Fiber For Longevity, Muscle Loss a Precursor to Cardiovascular Events, Small Steps Make Big Changes
Lightbulbs & Pearls | 003
Dietary Fiber Correlates to Longevity
On the Huberman Lab podcast episode “Dr. Layne Norton: The Science of Eating for Health, Fat Loss and Lean Muscle,” host Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Norton were discussing a recent, very large meta-analysis (an amalgamation of multiple cohort studies, this one involving over a million subjects) that shows fiber consumption is linked to better overall health and longevity. Specifically, it showed that for every 10-gram increase in fiber, there was a 10% decrease in the risk of mortality. Interestingly, this also extended to cardiovascular disease and cancer.
One reason may be that a high-fiber diet has been associated with better gut health, which in turn leads to a healthy microbiome—a proven correlation to longevity. Soluble fiber is prebiotic, which is what feeds the probiotics that nurture the microbiome. How much should fiber should you consume? Dr. Norton said that the typical recommended dose of fiber is 15 grams for every 1,000 calories or as much as you can comfortably eat.
These meta-analysis findings go hand-in-hand with the lessons learned from areas of the world where people live the longest—the Blue Zones—where, although all the diets were different, they shared a common trait of being high in diverse whole food fiber: fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains…
The more I learn, the more apparent it becomes that a diet high in diverse fiber is a cornerstone to optimal overall health. While some ways of eating, such as the carnivore diet, that eschew fiber may be helpful in the short term for weight loss or as a system reboot, they may not be optimal for the long-term goal of living well and aging great.
Muscle Loss is a Greater Risk Than Fat Gain
I have been beating the marvelous muscle drum for a while and my sense is it will only get louder over time—just warning you. On a recent episode of High Intensity Health, host Mike Mutzel was discussing the findings of a recent study that examined the relationship of body composition changes and the risk of a cardiovascular event, which suggests muscle loss rather than fat gain may more accurately predict future heart attacks. The study confirms what has been conventional wisdom, fat gain was indeed a risk factor for heart disease. However, statistically, it is the loss of muscle that was a more reliable predictor.
Over a five-year time period, losing more than 8% of muscle tissue has a hazard ratio almost double that of fat gain. To put that in context, we start losing muscle in our late twenties and after the age of 35—unless mitigated with physical activities—the loss is between .5-1% per year, which only accelerates with age. Yes, I’m talking to you people over 50 and shouting at you over 60.
I’ll reiterate, it is important to note this study in no way discounts the damaging effect of excessive fat—especially the organ-suffocating visceral fat—on your heart. Rather, we must now recognize that muscle tissue acts as a cardio-protective endocrine organ (which I also wrote about in Marvelous Magical Muscles), and consider the double-edged threat of muscle loss and fat gain.
Many fitness and wellness experts, including Mike, recommend prioritizing strength training over aerobic training; not eliminating aerobic training completely, but rather putting building and maintaining muscle as the top priority in overall fitness. This involves eating enough protein and developing a strength training regime of lifting weights and resistance training.
If you’d like to learn more about the other health benefits of muscles and how to get enough protein in your diet, Mike also interviewed Dr. Gabrielle Lyon (creator of muscle-centric medicine) on his podcast, Protein for Muscle Gain, Fat Loss and Longevity With Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, which details the importance of muscle to overall health and longevity, and offers strategies for incorporating enough protein in your diet.
Resolution Refresh: Small Steps, Big Changes
Now that we are slightly over eight weeks into the new year, are some of your health resolutions already a distant memory? Maybe this is a good time to reframe how we look at change, so that discouragement doesn’t set in and worthwhile goals don’t fall by the wayside.
While it wasn’t the primary focus of the discussion, on episode 272 of the Genius Life with Max Lugavere, fitness expert Don Saladino reaffirmed a concept that is all too often buried under the all-or-nothing umbrella of well-meaning experts. Take the small step. Do what you are capable of doing. It will lead to another step and another.
Don’t think that if you can’t carve out an hour for strength training, 20 minutes is no good—it’s better than no minutes, and it will lead to more in the future. My husband and I often take a mile walk around the neighborhood in the morning or at lunch, even if we can’t squeeze in our typical longer, more robust hikes. And on mornings I’m super pressed, I manage to get in 15 minutes with my bands and kettlebells... better than nothing.
If time isn’t your Achilles’ heel, perhaps developing better habits should be your focus. Two terrific resources for building lasting habits are Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear and Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg.
Do you Use Drink Powders? First Make a Slurry
Our nearly 16-year-old son is discovering he can build his muscles and asked me for advice on incorporating creatine—an amino acid that builds strength and improves performance—into his new regime. (I know, a teenage boy asking his mom for advice on muscles!) I researched and found a good creatine in powder form, which is the ticket since he is not a pill taker. At all. Excited to try it, he added it to a drink and stirred like crazy to get it to dissolve properly. After several teenage angst moans and groans, I stepped in and taught him what I had learned with powders.
I add collagen powder to my coffee and integrate electrolyte powder in my afternoon water, and I confess I went down his path several times, dumping the powder into the liquid only to have it just sit there. Stir, stir, stir. A little better. 15 minutes later, still a bunch of clumps. Arghhh. Then my cooking skills kicked in…let’s make a slurry.
If you’re unfamiliar with slurries, a slurry is made of starch and liquid and used to thicken sauces, such as a cornstarch slurry for gravy. If starch is added directly to the broth, the granules don’t disperse evenly and clumps form. To avoid this, you make a slurry in a small bowl by adding a little broth to the starch and stirring until a paste forms, and then add this paste to your larger volume of liquid.
Even though these products aren’t starch, I apply the same principle to powders. I put the product in the bottom of the cup, add a small amount of liquid and let it sit for about 5 minutes until it begins to dissolve. With very little liquid, once I begin to stir, the friction of the particles against each other also aids in breaking down the powder. Then I stir until it’s all smooth, and add the rest of the liquid.
Voila! A clump-free drink!
Do You Have a Question for Ask Ageosophy?
I’m here to help! Please feel free to leave a question in the comments below or send me an email. I look forward to sharing any thoughts and insights that may be helpful and if I don’t have an answer, I will do some digging. Thank you!