‘Eat the rainbow’ really is good health advice

Interest in collagen supplements continues to grow – and for good reason. That’s because despite rubbish claims that are way off the mark that there is ‘no evidence they work’ and ‘all the research is funded by the collagen industry’, the reality is very different. In past podcasts I’ve delved into the topic of hydrolysed collagen supplements and skin health and where there are now dozens of blinded randomised controlled trials showing a benefit in increasing skin moisture and elasticity and reducing wrinkles – with many of the studies free from any conflict of interest and all supported by plausible mechanisms as to why collagen, and not other protein sources, can do this. But for this podcast, I want to focus on one of the other reasons that people may take collagen: and that’s to give relief from joint pain and stiffness. So for this episode, I’m going to focus on arthritis and outline what the clinical evidence says and what unique biological mechanisms could be at play to support a unique effect of collagen supplements.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Podcast Episode 82 - Collagen supplements: an update on the evidence for health benefits  https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com/808853/9137267-collagen-supplements-an-update-on-the-evidence-for-health-benefits
• Podcast Episode 120 - Tendon troubles: can collagen supplements help with tendon repair? https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com/808853/13372233-tendon-troubles-can-collagen-supplements-help-with-tendon-repair
• Systematic review of hydrolysed collagen in skin ageing 2023 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10180699
• Systematic review of collagen supplementation in osteoarthritis 2018 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30368550
• Review of collagen supplementation for joint health 2023 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10058045
• Systematic review of undenatured collagen and osteoarthritis 2023 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37854210

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Irritable bowel syndrome is one of the most common gastrointestinal complaints. With no single identified trigger or treatment, IBS can be a minefield for a person to try and get on top of. Dietary changes like a low-FODMAP diet, supplements and stress modification all have a role to play. Another emerging treatment for IBS are probiotics. Probiotics may improve IBS symptoms by changing the gut microbiota and their metabolite production which can change gut motility, inflammation and gut hypersensitivity. In this podcast, I’ll look at the evidence for the use of probiotic supplements in IBS.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Systematic review of probiotics in IBS https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37541528

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The establishment and development of the microbiome in the early stages of life can play a pivotal role in affecting our health throughout life. The formation of our microbiome happens during the perinatal period where it is influenced by the interaction between the microbiomes of mothers and infants. The microbial composition of breast milk plays an important part in this process. The microbiome of breast milk is also influenced by the gut microbiome of the mother through what is termed the gut-breast axis. In this podcast, I'll explore these mother-infant microbiome links and discover what the scientific evidence has to say about the potential for maternal probiotic supplements having a positive influence on the health of mother and infant.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Systematic review on the effect of maternal probiotics on breastmilk and infant microbiomes and health https://www.ajogmfm.org/article/S2589-9333(23)00290-2/fulltext
• Cochrane review on probiotics in reducing the risk of gestational diabetes https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD009951.pub3/full

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Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common with women about 30 times more likely to develop one than men. The bacterial infection of a UTI can cause painful burning sensations when urinating, frequent and strong urges to urinate, and changes in the composition of the urine. Antibiotics are the most common first-line treatment for UTIs, but there is growing interest in the role that nutrition-related treatments can play in reducing the risk of developing a UTI in the first place. Enter the most common self-prescribed and best-researched treatment: the humble cranberry. In this podcast, I’ll look at the evidence for cranberries in all their forms for helping to reduce the risk of developing UTIs.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Cochrane review of cranberries and the risk of developing UTIs   https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001321.pub6/full

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Tendons play a vital part in helping us move. They are a collagen-infused super-strong bridge that connects muscles to bones allowing you to move your limbs. When overused, overloaded or damaged, these same tendons can cause us a lot of pain and movement impairment. Outside of the well-defined medical treatments and physiotherapy rehabilitation programs that assist with recovering from tendon injuries, there has been growing interest in the role of specialised tendon-targeted nutritional supplements in aiding repair and recovery. And for good reason, hydrolysed collagen is a key component of many of these supplements. In this podcast, I’ll look at where the evidence stands for nutritional supplements helping with tendon healing.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Review of nutritional supplements in the management of tendinopathy https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37146985
• Review of collagen peptide supplementation on joint injury and recovery https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8521576
• Collagen supplements: the science behind the health benefits https://www.thinkingnutrition.com.au/collagen-supplements-health
• Systematic review of the effect of collagen supplements on skin ageing https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/9/2080

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Do you want to lose weight, boost your metabolism, improve your digestion, detox your body, and have glowing skin all while keeping your body nicely alkalised and in balance? You can. All you need do is start each day with a glass of water with the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon in it. I mean water is good for you. And lemons, being a fruit, are good for you. So why not combine the two and get a quantum level of health-boosting synergy? Okay, so now for a dose of reality as I explore the whole lemon water trend and pull apart those amazing health claims to see what is hype and what is reality. 

Links referred to in the podcast

• Effect of lemon juice on the glycaemic response to bread https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35013789
• Effect of lemon juice on kidney stone recurrence https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8683665

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In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the potential negative health effects of lectins. What are lectins? They’re a type of protein found in many plant foods such as legumes, wholegrains and some fruits and vegetables. If you take YouTube clips and popular diet books on their word, then these lectins are harmful to human health and are a major driver of inflammation, weight gain and many chronic diseases. Of course, to believe all this, you need to suspend the reality that humans have been eating these foods for thousands of years and it is only in modern times that we have been hit with all these major health problems. But hey, we need to blame it all on something I guess and lectins seem like a great way to sell books and get website clicks. In this podcast, I’ll explore the role of lectins in the diet, the alleged health risks, and counter that with the health benefits of eating lectin-containing foods.

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It is something that all regular and not-so-regular exercisers have experienced: muscle pain and soreness in the days following a particularly hard training session. It is the price paid for the benefits exercise, especially resistance training, can have on growing muscle mass and strength, stability, glucose tolerance and bone density. The list of ways that people deal with exercise-induced muscle soreness is long, but in this podcast, I’ll explore one aspect. And that’s how protein helps with the recovery process and how it can be doing you good even if the aches and pains don’t feel any less.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Meta-analysis on the effect of protein supplementation on exercise-induced muscle damage https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-022-01250-y
• Review of protein timing https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5

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Olive oil is a core staple in a Mediterranean-style diet. And it is for good reasons that it takes a central place as a ‘go to’ salad and cooking oil in kitchens around the world. In this age where too many foods are dubiously anointed with the title of ‘superfood’, extra virgin olive oil may just be one food deserving of this name in the oil category. In this podcast, I’ll look at the unique properties of olive oil and delve into what the scientific evidence says about its health benefits.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Olive oil consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.1041203/full
• The PREDIMED Study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4030221
• Coconut oil consumption and cardiovascular disease risk https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/74/4/267/1807413

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If you’re active on social media in the health and nutrition space, it’s very likely you’ve seen health advice over the last few years warning you about the evils of seed oils. These seed oils are toxic don’t you know? And they’re blamed for a whole host of health ills such as inflammation, lowered immunity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and more. But the reality about seed oils is far less scary and there are few health concerns you need worry about. And likely quite a few health benefits to be gained by having them. In this podcast, I’ll look at what seed oils are, explain where all those health warnings have come from and put this all into context for what it means for your health and the foods you choose to eat.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Blood levels of omega-6 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30971107
• Cochrane review of omega-6 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD011094.pub4/full
• Dietary fats and inflammatory markers in IBD https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33084958

Episode transcript
To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com

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