Wellness

Even if we could accurately diagnose small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), if there is no difference in symptoms between those testing positive and those testing negative, what’s the point? Gastrointestinal symptoms like abdominal pain and bloating account for millions of doctor visits every year. One of the conditions that may be considered for such a […]

In every grade school class photo, I seem to have a mess of tousled hair on my head. No matter how much my mom tried to tame my hair, it was a little unruly. (I sported the windblown look without even trying.) Later came my metalhead phase, with headbangable hair down to the middle of

A randomized controlled trial investigates diet and psychological well-being. “Psychological health can be broadly conceptualized as comprising 2 key components: mental health (i.e., the presence of absence of mental health disorders such as depression) and psychological well-being (i.e., a positive psychological state, which is more than the absence of a mental health disorder,” and that

How can we use sensory-specific satiety to our advantage? When we eat the same foods over and over, we become habituated to them and end up liking them less. That’s why the “10th bite of chocolate, for example, is desired less than the first bite.” We have a built-in biological drive to keep changing up

If you’ve heard of billionaire Bryan Johnson, you’ve likely encountered the phrase “bio age testing.” Johnson, the subject of the Netflix documentary Don’t Die, says he’s on a quest to achieve the lowest possible “biological age” (also known as bio age). He reportedly spends millions each year on anti-aging treatments—dozens of daily supplements, weekly acid

Big Food uses our hard-wired drive for dietary diversity against us. How did we evolve to solve the daunting task of selecting a diet that supplies all the essential nutrients? Dietary diversity. By eating a variety of foods, we increase our chances of hitting all the bases. If we only ate for pleasure, we might

I debunk the myth of protein as the most satiating macronutrient. The importance of satiety is underscored by a rare genetic condition known as Prader-Willi syndrome. Children with the disorder are born with impaired signaling between their digestive system and their brain, so they don’t know when they’re full. “Because no sensation of satiety tells

I dive into one of the most fascinating series of studies I’ve ever come across. Anyone can lose weight by eating less food. Anyone can be starved thin. Starvation diets are rarely sustainable, though, since hunger pangs drive us to eat. We feel unsatisfied and unsatiated on low-calorie diets. We do have some level of

Many people with IBS would trade 10 to 15 years of life expectancy for an instant cure for their condition. This is according to the results of a study of nearly 2,000 people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).1 In other research, people with IBS said they would take a medicine that carried a one percent

Why do some pine nuts cause a bad taste in your mouth that can last for weeks? The reason I make pesto with walnuts instead of the more traditional pine nuts isn’t only because walnuts are probably healthier with 20 times more polyphenols, but also because of a mysterious phenomenon known as PMS. Not that