#nutritional science

[pleasant-plant-x]

I've been nutrient edging (eating frozen pizza and poptarts) for the past 2 weeks.

I plan on eating an apple and a piece of grilled chicken later today, if I never post again its because I died of amino-gooning.

[scienceguy22]

How much is too much alcohol?

There is no threshold of alcohol where risk becomes zero. A 10% increase in risk may sound scary, but if you're a light drinker (equivalent to a 5-oz glass of wine, a 12-oz beer, or 1.5 oz of spirits), the baseline risk is 1%, so a 10% increase in risk becomes 1.1%. The confounders of studies are that they tend to lump former drinkers with health problems, who get lumped in with abstainers, together. The strongest case against alcohol is an increased risk of 7 cancers: 1. Breast cancer—even low levels of alcohol can increase risk by damaging DNA & causing chronic inflammation. 2. Colorectal cancer is dose-dependent; the more alcohol, the higher the risk. 3. Alcohol use increases the risk of liver cancer, fatty liver, hepatitis, and possibly cirrhosis. 4. One of the strongest cancer-alcohol risks known is with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. 5. Mouth & throat cancer, especially when combined with smoking. 6. Similarly, the same goes for laryngeal cancer & 7. Stomach cancer.

Women are more adversely affected by alcohol because it increases estrogen, which increases breast cancer risk. Cancer risk is not the same for every person. Other lifestyle choices are important as well as genetics, sex, family history, medications, metabolism & folate levels. Alcohol reduces folate levels, which are important for DNA repair. This causes mutations, & alcohol is known to suppress the immune system. Some diseases basically only happen because of alcohol; other studies show that alcohol raises the risk of many other diseases but doesn't fully cause them. It is only 1 risk factor among many others. There is a silver lining: if you cut down on alcohol consumption, there is less risk. Low risk means 1-2 drinks/wk.

What about the benefit for the heart—the so-called French Paradox? It used to be thought that there was a J-curve relationship with alcohol & heart disease, but newer analysis suggests that the "benefit" for even light drinkers may be smaller than what we thought & partly due to confounders (light drinkers often have healthier lifestyles overall). So today's more cautious view is that if there is a benefit from light drinking, it's modest & not a reason to start drinking. Forget about moderate to heavy drinking—all bets are off when it comes to health outcomes. Risk increases with dose. At low doses, the increase is small; at high doses, the increase is large.

[vo1dfreckle]

April Days of Productivity

04/29/26

Master to-do list

Pay rent/utilities

Register for next semester classes

Alter some clothing

Build a Minecraft base (farm)

Buy plane tickets and book a hotel for a friend's graduation next month

Research zonulin

Make doctors appointment for PMDD

Speaker reflection #2

Observation assignment

Food and nutrition services exam

Lifecycle exam

Speaker reflection #3

Exam 3 microbio

Assessment 3

Renal case study

Management case study

New additions since the Event TM

Get on own phone plan

Work on research paper for pregnancy and caffeine intake

communicate with advisor

update resume

So essentially, I have been trying to keep up with school amongst the family situation. I successfully am on my own phone plan now (actually on my partner's. It would be cheaper for me and become cheaper for him if we went this route, so I chose a a plan and since it was adding a line on his, I got a new phone for essentially ten bucks!), and I'm intending to update my resume soon. I have a management job at a fast food spot, and it honestly pays alight. But I have zero benefits. So I now must look for a job with benefits so I have health insurance if something goes wrong.

I also decided that between not wanting to put myself in debt, and being incredibly burnt out, I'll be taking a temporary break from school. Registering for classes is out of the list, and I talked to my advisor about what reentry would look like in a semester or two to finish my degree.

Unfourtunately, while I've gotten a lot done, my desire to finish this semester strong has completely plummeted. I want to ignore every academic responsibility I have. I want to do none of it. I have two weeks left, however, and will do my best :(

[collestein-wanheda]

Coffee contains roughly 1-2% caffeine by weight. The other 98-99% is chlorogenic acids at 7-10%, melanoidins formed during roasting, trigonelline, and diterpenes. The non-caffeine fraction is what does most of the work on the gut microbiome.

A new study quantified the shifts. 62 adults: 31 daily drinkers at 3-5 cups per day, 31 non-drinkers. 5-week controlled protocol. APC Microbiome Ireland.

Three findings stood out.

Cryptobacterium species increased in drinkers. These bacteria produce indoles from tryptophan. Indoles activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor on intestinal cells, which supports gut barrier integrity and modulates immune tone.

Eggerthella species also increased. These bacteria metabolize coffee polyphenols, breaking down chlorogenic acids into smaller bioactive metabolites the gut can absorb. The increase is functionally relevant to coffee compound activation, though some Eggerthella species, particularly E. lenta, are linked to inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease and bloodstream infections in immunocompromised patients. The genus has a mixed clinical profile.

Indole-3-propionic acid decreased in drinkers. IPA is a tryptophan-derived metabolite produced by bacteria like Clostridium sporogenes. It's anti-inflammatory and supports tight junction integrity in the gut barrier. Lower IPA correlates with type 2 diabetes risk, gut barrier dysfunction, and inflammation across the literature. A reduction is not a benefit.

The same directional shifts appeared in decaffeinated coffee drinkers. Chlorogenic acids and melanoidins are present in decaf at similar concentrations. Caffeine alone does not explain the microbiome changes.

A few qualifications.

N=62 is small. The findings are exploratory and need replication.

The behavioral component of the study reported a mix of effects. Some measures of cognition shifted in expected directions. Others, including impulsivity and emotional reactivity, also moved. The picture on mood and cognition is more complicated than a single direction.

Whether the IPA reduction reflects a meaningful change in gut barrier function, or is a marker of broader bacterial community changes, isn't resolvable from this data.

Practical framing: coffee changes the gut whether or not it contains caffeine. If caffeine causes problems with sleep, anxiety, or blood pressure, decaf delivers most of the same microbiome effects. The IPA reduction applies to both forms.

Boscaini et al., Nat Commun, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-71264-8

[that-hipster-mermaid]

Very well said.

Thank you! I also forgot to add (so I’ll do it here, sorry to get preachy) that this whole “the liver does it’s job already” attitude shows a dangerous level of ignorance of the liver’s relationship with sugar. Rather than paraphrase, I’ll just share the ACTUAL MEDICAL INFORMATION that shows that, no, your liver doesn’t just “do a great job detoxing everything lolz”:

“Sugar is composed of two molecules… glucose and fructose.

Glucose can be metabolized by every cell in the body and if we don’t get it from the diet, our bodies make it.

However, fructose is different. The only organ that can metabolize sugar is the liver, because only the liver has a transporter for it (2).

Athletes or highly active individuals can eat quite a bit of fructose without problems, because their livers will turn the fructose into glycogen – a storage form of glucose in the liver.

However, when someone’s liver is already full of glycogen (which is true of most people), the fructose will be turned into fat (3).

Some of the fat gets shipped out as blood triglycerides while part of it remains in the liver, contributing to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (4, 5).

At the same time, your liver becomes insulin resistant. This causes elevated insulin all over your body, which can lead to obesity, metabolic syndrome and many other diseases (6, 7).

Eventually, the pancreas will become unable to secrete sufficient insulin to drive blood glucose into cells.

At this point, blood sugar levels elevate significantly… and that’s when a diagnosis of diabetes is made.”- https://authoritynutrition.com/sugar-liver-diabetes/

“According to SugarScience.org, a product of Dr. Robert Lustig and colleagues, who have reviewed more than 8,000 independent studies on sugar and its role in heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease and more:2,3

“Over time, consuming large quantities of added sugar can stress and damage critical organs, including the pancreas and liver. When the pancreas, which produces insulin to process sugars, becomes overworked, it can fail to regulate blood sugar properly.

Large doses of the sugar fructose also can overwhelm the liver, which metabolizes fructose. In the process, the liver will convert excess fructose to fat, which is stored in the liver and also released into the bloodstream.

This process contributes to key elements of MetS [metabolic syndrome], including high blood fats or triglycerides, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and extra body fat in the form of a sugar belly.”- http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/01/13/sugar-destroys-liver-brain.aspx

So, no, your liver CAN’T just take care of it all by itself. This attitude is extremely dangerous and disregarding your bodies natural functions is ignorant at best. When I say that it’s bad for you, I’m not talking about how it will make you look or how it will affect your self-image. I’m literally talking about your actual physical body functioning properly to keep you alive and well.

[isaacsapphire]

Tldr: multi year study in China showed significant reduction in mortality with use of a salt substitute.

The grain of salt I'd suggest taking this with is a reminder that the Chinese in particular overdo it on salt, so folks with less salty cuisines may not see such dramatic results.

Also the salt substitute was high in potassium, so the obvious alternative hypothesis is that that supplementing potassium reduces mortality.

[thedigitalmouth]

Call for Comments: FDA Public Meeting Will Explore Scope of Dietary Supplement Ingredients

Shop Now Health Supplements College Park, MD—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced “Exploring the Scope of Dietary Supplement Ingredients,” a public meeting that will  discuss the evolving landscape of dietary supplement ingredients and how recent scientific and technological advances are shaping the industry. The goal of the meeting: to help inform the agency’s next steps…

Call for Comments: FDA Public Meeting Will Explore Scope of Dietary Supplement Ingredients

[gorobagaikwad]

Nutritional Innovations: Enzymes in Food and Animal Feed

The global Enzymes Market is a critical component of the global food system, ensuring that we can produce more nutritious and sustainable food for a growing population. In the animal feed industry, enzymes such as phytases, carbohydrases, and proteases are added to livestock diets to improve nutrient absorption and reduce feed costs. By helping animals digest their food more efficiently, these enzymes reduce the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen excreted into the environment, thereby lowering the ecological footprint of meat and dairy production while improving animal health.

In human nutrition, enzymes are used to create specialty ingredients such as prebiotics, low-calorie sweeteners, and lactose-free dairy products. The growing prevalence of digestive sensitivities and the global trend toward health and wellness have created a massive demand for enzyme-modified foods. Lactase, for instance, has allowed millions of lactose-intolerant consumers to enjoy dairy products that were previously off-limits. Similarly, amylases and glucose oxidases are used in the baking industry to create "clean label" breads that stay fresh longer without the need for synthetic preservatives.

The beverage industry also relies heavily on enzymes to optimize production and enhance flavor profiles. In brewing, enzymes help break down starches into fermentable sugars and improve the clarity of the final product. In the fruit juice industry, pectinases are used to increase juice yield and prevent cloudiness. These applications not only improve the quality of the products we consume but also help manufacturers reduce waste by extracting the maximum value from their raw materials. This efficiency is vital in an era of fluctuating commodity prices and supply chain uncertainties.

The demand for specialized personalized medicine enzymes and health-focused biocatalysts is driving a significant portion of the market's value. The Enzymes market size was valued at USD 13.74 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 28.17 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.5% from 2024 to 2030. This growth is also fueled by the expansion of the nutraceutical market, where digestive enzyme supplements are increasingly popular among aging populations seeking to maintain metabolic health. The convergence of food science and medicine is creating a fertile ground for enzyme-based innovation.

As we approach 2030, the focus will increasingly turn toward meat alternatives and plant-based proteins. Enzymes are essential for improving the texture and flavor of plant-based meats, making them more appealing to traditional meat-eaters. By breaking down tough plant fibers and cross-linking proteins, enzymes can replicate the "mouthfeel" of animal products. This is a crucial step in the global transition toward more sustainable protein sources. The enzyme industry will remain an indispensable partner for food tech companies as they work to build a more resilient and equitable global food system for the future.