What's new in longevity research this week, checked against the full record.

Checked this week

Episodes we went through claim by claim, against the studies.

• Episode check · Food and fasting
  Modern wheat has much more gluten, the episode says. Seven of eight studies disagree.

  Solo episode by Mark Hyman · checked against 36 studies

  • How many adults are addicted to food Conflicting
  • How many children are addicted to food Mixed
  • Functional medicine and arthritis Not enough evidence
  • Elimination diets and rheumatoid arthritis Leaning for
  • Gluten and a leaky gut Mixed
  • Gluten in modern wheat Strong consensus against
  • Eating unlimited real food and weight Strong consensus for
• Episode check · Food and fasting
  Most people quit GLP-1 drugs within two years, the episode says. Nine studies split on it.

  Scott Kanoski, guest · checked against 50 studies

  • What trials show on sweeteners and weight Conflicting
  • Diet drinks in place of sugary drinks Leaning for
  • Midlife metabolic health and dementia Strong consensus for
  • Midlife diet and dementia Leaning for
  • Sugar, saturated fat and memory in young adults Strong consensus for
  • How many people stop GLP-1 drugs Conflicting
  • Why people stop Mixed
• Episode check · Lifestyle and genes
  Insulin does the most for the newborn, the episode says. Ten studies split on it.

  Kathryn Gray, guest · checked against 69 studies

  • Folic acid lowers the risk of spine and brain defects Strong consensus for
  • Insulin does the most for the newborn Mixed
  • Gestational diabetes raises the later risk of type 2 diabetes Strong consensus for
  • Preeclampsia raises the later risk of heart disease Strong consensus for
  • Preeclampsia raises the later risk of kidney disease Strong consensus for
  • Half of women with gestational diabetes get type 2 diabetes Leaning for
  • Exercise in pregnancy leads to better outcomes Leaning for
  • Bed rest in pregnancy is bad Leaning for

Primary sources

• 14:11 Elizabeth Boham, on The Doctor's Farmacy Bioidentical hormone therapy (hormones built to match the body's own) is not thought to cause breast cancer, Boham says, though it can make an existing cancer grow. She uses estrogen through the skin with progesterone, and keeps up breast exams and screening.
• 56:26 Avrum Bluming, on The Drive Headlines reported a 26% rise in breast cancer. That figure came from women taking estrogen plus a progestin, and his patients still quote it to him.
• 131:13 Rachel Rubin, on The Drive Estrogen does not cause cancer in itself. Women with a family history or DCIS can still weigh hormone therapy case by case with their doctor.
• 45:43 Mary Claire Haver, on The Diary of a CEO Later looks at the 2002 Women's Health Initiative found estrogen alone did not raise breast cancer risk, and may lower it.
• 56:28 Annice Mukherjee, on Feel Better, Live More Estrogen through the skin avoids the clot risk. The breast cancer risk sits mainly with combined estrogen and progestogen taken for years.
• 26:34 Andrew Huberman, on Huberman Lab If you can buy only one single-ingredient supplement, Huberman says, make it fish oil with at least 1 gram of EPA a day. He points to data that 1 to 3 grams of EPA helps offset depression and supports focus and the heart. On the label, count the EPA, not the total omega-3.
• 82:56 Bill Harris, on The Drive High-DHA products don't really work on depressive symptoms. The ones that do are richer in EPA.
• 03:39 Rhonda Patrick, on FoundMyFitness In her reading of the studies, about 2 grams of EPA a day may itself ease depression, likely by lowering inflammation.
• 07:44 Elissa Epel, on Huberman Lab How you read a stressor changes what it does to your body, Epel says. In her lab, people who meet a stressor as a challenge, not a threat, pump more blood. An hour or two later they are less inflamed. They also tend to have longer telomeres, the protective caps on chromosomes.
• 50:00 Alia Crum, on Huberman Lab In her studies, which track links rather than causes, people who see stress as useful report better health, well-being and performance.
• 28:50 David Yeager, on Huberman Lab Changing your mindset about stress changes how your body reacts to it.
• 22:13 Robert Sapolsky, on Huberman Lab Stress feels like stimulation when it is mild, brief and in a safe setting, and people differ in where that line falls.
• 32:08 Mark Hyman, on The Doctor's Farmacy Insulin resistance can be reversed, Hyman says. His steps: cut starch and sugar, walk after meals, and train your muscles. Trained muscle pulls glucose out of the blood, partly without needing insulin.
• 139:23 Benjamin Bikman, on The Diary of a CEO Minute for minute, muscle-building work improves insulin sensitivity more than aerobic exercise. Working muscle pulls in glucose without insulin.
• 54:13 Gabrielle Lyon, on The Diary of a CEO She cites a Yale study in which lean, healthy students became insulin resistant after a stretch of inactivity. Everyone needs some resistance training, she says.
• 79:34 Siddhartha Mukherjee, on The Drive Colorectal cancer is rising in young people, and Mukherjee says he does not know exactly why. His best guesses are forever chemicals and a disrupted gut microbiome. His advice: double or triple your fiber, and screen average-risk adults from 40, not 45.
• 01:22 Mark Hyman, on The Doctor's Farmacy Fiber has been shown to cut colon cancer risk by as much as a third. The average American eats about 8 grams a day.
• 34:29 Emily Leeming, on Feel Better, Live More In the UK, people under 50 went from 5% to 10% of bowel cancer cases. Diet is likely central, but her team is still working out why.

Every line above is a video and a minute.