HPN 30: Sports Nutrition and Wellness Trends in 2021 and Beyond, LCHF Diets Gain Traction, and Much More!

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Welcome to episode 29 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.

On this episode:

More on Cold Thermogenesis (CT)

Male and female differences

• We did a deep dive on CT in HPN 29 with caution against those who may want to steer clear of CT.
• This episode we mention of more research on male vs. female differences:
  • One study on gender-specific cold responses found crucial differences between male and female participants:
    • Women’s peripheral temperatures were colder than the men’s, though internal temps were the same for both.
    • Metabolic heat production and shivering were greater in men.
      • This implies that the male body is better at warming itself up and, in so do, increases metabolism and fat-burning. Women just get (and stay) cold!
    • Men also exhibited larger changes in neuroendocrine and immune responses. So again, this implies that men (not women) experience improved adrenal function and immunity in response to cold exposure.

More research on CT

1. Metabolism. 2009 Apr;58(4):552-9. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2008.11.017.
2. Ross Fiziol Zh Im I M Sechenova. 2015 Feb;101(2):145-62.
3. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1999 Aug;87(2):699-710.
4. Obes Rev. 2011 Mar;12(3):167-88. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00756.x.
5. Free Radic Biol Med. 1994 Mar;16(3):299-305.
6. Cryobiology. 2014 Aug;69(1):26-33. doi: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2014.04.015. Epub 2014 May 6.
7. Cryo Letters. 2015 Mar-Apr;36(2):120-7.
8. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Apr;97(4):E584-90. doi: 10.1210/jc.2011-2246. Epub 2012 Jan

Low(ish) Carb Lovin’

New research discussing low(er) carb, high(er) fat diets with our take-home messages for our audience, as this info gains more mainstream attention

• Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on insulin-resistant dyslipoproteinemia—a randomized controlled feeding trial
  • “A low-carbohydrate diet, high in saturated fat, improved insulin-resistant dyslipoproteinemia and lipoprotein(a), without adverse effect on LDL cholesterol.”
  • “Carbohydrate restriction might lower CVD risk independently of body weight, a possibility that warrants study in major multicentered trials powered on hard outcomes.”
  • NYT article on the above study
• And more new research, related:
  • Alternative Dietary Patterns for Americans: Low-Carbohydrate Diets
  • Dietary Saturated Fats and Health: Are the U.S. Guidelines Evidence-Based?
    • Analysis of paper here

Takeaway messages

• Moderate/low carb can be effective in reducing the markers in type 2 diabetes, obesity and CVD.
• We don’t have to worry about consuming saturated fat like we were once told.
• Obesity prevalence was 42.4% in 2018.
• 34 million Americans have diabetes, 90-95% of them with type 2; that’s 1 in 10 people.
• We need to work on getting healthier vis diet, exercise, etc, and how we can help those around us who may benefit even if our own body is dialed in.

Insulin resistance 101

• Quick overview of how we end up with chronically high blood sugar.
• If you know someone who is obese, has type 2 diabetes, and/or is at risk for CVD then a low-carb diet is a really effective way to manage and reverse it.
  • It doesn’t have to be extremely low carb or keto.
  • Start with something as simple as tracking and slowly eliminating junk food and replacing with healthier options in a way that will be sustainable.

Carbs & saturated fat: time for updated recommendations?

• We don’t have to fear fat, particularly saturated fat, and US guidelines may be outdated.
  • We now are seeing that saturated fat isn’t the demon we once thought, so be sure to include these solid fats but also eat other types! Nature doesn’t make bad fats. Switch up the types of food you eat and you’ll nail it. A balanced plate.
• Not demonizing carbs, just promoting a whole foods diet. Increasing the quality and percentage of whole foods on your plate will increase the quality of your health.
  • As with most things, the dose makes the poison.
• How many carbs were they eating in these diets that were studied?
  • “The Test diets, with protein controlled at 20% of total energy, were designed to vary in proportions of carbohydrate and fat by 3-fold (Low-Carb: 20%, 60%; Moderate-Carb: 40%, 40%; High-Carb: 60%, 20%). Saturated fat comprised 35% of total fat for each diet.”
  • Keep protein stable, and adjust carbs and fat as needed.
  • Does not have to be keto or super low carb!!!
• “As reviewed below, a clear theme emerges — compared to low-fat diets, low-carbohydrate eating patterns result in equal or superior weight loss as well as the improvement of multiple established risk factors associated with IR and CVD [28,29,51].”

Sports Nutrition & Wellness Trends—2021 and beyond!

Overview

• Sports Nutrition Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product Type (Sports Drink, Sports Supplements, Sports Food), By Distribution Channel (E-commerce, Brick and Mortar), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 – 2028 (Published May 2021)
  • Coming out of Covid, more consumers focused on self-care, preventive medication and fitness.
  • But meanwhile, as of 2019, 463 million adults between 20-79 years old were suffering from diabetes.
    • Estimated to increase to 700 million by 2045.
  • Rapidly increasing demand for nutritional products with plant-based ingredients and immunity-enhancing benefits.
  • We talk about pros and cons of greens powders and whether we need them, or when?

• Mintel Health ingredients to watch in 2022 – Oct 13 2021
  • Mintel, a global market intelligence agency, with this data just presented at Vitafoods in October 2021. What people want more of in their products:
    • Immune health: Growing interest in natural ingredients and specifically botanical ingredients with immune benefits, e.g. ginger, turmeric, garlic.

Spotlight on the growing popularity of postbiotics 

• The rise of postbiotics
  • What’s the difference between prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics?
    • Pre– fibers that feed good bacteria, e.g. resistant starches or foods that the body can’t digest so they pass through your GI tract to become food for the bacteria and other microbes
      • E.g. garlic, green bananas, onions, asparagus, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and chicory root.
    • Pro– live beneficial bacteria that will be found in the gut and things we can supplement with to build populate gut or eat via fermented foods
    • Post– what probiotics produce by feeding on prebiotics, i.e. metabolites produced by good bacteria,
      • Examples are SCFA and supplement would be Designs for Health Tributyrin Supreme, available at fullscript.com.
      • We are seeing fantastic results in supplementing with postbiotics in clients when we keep hitting road blocks with healing!
  • DFH blog on postbiotics:
    • Certain SCFAs represent some of the most commonly produced postbiotics. Most widely studied of these is butyrate — “has the most evidence supporting beneficial effects on gut health and functioning of other body systems, including the brain and central nervous system. Butyrate occurs naturally in high-fat dairy products (butter, cream, cheese, etc.), but this diet-sourced exogenous butyrate is primarily metabolized in the stomach and small intestine. The endogenous butyrate, resulting from bacterial fermentation, is synthesized in the colon; therefore, its effects—particularly those localized to the gut—may be distinct from the biochemical or physiological properties of food-sourced butyrate.”
  • Postbiotics and Their Potential Applications in Early Life Nutrition and Beyond
    • “Postbiotics are functional bioactive compounds, generated in a matrix during fermentation, which may be used to promote health. The term postbiotics can be regarded as an umbrella term for all synonyms and related terms of these microbial fermentation components. Therefore, postbiotics can include many different constituents including metabolites, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), microbial cell fractions, functional proteins, extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), cell lysates, teichoic acid, peptidoglycan-derived muropeptides and pili-type structures”
  • Other highlights of postbiotics:
    • Supports leaky gut & tight junctions
    • Gut motility
    • Heal mucosal layers
    • Healthy histamine and healthy mast cell levels
    • Weight management
    • Chronic diarrhea
      • “One study investigated the effect of heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus LB in adults, 16 years and over, compared to living L. acidophilus LB on chronic diarrhea. From the second week onwards, stool frequency was significantly lower in the postbiotic group, as well as improvement in clinical symptoms. This indicates that the postbiotic product was more effective than the living L. acidophilus LB in the treatment of chronic diarrhea.”

Mental wellbeing

• Using natural supplements to support mental health:
  • Magnesium
    • Viewed as the “mindfulness mineral.”
    • 4th most abundant mineral in the body.
    • Cofactor for more than 300 enzymatic actions in the body.
    • Key mineral for optimal brain function.
    • Works to calm the nerves and relax the muscles, which in turn can help people fall asleep. Signs of low magnesium can include constipation, muscle cramping or pain, nausea, headaches, fatigue, brain fog, depression, irritability, anxiety, mood disorders, PMS, insomnia, and more.
    • Different forms can achieve different results, and some are more bioavailable than others.
    • Try glycinate for a good go to for relaxation, sleep anxiety, female cycle help (pms relief cramps), cravings and overall wellbeing.
    • For a brain boost try: magensium L-Threonate
      • This form crosses blood brain barrier to help in memory and cognition; learning; depression and anxiety.
      • Study: Enhancement of Learning and Memory by Elevating Brain Magnesium (Cell 2010)
        • “Here, we show that increasing brain magnesium using a newly developed magnesium compound (magnesium-L-threonate, MgT) leads to the enhancement of learning abilities, working memory, and short- and long-term memory in rats.”
      • Tawnee mentions using DFH NeuroMag recently.
      • From DFH: “Researchers at MIT concluded that elevating brain magnesium content via supplementation with magnesium L-threonate may be a useful strategy to support cognitive abilities and decrease common age-related memory decline.”
    • You can overdo it with Mg, and Julie shares her experience with this and signs to watch out for such as night sweats.
  • L-Theanine
    • Offers calming benefits; may reduce stress and anxiety.
    • Stimulate alpha brain wave activity.
    • Promote relaxation without drowsiness.
    • Can boost your meditation practice, anecdotally speaking.
    • Used to increase mental performance and attention.

More trends

• Sports nutrition grows up: Behaviors, trends, ingredients, and advancements driving today’s sports nutrition products – Sept 14 2021
  • Between 2019 and 2020, the global sports nutrition market declined by 32.1% primarily due to COVID-19.
  • That said, the “global sports nutrition market size was valued at $10.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.9% from 2021 to 2028.” accd to a recent market analysis report.
  • Trend: choosing products and dietary changes to support healthy aging rather than solely athletic performance
    • “More than 20% of consumers seek performance products that offer value-adds, such as anti-inflammatory effects or support for cognitive, vision, or bone and joint health.”
  • SPECIFICS:
    • Increasing emphasis on clean-label statements
    • Demand for plant proteins
    • Focus on pre-workout formulations
    • Mintel’s data suggest that most consumers between the ages 18-54 believe that performance and nutrition drinks contain “too many artificial ingredients.”
    • Collagen continues gaining traction
    • Green powders and beverages
    • Medicinal mushrooms
      • Replacements for morning coffees and tea. Supplement form. Everywhere these days. Few examples:
      • Lion’s Mane – neurotrophic factors, which promote the growth and differentiation of neuron;  aids in brain function & neuron regeneration
      • Reishi – immune support, sleep/calm, stress relief (so don’t combine with caffeine)
      • Cordyceps – energy aid, ATP and mitochondrial support/protection, anti-aging, performance.
        • Couple different types that target different things (Cordyceps sinensis and Cordyceps militaris)
        • Athletes take note of this one!
        • In TCM used for lung function, asthma or allergies
      • Chaga – antioxidant, immunity, liver, digestive aid
      • Turkey tail – immune support, in TCM used for lung disease

• • Perluxan instead of ibuprofen?
    • Perluxan softgels is derived from hops = “unique botanical anti-inflammatory agent that has been clinically demonstrated to quickly relieve minor joint pain.”
    • Study: randomized, double-blind, parallel-design trial compared Perluxan vs ibuprofen.
      • 19 subjects were randomly assigned to receive either
      • 1) 400 mg of ibuprofen 1x day,
      • 2) a softgel containing 450 mg of the hops resin 1x day, or
      • 3) a 300-mg capsule containing a powdered form of the hops resin 4x per day, for 14 days.
      • Both hops formulations inhibited COX-2 as well as ibuprofen starting nine hours after the initial dose; however, the hops formulations did not inhibit COX-1, while ibuprofen did.
      • Of note- the hops resin softgel was only administered once over 9 hours but was as effective as ibuprofen.
      • Shows promise.
    • Our takeaway: We have hesitancy with all anti-inflammatories due to blunting the bodies natural process, but they have their place if used occasionally as needed. Good for the short-term, but often the healing is delayed and you’ll be suffering for longer.
    • Other anti-inflammatory options: fish oil and wobenzyme.

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