- more black tea, less diabetes (cross-national comparison). Earlier research supports the idea that black tea reduces diabetes.
- Nassim Taleb praises an obscure French novel (translated into English) called The Opposing Shore. Says it is about “the antechamber of anticipation”.
- Natto consumption in different parts of Japan and correlation with Vitamin K levels and hip fracture risk. The correlation between natto consumption and hip fracture risk is weak but significant and cannot be explained by differences in wealth or overall soybean consumption. This is excellent epidemiology.
- Five reasons butter is a superfood. I was unaware that conjugated linoleic acid (of which butter is a good source) inhibits tumors.
- Fish oil and brain injury. Read this before you have a brain injury.
Thanks to Anne Weiss and Dave Lull.
The problem I have with the black tea/diabetes correlation is that they don’t take into account what these populations that consume the most black tea are not consuming that the populations with the lowest black tea consumption, and higher levels of diabetes are consuming.
If one population consumes copious amounts of Crisco, wheat flour and sugar, and small amounts of black tea, is it really the low level of black tea consumption that exposes them to higher rates of diabetes, or is it CWS?
The myopic focus on one element of a population’s diet is what is wrong with all dietary advise today. Population diets are complex and synergistic. All elements of the diet must be taken into consideration if we are to understand why some populations are more prone to contracting a particular disease or metabolic condition.
It may be the tea that leads to lower levels of diabetes in these particular populations, but how do we know it’s not the cigarettes they smoke?
Cheers
Seth: Very likely these studies adjusted/corrected for smoking.
There is actually lots of evidence for the the health benefits of CLA.
One of the theories as to why it works so well is that being a trans fat, and the *only* natural source is mammal milk (and grass fed ruminant fat), that bacteria and pathogens just can’t digest it.
Grassfed beef has five times the cla of grain fed.
There is also CLA sold as a supplement, but made from sunflower oil. It has a slightly different chemical structure and is not nearly as effective, though the vegans won;t believe that, of course.
Being in mammal milk also suggests it is vital for infant health and possibly brain development.
This study found that CLA was a “potent inhibitor” of colon cancer. This supports the empirical results like that of the Tuoli people in NW China, who are dairy herders and have the lowest rates of colon cancer in the country.
It might also explain why reduce butter and beef consumption over recent decades has coincided with an increase in colon cancers – it used to be 37th most common cancer and now is 3rd.
The fact that (normal) colon cells live on butyric acid might have something to do with this too…