My Top anti-aging foods
Implications of the protein leverage hypothesis for obesity prevention
Did you catch my segment on the Today Show with Hoda and Jenna this week? I walked them through my favorite immune-boosting, anti-aging superfoods — all of which you can pick up at your average grocery store!
In the segment you’ll discover the foods that can support your heart and brain health, improve digestion and sleep, and help fight chronic disease. And you’ll learn a surprising tip when eating kiwi and strawberries to make them even better for you! Watch the clip here.
This week, I welcome back one of my best friends and recurring guests, Sal di Stefano. Sal is the cohost of the wildly popular podcast, MindPump. His behavior-focused approach and easy-to-execute communication style have helped countless clients and listeners unlock long-term success in achieving their health and fitness goals.
I had the pleasure of tapping Sal’s knowledge bank to walk us through exactly what to do to build a healthy body composition. We discuss why strength is one of the most important metrics to track, how much protein to eat, the importance of NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), exercising smarter, reverse dieting, and the ideal training volume to lose body fat while maintaining strength and building muscle.
Sal’s fitness approach is rooted in science, and I’m super stoked to have him share his latest insights with you. Watch the episode here.
Omega-3 fats are critical for regulating inflammation, supporting cellular health, and because half the fatty acids in our brain consist of omega-3s, they’re also essential for cognitive function. A new systematic review and meta-regression analysis is steepening the evidence even further, showing that omega-3 supplementation also boosts BDNF.
What’s BDNF? BDNF is like Miracle-Gro for the brain. It allows the growth of new neurons and fosters enhanced communication between nerve cells. According to this analysis, omega-3 supplementation significantly raised BDNF levels, and this effect was more pronounced for durations over ten weeks and doses of 1,500 mg or less per day (woohoo! No mega doses needed).
This effect was best observed in individuals under 50, suggesting that our brain is the most plastic in our younger years. But alas, it’s never too late to reap the benefits of omega-3s! Most people are undereating the bioavailable dietary sources (i.e., salmon, roe, anchovies, sardines), all the more reason to include an omega-3 supplement in your brain stack.
Look for a high-quality triglyceride-based fish oil supplement with around 500 mg DHA and 1,000 mg EPA; or krill oil, which contains other brain-healthy nutrients like choline and astaxanthin. Read the study abstract here.
This study is a prime example of how ultra-processed hyper-palatable foods make us overeat and gain weight. Although the cohort was small (20 weight-stable adults), the results represent how our modern-day food environment fuels the current obesity and metabolic health crisis.
Subjects were randomly assigned to eat an ultra-processed or unprocessed diet for two weeks. They were given three isocaloric meals daily and instructed to eat ad libitum. Hall et al. tried to control for nutritional parameters.
However, the ultra-processed vs. unprocessed meals differed substantially in the proportion of added sugar vs. total sugar (~54 percent vs. one percent, respectively), insoluble fiber vs. total fiber (~16 percent versus 77 percent), saturated fat vs. total fat (~34 percent vs. 19 percent), and the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (~11:1 vs. 5:1).
After two weeks, participants immediately switched to the alternate diet for another two weeks. In the end, the ultra-processed group ate, on average, 500 more calories per day than the unprocessed group, which mainly came from carbs and fat.
This finding correlated with weight gain and increased body fat percentages. Researchers hypothesize that individuals overeat carbs and sugar to get enough protein and nutrients — a phenomenon known as the protein leverage hypothesis.
(Read on to learn more about this!) Reducing your intake of ultra-processed foods and consuming adequate protein from whole-food sources can help prevent overeating. Read the study here.
The protein leverage hypothesis posits that the body regulates food intake based on the amount of protein in the diet.
According to the hypothesis, when protein is low relative to carbohydrates and fats, individuals overeat to meet their protein requirements.
It’s no coincidence that Big Food formulates ultra-processed foods to dilute protein with excess carbs and fat. Cheap ingredients + easy to overeat = more revenue.
It’s also a recipe for obesity and metabolic mayhem.
Numerous animal and human studies have explored the protein leverage hypothesis to understand its potential implications for obesity.
Simpson and Raubenheimer (2005) analyzed the effects of varying protein content in the diets of rats and found that they adjusted their total food intake to maintain a constant level of protein intake.
Gosby et al. (2011) investigated humans’ eating behavior with different protein proportions and observed that individuals compensated for low-protein diets by increasing their energy intake.
A meta-analysis by Hansen et al. (2021) found that increasing dietary protein led to a greater reduction in body weight compared to controls (isocaloric interventions with calorie reduction).
These studies support the importance of leveraging dietary protein to prevent overeating and promote a healthy body composition through greater satiety and nutrient density.
In other words, prioritize it with every meal. Yay, protein!
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