolic risk factors. Anyone can cut...

Gluten is the main structural protein of wheat and related cereal grains. The two best-known diseases related to gluten exposure are a wheat allergy and celiac disease. In both conditions the reaction to gluten is mediated by T-cell activation (adaptive immunity) in the gastrointestinal mucosa. However, a wheat allergy is defined by the IgE-gluten interaction that triggers a release of chemical mediators, such as histamine, whereas celiac disease is defined by an autoimmune response to gluten exposure. It is now recognized that non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) represents a third disease in which neither allergic nor autoimmune mechanisms are involved. The problem is that the NCGS clinical picture is heterogeneous and not specific, including intestinal (diarrhea, constipation, bloating, nausea, and epigastric pain) and extra-intestinal (lack of well-being, anxiety, tiredness, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, foggy mind, and headache) symptoms. Indeed, the exclusion of celiac disease or a wheat allergy and a favorable response to a...

Sun Spectrum

The sun has been a driving force in human evolution. Sun exposure has had a profound effect on the human condition all the way down to a genetic level. Today we’re told sun exposure is dangerous by the dermatological field. While I’m not going to get into skin cancer which I’ve talked about on my show numerous times, let it be known that skin cancer is caused by your diet and the sun is an unwilling participant. Visible light makes up a very small segment of all of the electromagnetic radiation that rains down upon us from the sun. Our fascination with visible light is predictable because we can see it. But the wavelengths that we cannot see may have greater effect on our physiology and health than we realize.  In 2002 my father was diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy. Today we realize that it’s not really from diabetes but from a...

Despite a rapidly increasing world population and ever more hyper-connected, globalized world where people, technologies, and ideas move more fluidly than ever before, nearly 20 million children under five years of age are severely malnourished. Standard treatment of these individuals includes the use of calorie-dense ready-to-use therapeutic foods to ensure rapid weight gain. These foods have been so successful in their goal, that ready-to-use supplementary foods (RUSFs) have been developed for use in moderately malnourished children as well. For safety, shelf-life, and financial reasons, RUSFs are based upon a vitamin and mineral fortified peanut butter paste combined with soy protein. However, preliminary evidence in severely malnourished children suggests that a whey-based RUSF is more effective than one using soy. Yet evidence for the use of whey protein in moderately malnourished children is conflicting, with one of the largest barriers to inclusion being the additional cost. As such, Stobaugh et al conducted...