🌱 Should you eat more fibre? New study says it depends

Less than 10% of people eat the recommended intake (e.g. around 30 grams a day)re, the effects of increasing fibre intake can vary from person to person

A new study focused on resistant starch: a type of fibre from starchy foods (bread, green bananas, whole-grain pasta, rice and potatoes) that’s less absorbed and so mostly fermented in the gut.

Eating resistant starch increased the production of short chain fatty acids(a by product of fermentation in the gut) in all volunteers

But individual may have a unique response to eating a resistant starch, with some people benefiting and others experiencing little or no effect

This can be explained by the level of diversity and composition of a person's gut microbiome

There are many different types of dietary fiber and carbohydrates, so recommendations tailored to each individual's gut microbiome could work best

🥊 Punchline

These findings indicate that optimum nutrition should be based on each individual's gut microbiome. But, most people are still far away from ‘good enough’ nutrition. Therefore, the priority should be increasing fibre intake as the first step, before looking into personalised nutrition (which comes with high costs and stress)

🌎 Can our diet be both healthy and environmentally friendly?

Past research has found that diets emphasizing plant-based foods over animal-sourced foods could have health benefits

But most of these studies have used one-time dietary assessment. The risk of error is high!

A 34-year study tested the effects of a diet supposed to be better for humans and the environment - so called Planetary Health Diet (PHD)

The PHD includes mostly plant-based foods, emphasising a variety of minimally processed plant foods but allows for modest consumption of meat and dairy

The study found that volunteers with the highest adherence to the PHD had

• 30% less risk of premature death

• Significantly lower environmental impact (29% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 21% lower fertilizer needs, and 51% lower cropland use)

The findings show just how linked human and planetary health are

🥊 Punchline

Shifting how we eat can help slow the process of climate change. And what's healthiest for the planet can also be healthiest for us

👩‍🍼Microplastics from mother’s diet and their effect on offspring reproductive health

Male reproductive disorders are a growing concern due to the global decrease in sperm count and quality

The current generation of men produce half as much sperm compared to the previous one

Past research found that chemicals like DEHP, which can be found in food storage containers, pharmaceuticals, and building materials, are one of the contributing factors. The toxicity of DEHP is due to its ability to mimic the hormones in our bodies, leading to long-term effects on health

A new study in mice wanted to examine the health effect of exposure to DEHP before birth because the mother's diet could change the health of the next generation

Significant prenatal exposure to DEHP decreased testosterone levels and caused fertility defects in male mice

The combination of exposure to DEHP and high fat diets had the worst outcomes. These pups’ reproductive organs were less developed, produced less sperm and had lower testosterone levels

🥊 Punchline

The combination of exposure to plastic chemicals and a high-fat diet during pregnancy could lead to male reproductive disorders in the offspring