Thinking Nutrition

Food porn is all about posting and engaging with photos of desirable and stylised food on social media. And those digital images can do real things to our brains. Researchers are now digging below the surface level of social media trends and are exploring how the sharing of food porn images can influence the food choices we make. In this podcast, I look at how that influence can help nudge us in the direction of better food choices.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Can food porn prime healthy eating? https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-022-01139-w
• Association between indulgent descriptions and vegetable consumption: twisted carrots and dynamite beets https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2630753

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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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term that describes chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the two most common forms of IBD. In recent years, research into the role of diet in the cause and treatment of IBD has been gaining traction. In this podcast episode, I look at some of that evolving research into potential dietary triggers linked to causing IBD as well as possible treatments for managing IBD with diet.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Review of diet for IBD https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-021-01051-9
• Faecal microbiota transplantation for the treatment of IBD https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2020.574533/full

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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For decades, carbohydrates have been at the centre of sports nutrition guidelines to help maximise physical performance and maintain muscle glycogen levels. But interest in an alternative approach, that being very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets, has been growing for some time. With the dual aim of reducing body fat and enhancing the use of fat as a primary fuel source during exercise, there are plenty of glowing social media testimonials attesting to the benefits of this way of eating for athletes. But the research evidence for some years has been painting a very different, and often, opposing picture. And that’s what I explore in this podcast episode when I look at the findings of a recent systematic review on the topic of how the keto diet performs on exercise performance and body composition in athletes and trained individuals. 

Links referred to in the podcast

• Effect of a ketogenic diet on performance and body composition in athletes and trained individuals https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35757868

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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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 50. AMD is a progressive disease seen as damage to the retina, which can lead to permanent central vision loss and even blindness. Good nutrition is important for eye health. And for many years, a range of nutrients have been specifically promoted as having a role in helping to protect the eye from AMD progression. Much of the evidence to support the role of nutrition in AMD has come from observational research. But there have been some long-term clinical trials using specific nutritional supplements that give a clue to what may work. In this podcast episode, I profile the results from a follow-up study to one of the biggest intervention studies in this area.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Nutrition supplements and AMD in the AREDS2 trial https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35653117

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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Twitter: CroweTim

Eczema is a general term for rash-like skin conditions with atopic dermatitis being the most common form. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterised by itching and recurrent eczema patches. Up to 20 percent of children can be affected by atopic dermatitis, but even in adults, it is far from uncommon with prevalence rates of between 1 and 3 percent. One growing area of study in the cause and treatment of atopic dermatitis is the role of the gut and skin microbiome through its effects on our immune system. One area of interest is the role of probiotics in treating eczema. And while much of the research here has been on infants and children, there has been a growing evidence base for adults as well. And that’s what I’ll be exploring in this podcast.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Systematic review of probiotics in adults with atopic dermatitis https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35670101

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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Twitter: CroweTim

It was my second ever podcast episode released way back in February of 2020, but it has proven to be the most popular. It was titled The User’s Guide to Intermittent Fasting. Now, it is time to revisit the topic of intermittent fasting with an update on the clinical evidence for how fasting stacks up for its effects on body weight and metabolic health compared to other ways of eating. And that’s what I’ll be exploring in this episode by profiling the results of a recent review on this topic.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Review of intermittent fasting vs calorie restricted and unrestricted diets https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35586738

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

 Connect with me
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Facebook: Thinking Nutrition
Twitter: CroweTim

Advice to ‘eat the rainbow’ has been circulating in the nutrition sphere for some time. And no, it is not a call to action to get more Skittles in your life. Instead, it is all about choosing a variety of fruits and vegetables primarily based on their colour. Red, blue, orange, purple, yellow and green are the important colours here. And those colours occur because of the presence of a family of different polyphenol and other phytonutrient and other phytonutrients naturally found in foods. It is those coloured pigments that could explain many of the health benefits from eating these foods on your longevity, body weight, blood lipids and risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. In this podcast episode, I’ll explore the science behind ‘eating the rainbow’.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Review of colourful pigments in fruits and vegetables and health https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/27/13/4061/htm

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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Twitter: CroweTim

If variety is the spice of life, then for some, a hot chilli dish is the ultimate way to add spice to life. But outside of the Mexican fiesta party happening inside your mouth and the waterworks from your sweat glands, could there be some benefits for your health? It's time to turn up the heat on chillies as I look at the science and health benefits linked to eating them.

Links referred to in the podcast

• Effects of capsaicinoids supplementation on metabolic syndrome https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-77983-2
• Effect of capsaicinoids on sports performance https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijspp/16/4/article-p464.xml

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

Connect with me
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Facebook: Thinking Nutrition
Twitter: CroweTim

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are a popular sports supplement with bodybuilders and athletes. But you don’t need to look for them in a bottle as our diet naturally contains them as part of the amino acid building blocks of protein. With claims of increased muscle protein synthesis, decreased muscle protein breakdown, enhanced endurance and less muscle soreness, they seem to be an essential supplement that no athlete can do without. In this episode, I’ll look at those claims and explore the evidence. TL;DR – save your money on BCAA supplements and just eat a variety of high-protein foods which is what athletes pretty much do already.

Links referred to in the podcast

• AIS fact sheet on BCAAs https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/supplements/group_c

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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Facebook: Thinking Nutrition
Twitter: CroweTim

Counselling and medication gain most of the treatment attention for depression, but the promise of dietary changes to help to improve the outlook of people with depression and other common conditions such as anxiety is gaining traction. Welcome to the rapidly moving world of nutritional psychiatry which is uncovering key links between diet and mental health. And one such dietary pattern, the Mediterranean diet, is now building a research base behind it to support a change to the dietary themes this diet promotes to help improve mental health. And that’s what I’ll be exploring more about in this podcast episode.

Links referred to in the podcast

• SMILES trial https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y
• Effect of a Mediterranean diet with fish oil on depression https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29215971
• Effect of a Mediterranean diet on depression in young men https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35441666

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

Connect with me
Instagram: doctimcrowe
Facebook: Thinking Nutrition
Twitter: CroweTim