Ask the pros: Steep, sip, and savour the goodness

  1. Khan N, Mukhtar H. Tea and health: studies in humans. Curr Pharm Des. 2013;19(34):6141-7. doi: 10.2174/1381612811319340008. PMID: 23448443; PMCID: PMC4055352.
  2. Mazibuko-Mbeje SE, Mthembu SX, Muller CJ, Ziqubu K, Muvhulawa N, Modibedi RV, Tiano L, Dludla PV. Aspalathin alleviates skeletal muscle insulin resistance and mitochondrial dysfunction. Physiol Res. 2022 Nov 28;71(5):643-656. doi: 10.33549/physiolres.934844. Epub 2022 Aug 31. PMID: 36047722; PMCID: PMC9841809.
  3. Srivastava JK, Shankar E, Gupta S. Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future. Mol Med Rep. 2010 Nov 1;3(6):895-901. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2010.377. PMID: 21132119; PMCID: PMC2995283.
  4. Hieu TH, Dibas M, Surya Dila KA, Sherif NA, Hashmi MU, Mahmoud M, Trang NTT, Abdullah L, Nghia TLB, Y MN, Hirayama K, Huy NT. Therapeutic efficacy and safety of chamomile for state anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and sleep quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials and quasi-randomized trials. Phytother Res. 2019 Jun;33(6):1604-1615. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6349. Epub 2019 Apr 21. PMID: 31006899.
  5. Shuzhen Wang, Ting Zeng, Shuang Zhao, Yu Zhu, Changchun Feng, Jianfeng Zhan, Shiming Li, Chi-Tang Ho, Alexander Gosslau, Multifunctional health-promoting effects of oolong tea and its products, Food Science and Human Wellness, Volume 11, Issue 3, 2022, Pages 512-523, ISSN 2213-4530, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2021.12.009.
  6. He RR, Chen L, Lin BH, Matsui Y, Yao XS, Kurihara H. Beneficial effects of oolong tea consumption on diet-induced overweight and obese subjects. Chin J Integr Med. 2009 Feb;15(1):34-41. doi: 10.1007/s11655-009-0034-8. Epub 2009 Mar 7. PMID: 19271168.
  7. Mozaffari-Khosravi, H., Jalali-Khanabadi, B. A., & Afkhami-Ardekani, M. (2009). The effects of sour tea (Hibiscus sabdariffa) on hypertension in patients with type II diabetes. Journal of Human Hypertension, 23(1), 48-54.

Ask the pros: Get more from every dose

  1. Davis DR, Epp MD, Riordan HD. Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Dec;23(6):669-82. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2004.10719409. PMID: 15637215.
  2. Montoro-Huguet MA, Belloc B, Domínguez-Cajal M. Small and Large Intestine (I): Malabsorption of Nutrients. Nutrients. 2021 Apr 11;13(4):1254. doi: 10.3390/nu13041254. PMID: 33920345; PMCID: PMC8070135.

Don’t let dopamine exhaustion keep you down

  1. Craig Ashleigh , Rochat Tamsen , Naicker Sara N., et al. The prevalence of probable depression and probable anxiety, and associations with adverse childhood experiences and socio-demographics: A national survey in South Africa. Frontiers in Public Health. Volume 19. 2022. DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.986531. ISSN=2296-2565
  2. Juárez Olguín H, Calderón Guzmán D, Hernández García E, Barragán Mejía G. The Role of Dopamine and Its Dysfunction as a Consequence of Oxidative Stress. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2016;2016:9730467. doi: 10.1155/2016/9730467. Epub 2015 Dec 6. PMID: 26770661; PMCID: PMC4684895
  3. Radtke, T., Apel, T., Schenkel, K., Keller, J., & von Lindern, E. (2022). Digital detox: An effective solution in the smartphone era? A systematic literature review. Mobile Media & Communication, 10(2), 190-215. https://doi.org/10.1177/20501579211028647
  4. Wallace CW, Fordahl SC. Obesity and dietary fat influence dopamine neurotransmission: exploring the convergence of metabolic state, physiological stress, and inflammation on dopaminergic control of food intake. Nutr Res Rev. 2022 Dec;35(2):236-251. doi: 10.1017/S0954422421000196. Epub 2021 Jun 28. PMID: 34184629; PMCID: PMC9351269
  5. Bloemendaal M, Froböse MI, Wegman J, Zandbelt BB, van de Rest O, Cools R, Aarts E. Neuro-Cognitive Effects of Acute Tyrosine Administration on Reactive and Proactive Response Inhibition in Healthy Older Adults. eNeuro. 2018 Apr 30;5(2):ENEURO.0035-17.2018. doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0035-17.2018. PMID: 30094335; PMCID: PMC6084775.
  6. Chiu C-H, Chyau C-C, Chen C-C, Lee L-Y, Chen W-P, Liu J-L, Lin W-H, Mong M-C. Erinacine A-Enriched Hericium erinaceus Mycelium Produces Antidepressant-Like Effects through Modulating BDNF/PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β Signaling in Mice. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2018; 19(2):341. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19020341. 
  7. Singh B, Pandey S, Rumman M, Kumar S, Kushwaha PP, Verma R, Mahdi AA. Neuroprotective and Neurorescue Mode of Action of Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst in 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-Induced Parkinson’s Disease: An In Silico and In Vivo Study. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Mar 16;12:616413. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.616413. PMID: 33796021; PMCID: PMC8007855.
  8. Tamura Y, Takata K, Matsubara K, Kataoka Y. Alpha-Glycerylphosphorylcholine Increases Motivation in Healthy Volunteers: A Single-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Human Study. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 18;13(6):2091. doi: 10.3390/nu13062091. PMID: 34207484; PMCID: PMC8235064.
  9. Sun J, Tian L, Cui R, Li X. Huperzine A inhibits immediate addictive behavior but not behavioral sensitization following repeated morphine administration in rats. Exp Ther Med. 2017 Apr;13(4):1584-1591. doi: 10.3892/etm.2017.4097. Epub 2017 Feb 2. PMID: 28413513; PMCID: PMC5377550.

Strike before the sniffles do! 

  1. Zipfel CM, Colizza V, Bansal S. The missing season: The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on influenza. Vaccine. 2021 Jun 23;39(28):3645-3648. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.05.049. Epub 2021 May 30. PMID: 34078554; PMCID: PMC8376231.
  2. Mark G. Thompson, Nevil Pierse, Q. Sue Huang, Namrata Prasad, Jazmin Duque, E. Claire Newbern, Michael G. Baker, Nikki Turner, Colin McArthur, Influenza vaccine effectiveness in preventing influenza-associated intensive care admissions and attenuating severe disease among adults in New Zealand 2012–2015, Vaccine, Volume 36, Issue 39, 2018, Pages 5916-5925, ISSN 0264-410X,
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.07.028.
  3. Deiss RG, Arnold JC, Chen WJ, Echols S, Fairchok MP, Schofield C, Danaher PJ, McDonough E, Ridoré M, Mor D, Burgess TH, Millar EV. Vaccine-associated reduction in symptom severity among patients with influenza A/H3N2 disease. Vaccine. 2015 Dec 16;33(51):7160-7167. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.11.004. Epub 2015 Nov 10. PMID: 26562321; PMCID: PMC4684491.
  4. Debisarun PA, Gössling KL, Bulut O, Kilic G, Zoodsma M, Liu Z, et al. (2021) Induction of trained immunity by influenza vaccination – impact on COVID-19. PLoS Pathog 17(10): e1009928. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1009928.
  5. Besedovsky L, Lange T, Born J. Sleep and immune function. Pflugers Arch. 2012 Jan;463(1):121-37. doi: 10.1007/s00424-011-1044-0. Epub 2011 Nov 10. PMID: 22071480; PMCID: PMC3256323.
  6. Raju A, Luthra G, Shahbaz M, Almatooq H, Foucambert P, Esbrand FD, Zafar S, Panthangi V, Cyril Kurupp AR, Khan S. Role of Vitamin D Deficiency in Increased Susceptibility to Respiratory Infections Among Children: A Systematic Review. Cureus. 2022 Sep 15;14(9):e29205. doi: 10.7759/cureus.29205. PMID: 36259029; PMCID: PMC9573008.

Glutamine for gut health

  1. Caviglia GP, Garrone A, Bertolino C, Vanni R, Bretto E, Poshnjari A, Tribocco E, Frara S, Armandi A, Astegiano M, Saracco GM, Bertolusso L, Ribaldone DG. Epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Population Study in a Healthcare District of North-West Italy. J Clin Med. 2023 Jan 13;12(2):641. doi: 10.3390/jcm12020641. PMID: 36675570; PMCID: PMC9860659.
  2. Brett J. Deters, Mir Saleem, The role of glutamine in supporting gut health and neuropsychiatric factors, Food Science and Human Wellness, Volume 10, Issue 2, 2021, Pages 149-154, ISSN 2213-4530, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2021.02.003.
  3. Sairenji T, Collins KL, Evans DV. An Update on Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Prim Care. 2017 Dec;44(4):673-692. doi: 10.1016/j.pop.2017.07.010. Epub 2017 Oct 5. PMID: 29132528.
  4. Borowitz SM. The epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease: Clues to pathogenesis? Front Pediatr. 2023 Jan 17;10:1103713. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.1103713. PMID: 36733765; PMCID: PMC9886670.
  5. Xu F, Dahlhamer JM, Zammitti EP, et al. Health-risk Behaviors and Chronic Conditions Among Adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease — United States, 2015 and 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep.2018;67(6):190‒195.
  6. Kim MH, Kim H. The Roles of Glutamine in the Intestine and Its Implication in Intestinal Diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 May 12;18(5):1051. doi: 10.3390/ijms18051051. PMID: 28498331; PMCID: PMC5454963.
  7. Zhou Q, Verne ML, Fields JZ, Lefante JJ, Basra S, Salameh H, Verne GN. Randomised placebo-controlled trial of dietary glutamine supplements for postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome. Gut. 2019 Jun;68(6):996-1002. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2017-315136. Epub 2018 Aug 14. PMID: 30108163; PMCID: PMC9549483.

Ask the pros: Can plants power gains?

  1. Banaszek A, Townsend JR, Bender D, Vantrease WC, Marshall AC, Johnson KD. The Effects of Whey vs. Pea Protein on Physical Adaptations Following 8-Weeks of High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT): A Pilot Study. Sports (Basel). 2019 Jan 4;7(1):12. doi: 10.3390/sports7010012. PMID: 30621129; PMCID: PMC6358922.
  2. Teixeira FJ, Matias CN, Faleiro J, Giro R, Pires J, Figueiredo H, Carvalhinho R, Monteiro CP, Reis JF, Valamatos MJ, Teixeira VH, Schoenfeld BJ. A Novel Plant-Based Protein Has Similar Effects Compared to Whey Protein on Body Composition, Strength, Power, and Aerobic Performance in Professional and Semi-Professional Futsal Players. Front Nutr. 2022 Jul 19;9:934438. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.934438. PMID: 35938106; PMCID: PMC9355667.

3 supplement stacks to support winter weight loss

  1. Benjamin S, Prakasan P, Sreedharan S, Wright AD, Spener F. Pros and cons of CLA consumption: an insight from clinical evidences. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2015 Feb 3;12:4. doi: 10.1186/1743-7075-12-4. PMID: 25972911; PMCID: PMC4429457.
  2. Xu X, Storkson J, Kim S, Sugimoto K, Park Y, Pariza MW. Short-term intake of conjugated linoleic acid inhibits lipoprotein lipase and glucose metabolism but does not enhance lipolysis in mouse adipose tissue. J Nutr. 2003 Mar;133(3):663-7. doi: 10.1093/jn/133.3.663. PMID: 12612134.
  3. Talenezhad N, Mohammadi M, Ramezani-Jolfaie N, Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Salehi-Abargouei A. Effects of l-carnitine supplementation on weight loss and body composition: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 37 randomized controlled clinical trials with dose-response analysis. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2020 Jun;37:9-23. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2020.03.008. Epub 2020 Apr 18. PMID: 32359762.
  4. Havel PJ. A scientific review: the role of chromium in insulin resistance. Diabetes Educ. 2004; Suppl:2-14. PMID: 15208835.
  5. Hasti Ansar, MSc, Zohreh Mazloom, PhD, Fatemeh Kazemi, MSc, Najmeh Hejazi, MSc. Effect of alpha-lipoic acid on blood glucose, insulin resistance, and glutathione peroxidase of type 2 diabetic patients. Saudi Med J 2011; Vol. 32 (6): 584-588. https://applications.emro.who.int/imemrf/Saudi_Med_J/Saudi_Med_J_2011_32_6_584_588.pdf
  6. Prather JM, Florez CM, Vargas A, Soto B, Harrison A, Willoughby D, Tinsley G, Taylor L. The effects of a thermogenic supplement on metabolic and hemodynamic variables and subjective mood states. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2023 Dec;20(1):2185538. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2023.2185538. PMID: 36862833; PMCID: PMC9987759.
  7. Moon J, Koh G. Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss. J Obes Metab Syndr. 2020 Sep 30;29(3):166-173. doi: 10.7570/jomes20028. PMID: 32699189; PMCID: PMC7539343.

Going the distance

  1. Kloby Nielsen LL, Tandrup Lambert MN, Jeppesen PB. The Effect of Ingesting Carbohydrate and Proteins on Athletic Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2020; 12(5):1483. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12051483.
  2. Saunders, Michael & Kane, Mark & Todd, M. (2004). Effects of a Carbohydrate-Protein Beverage on Cycling Endurance and Muscle Damage. Medicine and science in sports and exercise. 36. 1233-8. 10.1249/01.MSS.0000132377.66177.9F.
  3. Ivy JL, Goforth HW Jr, Damon BM, McCauley TR, Parsons EC, Price TB. Early postexercise muscle glycogen recovery is enhanced with a carbohydrate-protein supplement. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2002 Oct;93(4):1337-44. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00394.2002. PMID: 12235033
  4. Ivy JL, Res PT, Sprague RC, Widzer MO. Effect of a carbohydrate-protein supplement on endurance performance during exercise of varying intensity. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2003 Sep;13(3):382-95. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.13.3.382. PMID: 14669937.
  5. Lee CL, Lin JC, Cheng CF. Effect of caffeine ingestion after creatine supplementation on intermittent high-intensity sprint performance. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2011 Aug;111(8):1669-77. doi: 10.1007/s00421-010-1792-0. Epub 2011 Jan 5. PMID: 21207054.

Power up your running with plyometric training

  1. Buchheit, M., LeClerc, A., & Millet, G. P. (2017). High-intensity interval training and heart rate variability. Sports Medicine, 47(1), 31-41.
  2. Aagaard, P., Simonsen, E. B., Petersen, H. P., & Christiansen, J. S. (2000). Influence of plyometric training on muscle strength and aerobic capacity in endurance-trained runners. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 82 (3-4), 203-210.
  3. Gomez-Bruton, A., Aguilera-Castells, J., Fuentes-Jordan, M., et al. (2019). Plyometric training increases mitochondrial content and function in skeletal muscle fibers of young men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 33(7), 1906-1915.
  4. Kraemer, W. J., Nindl, B., Harman, E., et al. (2000). Effects of plyometric and weight training on muscle hypertrophy and strength. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 14(1), 356-360.