Get Real Health with Dr. Chana Davis

Personalized Nutrition: Are We There Yet? (Dr. Sarah Berry)

Dr. Sarah Berry joins us to talk about the personalized nutrition, also known as precision nutrition.

This episode sheds light on why two people can respond very differently to the same foods, and shares the emerging science that is helping us understand how to optimize our diets. We discuss three key factors that influence our response to food, and, ultimately, our health: who we are, what we eat, and when we eat.

Dr. Berry is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King's College London. Her research focuses on precision nutrition, postprandial metabolism, and the structure of food. She is also the lead nutritional scientist at Zoe, a personalised nutrition company. Zoe runs the world's largest nutrition-science study, called PREDICT, to understand the complex relationship between food and health.

 

Connect with Dr. Sarah Berry:
Twitter
King's College London
Zoe

Links:
JoinZoe.com

Processed Foods and Obesity: Emerging Science (Dr. Deirdre Tobias)

Dr. Deirdre Tobias joins us to talk about the relationship between diet, obesity, and health, with a focus on the role of processed foods.

Dr. Tobias is an epidemiologist who specializes in nutrition, obesity, and methods. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

This episode explores the following questions:
- What are (ultra) processed foods?
- What do we know about the link between food processing and obesity and related diseases? What do we not yet understand?
- What are the limitations of the "whole is good and processed is bad" food rule?
- How can we translate nutrition science into actionable advice for the public? 

Drs. Tobias and Davis also share practical tips for how they shop and prepare foods for their families in a way that leverages the advantages of processed foods while ensuring high nutritional value.

More from Dr. Deirdre Tobias at Harvard and on Twitter.

Resources

The Harvard Nutrition Source https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/

Studies

Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33027677/

Eliminate or reformulate ultra-processed foods? Biological mechanisms matter
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34699743/

The energy balance model of obesity: beyond calories in, calories out
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35134825/

Ultra-processed food consumption and excess weight among US adults
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29729673/

Making Sense of Nutrition Studies and Headlines (Dr. Deirdre Tobias)

Dr. Deirdre Tobias joins us to break down how nutrition research is done and how it's translated, or mis-translated, into health headlines.

 

The goal of this episode is to help you navigate flip-flopping nutrition headlines using practical tips and a basic understanding of nutrition research. Buckle up for a candid look at different types of studies, and a discussion of key concepts like causation, confounders and chance (p values).

 

Dr. Tobias is an epidemiologist who specializes in nutrition, obesity, and methods. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

More from Dr. Deirdre Tobias at Harvard and on Twitter.

Resources:
The Harvard Nutrition Source https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/

 

Inside the World of Allergies (Dr. Samira Jeimy)

Dive into the world of allergies with Dr. Samira Jeimy, an allergist and clinical immunologist. In her day job, Dr. Jeimy helps families prevent and manage all sorts of allergies, from drugs and vaccines, to chronic hives, to common foods allergens like peanuts and milk. On the side, she posts science-based tidbits on social media to help the public understand what allergies are, and what they are not.

 

In this episode we discuss:

• Biology: What causes allergies? What happens inside an allergic person?
• Prevention: How can we prevent allergies allergies? Should potential allergens, like peanuts, be introduced early (spoiler, yes!).
• Testing: How do allergists tests for allergies? Which allergy tests are NOT validated, yet commonly sold to the public?
• Myths and misconceptions: How is the term allergy often misused?
• Awareness: How can all of us practice allergy awareness?

Dr. Jeimy is assistant professor and program Director for the Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy at Western University, in Ontario, Canada.

 

Links:

• Dr. Samira Jeimy at Western University
• Dr. Samira Jeimy on social: Homepage/Instagram/Twitter
• The Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Studies:

• Du Toit, 2015. Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy

Hormone Health: Science vs Misinformation (Dr. Eve Bloomgarden)

Learn about the science of hormone health with Dr. Eve Bloomgarden, a board-certified endocrinologist and misinformation slayer.

 

Dr. Bloomgarden has expertise in thyroid health, pituitary disorders, and metabolic bone disease and has been working as a physician and educator for nearly a decade at Northwestern University. She will soon be transitioning to Director of Thyroid at the NorthShore University HealthSystem.

 

This episode covers a lot of ground, from what hormones are, to the definition of hormone health, to how our hormones change, from minute to minute and throughout our lives. Dr. Bloomgarden also shares valuable advice on what NOT to buy. She explains why it's vital to proceed with great caution when it comes to unregulated supplements and tests. 

Dr. Bloomgarden is also a passionate science communicator who plays a leadership role in two science outreach non-profits, IMPACT, a volunteer coalition of healthcare professionals centered in Chicago and the Women in Medicine Summit.

Links:

• Dr. Bloomgarden on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
• Dr. Bloomgarden at Northwestern University

Studies:

Pontzer, 2021. Daily energy expenditure through the human life course

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34385400/

Nature vs Nurture: Learning From Twin Studies (Dr. Nancy Segal)

Learn about the roles of nature and nurture in shaping our lives, with Dr. Nancy Segal, a leading expert in twin studies.

 

Nancy Segal, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at California State University, Fullerton and Director of the Twin Studies Center. She has authored over 250 scientific articles and six books on twins and twin development. She is also a twin herself.

 

Dr. Segal chats with host Dr. Chana Davis (a geneticist, and mother of twins) about how twins are studied, and what we have learned about the roles of genes and environment on height, intelligence, personality and more. They also share personal reflections on how we can apply this knowledge to the way we live, parent, and think about ourselves.

 

Dr. Segal also shares a preview of her latest book, entitled Deliberately Divided: Inside the Controversial Study of Twins and Triplets Adopted Apart.

Resources

• Dr. Segal's website and books: https://www.drnancysegaltwins.org
• Dr. Segal's faculty profile at Cal State Fullerton
• International Society of Genetic Genealogy Wiki

Studies

• Meta-analysis of the heritability of human traits based on fifty years of twin studies (Polderman et al, 2015)
• Identical twins carry a persistent epigenetic signature of early genome programming (van Dongen et al, 2021)

Making Meat From Plants at Impossible Foods (Dr. Sue Klapholz)

Learn about making meat from plants from Dr. Sue Klapholz, VP of Nutrition & Health at Impossible Foods. Impossible makes plant-based foods designed to replace animal meat, including the shockingly realistic Impossible Burger. 

 

Dr. Klapholz has had a diverse career as a doctor, scientist, teacher, editor and writer. In this conversation she shares the inside scoop on:

- How Impossible Foods creates "meat" from plants
- Similarities and differences between proteins from plants and animals
- How protein quality is measured
- Why and how food manufacturers use microbes to produce ingredients
- Why the word "processed" need not be a dirty word
- The impacts of animal agriculture on the planet

Disclosure: I have a personal connection - but no financial connection - to Impossible Foods. I did my PhD in genetics at Stanford in the lab of Impossible's founder, Dr. Pat Brown. The company was launched in 2011, five years after I graduated. I'm grateful to know both Pat Brown and Sue Klapholz personally.

Links:

Bio for Dr. Sue Klapholz

Impossible Foods blog on Medium

 

Studies:

Safety Evaluation of Soy Leghemoglobin Protein Preparation Derived From Pichia pastoris, Intended for Use as a Flavor Catalyst in Plant-Based Meat

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29642729/

 

Assessment of the potential allergenicity and toxicity of Pichia proteins in a

novel leghemoglobin preparation

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33171209/

 

A metabolomics comparison of plant-based meat and grass-fed meat indicates large nutritional differences despite comparable Nutrition Facts panels

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34226581/

 

Perspective: The Public Health Case for Modernizing the Definition of Protein Quality

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31066877/

 

Dietary protein quality evaluation in human nutrition

https://www.fao.org/ag/humannutrition/35978-02317b979a686a57aa4593304ffc17f06.pdf

COVID-19 in Kids: Vaccine Benefits & Risks (Dr. Janine McCready)

Dr. Janine McCready, an infectious disease physician, joins Dr. Chana Davis to talk about COVID-19 and kids. They discuss the impact of COVID-19 on kids and the rest of society, and share their thoughts on vaccinating their own young children.

 

Dr. McCready treats patients at the Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) in Toronto and has been supporting schools and childcare centres in East Toronto throughout the pandemic. She is also Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and Associate Director of Infection Prevention and Control at MGH.

 

Some of the questions covered include:

 

- How can I tell if my kid has COVID-19?

- Which kids are at higher risk of severe COVID-19?

- Do healthy kids need to worry too?

- What role do kids play in spreading COVID-19 to others?

- How do the risks associated with vaccines for kids stack up against the burden of COVID-19 infections? Short term? Long term? 

 

Note: This episode was recorded in October 2021, when COVID-19 vaccine trials in kids (5-11) were completed but had not yet been approved and rolled out.

 

Studies:

Characteristics of children admitted to hospital with acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in Canada in 2020

Predicting SARS-CoV-2 infections for children and youth with single symptom screening

 

COVID-19 resource for the public:

ScienceUpFirst - fighting misinformation with digestible science on social media

Health Canada COVID-19 resources

Public Health Ontario COVID-19 resources

 

More from Dr. McCready:

Dr. McCready at the Micheal Garron Hospital

Dr. McCready on Twitter

mRNA Vaccines: From Lab to Jab (Dr. Anna Blakney)

Dr. Anna Blakney, a research scientist who specializes in RNA medicines, takes a deep dive into mRNA vaccines.

She explains what's in mRNA vaccines (including plant vs animal origins), how they are made, and what happens inside your body when you get jabbed. She also the long history of mRNA vaccines and how they have been tested. Dr. Blakney also shares tips for being an informed consumer and sussing out reliable information, a topics she is passionate about.

 

Dr. Blakney is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. She completed a PhD in bioengineering and a research fellowship on RNA medicines at Imperial College London.

 

Links:

• Dr. Anna Blakney lab page
• Dr. Anna Blakney on TikTok
• Team Halo United Nations: Connecting the public with COVID-19 researchers
• Gene therapy vs mRNA vaccines - what's the differences? (Fueled by Science post)

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HOSTED BY CHANA DAVIS, PHD

Access more of Dr. Davis' work at fueledbyscience.com or on social @fueledbyscience (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)

Season One Highlights Part 3 (Dr. Chana Davis)

Join Dr. Chana Davis for gems from Season One, Ep 19-28. She shares expert insights on a wide range of topics spanning hormone replacement therapy, type 2 diabetes, weight stigma, intuitive eating, obesity, and fighting misinformation. 
 
Topics and guests:
* 19) Hormone replacement therapy: Risks vs benefits (Dr. Avrum Bluming & Dr. Carol Tavris) 
* 20) Hormone replacement therapy: Navigating options & bioidenticals (Dr. Avrum Bluming, USC)
* 21) Dietary Strategies for Managing Type 2 Diabetes (Dr. Nicola Guess, University of Westminster) 
* 22) Type 2 Diabetes Risk Factors and Prevention (Dr. Nicola Guess, University of Westminster) 
* 23) Diet Culture and The Anti-Diet Movement (Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro, VitaminPhD) 
* 24) Intuitive Eating & Weight Neutral Approaches (Dr. Gabrielle Fundaro, VitaminPhD‪) 
* 25) Making Sense of Health Headlines for COVID-19 and More (Dr. Lindsey Leininger, Dear Pandemic & Tuck School of Business) 
* 26) Vaccine Hesitancy and Pandemic Denial (Dr. Lindsey Leininger, Dear Pandemic & Tuck School of Business) 
* 27) Obesity Causes and Treatments (Dr. Fatima Stanford, Harvard Medical School)
* 28) Tackling Weight Bias and Weight Stigma (Dr. Fatima Stanford, Harvard Medical School) 
Note: Ep 19-28 were recorded February 2021 to June 2021. 

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ABOUT THE HOST
 
Dr. Chana Davis is a scientist with a PhD in genetics from Stanford University who loves helping others make informed choices using science.
 
See more of Dr. Davis' work on her website: https://fueledbyscience.com or on social @fueledbyscience (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)