Are protein powders safe?
Am highly confused about protein powder as a supplement for muscle gain. In spite of it's popularity, I also hear that it has little effect and mostly comes out in urine, and emulsifiers and other additives (like sweeteners) are harmful to the gut microbiome. But I often need powder to hit my protein levels of 180 a day (1:1 ratio) - high-quality meat is expensive. So should I ditch my protein powder?
Best sports for longevity
Hi Peter, I have a 2 yrd old son. I am trying to understand the best sports i can introduce him as he grows that will increase longevity. Ideal sport will be something that he can practice life long with age appropriate intensity, has very low risk of attracting chronic injuries or diseases and maximizes factors influencing longevity(metabolic health, cardiovascular fitness, strength, muscle mass, skeletal fitness, flexibility etc). I believe life long exercise is foundational for longevity and one of the best ways to incorporate this into lifestyle is by having a go to sport that one feels passionate about. Ultimately my son will follow his passion but as a father i want create opportunities that will help him to find something that he could practice life long , enjoy and at the same time increase his health span.
osteoporosis
like dementia is in the CNS is this finding merely a surrogate of many overlapping diseases resulting in "fragility." Worried about the explosion of expensive technologies to treat the mineral content not improving the outcome of the typical recently diagnosed adult in their 50-60's. Worried that, once again, the drug industry has conflated causation and correlation and is selling us what becomes "expensive urine" when, as in dementia, lifestyle changes would be far more powerful? These drug trials seem replete with many classic population biases.
Hypermobility of joints
Bones and muscles get lots of attention in fitness and longevity, while connective tissues miss out. Yet, ligaments and tendons vary greatly in mobility between individuals and this determines stability, posture, what activities people are good at and their predisposition to injury. The most extreme form of hypermobility is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). People with EDS often excel at performance activities early in life, but need to remain extra fit as they age. Presumably, people with the opposite condition of tight ligaments and tendons are more susceptible to tears and ruptures. I don't have EDS but am often told by physical therapists, I'm hypermobile.Yet its hard to get a fitness program tailored to one's mobility. Could you cover the continuum in flexibility that exists in connective tissues in relation to fitness and longevity in an AMA or podcast? I sense this topic often falls through the cracks and only in recent times has the research literature given it much attention.