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Sigma Nutrition Radio

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7 snips
May 2, 2023 • 1h 10min

#480: How Much Fiber Do We Need for Good Health? – Prof. Joanne Slavin

Links: Go to episode page (with resources) Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition PREMIUM Receive Danny's free weekly emails About this Episode: The beneficial impact of a high-fiber diet is something that has been promoted in nutrition for a long period of time. But there remain a variety of interesting questions to researchers, practitioners and the general public alike. How much fiber do we actually need? What are current fiber recommendations based on? What outcomes have the strongest evidence for benefit? Should we have targets for fiber sub-types? Are some types of fiber “better” than others? Do functional fibers added to food products still retain the benefits we see with dietary fiber? To help get to some evidence-based answers on these issues, our guest in this episode is one of the researchers at the forefront of dietary fiber research for decades, Professor Joanne Slavin.
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15 snips
Apr 25, 2023 • 51min

#479: Blood Glucose, CGM Use, Diabetes Remission & High-Protein for Diabetes – Nicola Guess, PhD, RD

Links: Go to episode page Subscribe to PREMIUM Receive Danny's free weekly email Description: Blood glucose responses play a crucial role in maintaining good health, and any abnormalities in glucose regulation can lead to several chronic conditions. Diabetes is one such disease that results from a lack of insulin production or the body’s inability to use insulin effectively, leading to elevated blood glucose levels. There has been debate about what exactly constitues a “healthy” and “unhealthy” blood glucose response. While it is suggested that unhealthy blood glucose responses are characterized by erratic and unpredictable “spikes” in blood glucose levels, sometimes vague terminology leads to people worrying about normal blood glucose responses. This may be particularly related to the increasing prevalence of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices that allow individuals to track their glucose levels in real-time. While these devices can be helpful for people with diabetes to manage their glucose levels, they can also lead to unnecessary concern and anxiety about small, normal glucose elevations. In recent years exciting advances have been made in diabetes remission research. And off the back of that, more research has looked at various dietary interventions that could either directly impact remission, or act as an adjuct to other interventions. In this discussion with Dr. Nicola Guess, we discuss a range of topics related to glycemia, diabetes, and diet. This includes the potential for high-protein interventions, what utility CGMs actually have, what to make of diabetes remission trials, and future directions for the field.
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Apr 18, 2023 • 1h 2min

#478: Exposures in Nutrition – Why They’re Crucial to Understand

Links: Go to episode page (w/ resources) Get Danny's weekly emails Subscibe to Premium Description: Understanding the concept of an “exposure” is a critical aspect to nutrition science literacy. The ‘exposure of interest’ refers to the variable or factor that is being studied to determine its relationship with a particular health outcome. For example, in a study examining the relationship between diet and heart disease, the exposure of interest may be a particular nutrient or food group, such as saturated fat or red meat consumption. But when reading research we need to be able to critically examine the levels of an exposure and ask were these suitable for the research question at hand. For example, is there a sufficiently wide contrast in the exposure between the groups being compared? How do the reported levels of intake relate to what we know about this exposure from the wider literature? Much has been made of the many ’null’ associations found in nutrition epidemiology. But in many cases, these may be accounted for by looking at the exposure contrast or absolute intakes in those studies. Something we referred to as “null by design”. In this episode, Danny and Alan go through the most crucial aspects to understand about the exposure of interest in nutrition, hopefully leading to an enhanced understanding of interpreting nutrition research.  
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Apr 11, 2023 • 22min

SNP16: A Dairy Fat Paradox? – Saturated Fat, Food Matrices & Heart Disease

Links: Episode page with related links Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium Receive Danny's free weekly email Description: Substantial evidence shows that a high intake of saturated fat in the diet has the potential to significantly raise LDL-C and ApoB-containing lipoproteins in many people, and in turn increase their risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, people may raise what seems to some contradictory evidence, or what is sometimes thought of as a paradox: the impact of full-fat dairy on CVD risk. This paradox arises because given the saturated fat content of full-fat milk, yogurt and cheese, we typically don’t see the same impact on blood lipid profiles. In addition, epidemiology can often show such foods in a favourable light. And the dairy fat story gets more interesting when we look at evidence showing there is a huge difference in the impact of consuming different dairy foods (e.g. butter vs cheese/yogurt). So this leads to many questions that people rightly ask, which we aim to address in this episode. Questions such as: Why doesn’t increased dairy consumption lead to same increases in CVD risk as other saturated fat sources? Do results from full-fat dairy studies prove that saturated fat isn’t a problem? What is it about cheese/yogurt that makes it different to butter? How do low-fat and full-fat dairy compare? Diets including/excluding dairy: how to compare? Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium
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Apr 4, 2023 • 54min

#477: Effect of Different Diets on Cholesterol, Lipoproteins and Discordance – Ian Davies, PhD

Links: Go to episode page (with resources) Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium Receive our free weekly emails Introduction: Discordance between low-density lipoprotein particle (LDL-p) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) occurs when the levels of these two biomarkers do not match up as expected. Discordance between Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is similar, except rather than counting just LDL particles, ApoB is a measure of the numbers of lipoproteins that have an ApoB attached. Discordance between ApoB and LDL-C can lead to either an underestimate or overestimate of ASCVD risk. And therefore there may be important implications for someone who does have discordance. Additionally, it is such cases that suggest that a measurement of ApoB may provide additional information beyond traditional lipid measures in assessing a person’s cardiovascular risk. Recent work from researchers at Liverpool John Moores University has investigated whether discordance is associated with certain dietary patterns. In this episode, one of the researchers involved, Dr. Ian Davies, is on the podcast to discuss this work in addition to wider questions in the diet-lipids-CVD field that remain to be answered.
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Mar 28, 2023 • 52min

#476: Fructose in Perspective – Dietary Villain or Misunderstood Nutrient?

Links: Go to episode page (w/ resources) Subscribe to PREMIUM Receive Danny's free weekly email Description: Fructose is a type of sugar that is commonly found in fruits, vegetables, and many processed foods. In recent years, there has been a lot of discussion and debate about the impact of fructose on health, with some claiming that it is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. However, these claims are often at odds with what the scientific literature actually says. One of the most common claims about fructose is that it is inherently “bad” for health, and that consuming too much of it can lead to a wide range of health problems. This idea has been popularized in many popular diet and health books, and has led to a widespread fear of fructose among the general public. However, many of these claims are based on outdated or oversimplified research, and do not reflect the complex reality of how fructose interacts with the human body. Another common claim about fructose is that it is uniquely responsible for the current obesity epidemic, and that reducing fructose intake is the key to weight loss and better health. While it is true that excessive consumption of sugary foods and beverages can contribute to weight gain and other health problems, the idea that fructose is uniquely responsible for these issues is not supported by the scientific evidence. In fact, many studies have found that total sugar intake, rather than fructose specifically, is the most important factor in the development of obesity and related health problems. In this episode we discuss the unique aspects of fructose metabolism, why some studies appear to show unique harm of fructose, and the implications of this for dietary choices. Go to episode page
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Mar 22, 2023 • 56min

#475: Is Food Addiction Real? – Charlotte Hardman, PhD

Links: Go to episode page Subscribe to Premium Sign-up for our free weekly email: The Sigma Synopsis Description: The idea of food addiction has gained a lot of attention in recent years, as obesity rates continue to rise around the world. Many people struggle with overeating and find it difficult to resist certain foods, leading to a cycle of guilt and shame. The concept of food addiction suggests that there may be a biological explanation for this behavior, and that certain foods may be especially “rewarding” to the brain, leading to a kind of addiction. To help look at the evidence in this area, our guest in this episode is Dr. Charlotte Hardman, who is a leading researcher in the field of appetite and obesity. Dr. Hardman’s research focuses on the psychological and biological processes that contribute to overeating and obesity. She is particularly interested in the concept of “food addiction,” which suggests that certain foods may be addictive and lead to compulsive overeating, similar to substance addiction. In this podcast, we will explore the latest research on food addiction with Dr. Hardman. We will delve into the evidence for and against the idea of food addiction, as well as discuss the potential implications for public health and policy. Join us as we explore this fascinating topic and learn more about the complex relationship between food and the brain.
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Mar 17, 2023 • 27min

SNP15: AMA – Semaglutide, “Carni-nutrients”, Sweating From Caffeine, & More

Questions Answered in this AMA [00:03:01] Mechanisms that keeps weight stable over time? [00:11:52] Semaglutide: Game-changer? Weight regain? [00:30:42] How to further lower LDL-C? Can I avoid statins? [00:43:52] Glyphosate: A cause for concern in food? [00:48:30] High caffeine intake is making me sweat more. What’s going on? [00:55:16] Should I avoid non-organic meat? [01:00:08] Is there evidence on iron and zinc co-ingestion for anemia of prematurity? [01:03:09] “Carni-nutrients”: Can vegan diets cause brain issues due to lower choline, creatine and taurine? [01:12:10] Are energy drinks bad for us? [01:17:43] What are some resources for doctors and patients that simply explain obesity & treatments? This is an episode exclusive to Premium subscribers. To listen to the full episode you’ll need to subscribe. However, you can listen to a preview here.  
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7 snips
Mar 13, 2023 • 1h 23min

#474: Glucose Peaks & Variability – Is Lower Better?

Links: Go to episode page (with links & resources) Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium Receive our free weekly email, The Sigma Synopsis About This Episode: Often claims are made recommending that people should aim to keep peaks in blood glucose low in terms of both magnitude and frequency. And while many claims about blood glucose “spikes” are incorrect or purposefully exaggerated to grab attention, there are some reasonable and interesting hypotheses put forward in relation to blood glucose variability and excursions. For example, interesting questions have been raised in relation to the impact of blood glucose excursions in seemingly normoglycemic and/or healthy people. In this episode, we look at three specific elements of this: average blood glucose, glucose variability, and glucose peaks. All in the context of people without prediabetes or type diabetes, who have typical blood glucose measures in the ‘normal’ range. Specifically, we look at three hypothesized recommendations made elsewhere: “The lower you average blood glucose (HbA1C) is better, even if already in normal range” “The more you can minimize glucose variability, the better.” “Minimizing the number of glucose “peaks” is important, even if they don’t meet the threshold for hyperglycemia” Can normoglycemic people benefit from further reducing these measures? Let’s take a look…
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Mar 7, 2023 • 1h 13min

#473: Diet & Depression (What Do We Actually Know?) – Nicole Lippman-Barile, PhD

Links: Episode page (with more links) Subscribe to Premium Introduction Depression is a common disorder and is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Depression results from a complex interaction of social, psychological, and biological factors. Diet has been one area that has been suggested in playing a role; from potential for exacerbating symptoms to being a treatment. And while some associations have been noted, many claims far exceed what (little) evidence exists. Online it is common to see people claiming certain diets can treat depression or that certain foods will improve outcomes. However, does the evidence match such claims? In trials that have been published on diet-depression, there has been considerable media attention and fanfare around some results. For example, the SMILES trial published out of Australia. However, some have raised considerable concerns about the interpretation of such findings. In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Nicole Lippman-Barile is on the podcast to discuss what we currently know about diet and depression, what issues exist with current studies, and why many nutrition-mental health studies are being incorrently interpreted.

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