October 2023

mindbodydad
Written By Brian Comly
Newsletter for October

Gut Health After Antibiotics

I was recently hit pretty hard by some sort of respiratory illness that had lingering effects for a good 21+ days afterward.  I was hoping it was viral but it lingered and ultimately proved to be bacterial.  I dragged my feet on getting (then taking) the antibiotic and the inhaler but realized the pros outweighed the cons and I swallowed the pills I tried hard to avoid. 

While antibiotics can be literal lifesavers, they have a slew of repercussions (read here for an interesting overview).  One of the main concerns is how they disrupt your gut microbiome.  It's only been in recent years that we've recognized the importance of the gut microbiome, a vast community of microorganisms in our digestive system.  While research is still in its infancy, we now know that a high microbial diversity in the gut is linked to a variety of health benefits such as mental health, immune system, and even the development of neurodegenerative diseases.

A low microbiome diversity, on the other hand, is linked to inflammatory disorders like IBS, obesity, diabetes, anxiety, and depression. The gut-brain axis, a bidirectional communication system, is pivotal, with 90% of serotonin (the feel-good neurotransmitter) produced in the gut.  Support the gut to support the brain.

So, now that I'm on the mend, I'm on a microbiome-improving quest to heal my gut microbiome and get it beyond where it was before.  Here are some of the strategies I'm using to restore the good bacteria in my gut:

  • Eating more fermented foods.  Fermented foods have been shown to be one of the best avenues to gut restoration post-antibiotics. 

    • Kefir and yogurt are staples in our fridge but in the last few weeks I've been doubling up and adding even more to my protein shakes and having more post-dinner dessert yogurt bowls. 

      1. I go in waves of adding kimchi to my lunches.  I've hopped back on the train and now I'm trying to get some kimchi at least once a day.

      2. Usually, my food shopping "treat" for my wife is a bottle of kombucha so I've been doubling up and getting one for myself as well.

      3. Sauerkraut tends to be one of the best sources of fermented foods but I just cannot find a way to eat it without gagging despite many attempts. 

  • Eating more prebiotic foods.  Prebiotics are a type of fiber that cannot be digested by humans, but they can be fermented by the bacteria in our gut, producing beneficial short-chain fatty acids.

    • Examples include green bananas, garlic, onions, and apples.  They're also in the probiotic capsule I take--see the next point.

  • Taking a probiotic.  The antibiotic kills life, the probiotic promotes it.  I tried probiotics way back in the day and didn't notice an effect so I stopped taking them but since this antibiotic regimen, I ordered a new type of probiotic from Primal Kitchen called Primal Probiotics (MINDBODYDAD for 10% off).  It contains 200mg of prebiotics as well as 10 billion CFU of 4 types of probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus reuteri, and Bacillus coagulans).

  • Adding more fiber to my diet.  Research has shown a strong interplay between the microbiome-promoting aspects of fiber. but this study says it all when it comes down to the best: Soluble Dietary Fiber, One of the Most Important Nutrients for the Gut Microbiota.

    • The best sources of soluble fiber include black beans, brussels sprouts, avocados, and sweet potatoes.

  • Getting (a little) more sleep.  Research has shown that a disruption in your sleep is linked to your gut microbiome as well. 

    • While I'm always factoring in ways to improve my sleep I've been more diligent recently, wearing my blue light blockers more often and trying to adhere to a nightly reminder to get to bed by 9.

Hope this is a helpful resource for the next time you or your kids need to take an antibiotic.

Brian

October Stuff

Best Of The Month

Here are some of my favorite things of the month.

Podcast

Book

Product

  • Mind Lab Pro®. I recently started trying a new supplement to help with my focus, called Mind Lab Pro. I wanted something that didn’t have stimulants (e.g. caffeine) and had research behind it. Mind Lab contains 11 clinically studied ingredients, including Phosphatidylserine, Bacopa monnieri, Lion's mane mushroom, Citicoline, Rhodiola rosea, L-theanine. It’s also been shown to improve information processing, memory, and concentration in two separate studies.


    It improves my focus and attention without any jitters, making me way more productive throughout the day. I’ve been taking it a few times a week, ahead of longer days at work or when I’m a bit more sleep-deprived (which the Phillies’ late games aren’t helping with).

Quote

“A personal metric: how much of the day is spent doing things out of obligation rather than out of interest?”

—Naval 

Things I’ve Learned

Mind

Men Vs. Women

Not too surprised by these survey results.

Managing The Body To Manage Depression

A slew of research has come out in recent weeks on how the body affects the brain, specifically when it comes to depression. 

  • A meta-analysis of 41 studies found that exercise had a large effect on reducing depressive symptoms, with a number needed to treat (NNT) of 2, which means that for every two people who exercise, one additional person will benefit from reduced depressive symptoms. The authors wrote that “Exercise is efficacious in treating depression and depressive symptoms and should be offered as an evidence-based treatment option.”

  • Another study found that older adults who engaged in more moderate to vigorous physical activity throughout the day had lower depressive symptoms. The authors wrote, "To prevent depression in older adults, it is advisable to accumulate a higher amount of MVPA (moderate to vigorous physical activity) throughout the entire day rather than engage in LPA (light physical activity)."

  • A third study involving 4007 participants found a significant association between insulin resistance and depressive symptoms, with a 17% increased incidence rate; this association was particularly notable in non-obese individuals and linked to cognitive/affective and somatic depressive domains.

Always Defer To Nature

Tim Urban


The Christmas Tree Effect

A quick read by Davide Epstein on the paradox of warning signs. Here’s an excerpt:

“The duo studied eight years of traffic data, and 880 electronic warning signs. Here’s the conclusion, in an unfortunate nutshell: the fatality signs increased the number of crashes. The scientists estimated that the road-sign campaign caused an additional 2600 accidents and 16 deaths per year, in Texas alone.”



Body

Don’t Exercise Too Much

One of a few great graphs from a paper, A Hunter-Gatherer Exercise Prescription to Optimize Health and Well-Being in the Modern World. The authors write,

“Though not commonly understood, the health benefits from exercise comprise a reverse J-curve. The endurance athletes residing on the furthest reaches of the PA spectrum appear to lose a substantial portion of the exercise-related longevity and cardiovascular benefits due to cardiac overuse injury.”


Calories vs. Convictions

“The average caloric intake in the USA: 3540 kcal/day

The average daily physical activity: less than 20 mins

But there are people out there who believe oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, & polyunsaturated fats are what is making us sick.”

— Layne Norton


Is It Okay To Eat This Animal? Meat Eaters vs. Vegetarians

Nearly agree on the octopus but far from in agreement on….horses?

Source.


Protocol For Resistance Training For Diabetics

Resistance training is known to be linked to significant improvements o diabetes but where do you begin?  A systematic review looked for the answer.  They analyzed 26 studies and found that the best way to reduce HbA1c and FBG was by doing prolonged lifting with:

  • 70-80% of 1 RM

  • 2-3 times per week

  • 3 sets per session

  • 8-10 repetitions per set, and

  • <60-second rest interval.

90 Animals Ranked By Eyesight (Compared To Humans)

A fascinating (and beautifully presented) breakdown of different animal’s vision. What I love is the respect for the depth of our vision. Instead of just visual acuity, it considers flicker, field of vision, and color/light perception. The snippet above doesn’t do it justice so click here for the full breakdown.


An 81% Caloric Intake with High GI Breakfast & Lunch

New research has found that obese teenage boys who ate a high-glycemic index meal consumed a whopping 81% more calories than those who ate a low-glycemic index meal.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, involved 10 obese teenage boys. The boys were randomly assigned to eat either a high-glycemic index meal or a low-glycemic index meal. The high-glycemic index meal consisted of white bread, pasta, and sugary drinks, while the low-glycemic index meal consisted of whole grains, vegetables, and lean protein.

After eating their meal, the boys were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted for the next two hours. The researchers found that the boys who ate the high-glycemic index meal consumed significantly more calories than the boys who ate the low-glycemic index meal.

Dad

How Many Kids Do You Want?

Apparently, more.


Limit Bleach Use

A study involving more than 9,000 children examined the impact of bleach on childhood infections. The findings were substantial, revealing that households using bleach were associated with a 20% higher likelihood of children contracting the flu compared to those in homes where bleach was not used. Additionally, the incidence of recurrent tonsillitis was 35% greater in households using bleach for cleaning.






How Long Does It Take To Recover From Exams?

8 Days.

Source.

How Your Phone Use Affects Your Kids

Here are some takeaways from a study on Techoference.

  1. The study revealed bidirectional associations between parent technology use and child behavioral difficulties, particularly externalizing symptoms over a 6-month period.

  2. High parent technology use was linked to small but significant increases in externalizing child behavioral problems, such as children seeking attention when parents were absorbed in their mobile devices.

  3. Mobile device use by parents often led to less verbal and nonverbal interaction with children, potentially hindering the development of behavior regulation.

  4. Child behavioral difficulties, especially externalizing problems, were associated with higher levels of parent stress, which in turn led to increased technology use during parent-child activities.

  5. Parents sometimes used mobile devices to withdraw from parenting duties, seeking personal time amid parenting demands.

What’s something that you learned this month?

Brian Comly

Brian Comly, M.S., OTR/L is the founder of MindBodyDad. He’s a husband, father, certified nutrition coach, and an occupational therapist (OT). He launched MindBodyDad.com and the podcast, The Growth Kit, as was to provide practical ways to live better.

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