These 3 studies were of interest to me, as I love espresso, consume 6oz of nuts per day, and generally like not dying.
Caffeine
A study performed recently at Arizona State University indicated that “moderate” caffeine consumption increased weight lifted on the bench press and improved performance in the Wingate test. I did find their interpretation of “moderate” amusing:
“The study examined caffeine (5 mg/kg body weight) vs. placebo during anaerobic exercise.”
Or, in my case, nearly 450mg of caffeine. Oy Vey.
Cashews
Nuts, or seeds in this case, are a staple in my diet. Not paleo in the truest sense, nuts sate me in a way that few foods can. It turns out a recent study from Purdue University indicates that nuts contribute to a lower BMI (a bullshit measurement, but the one they’re using):
Mechanistic studies indicate this is largely attributable to the high satiety property of nuts, leading to compensatory responses that account for 65–75% of the energy they provide. Limited data suggest chronic consumption is associated with elevated resting energy expenditure resulting in dissipation of another portion of the energy they provide. Additionally, due to poor bioaccessibility, there is limited efficiency of energy absorption from nuts. Collectively, these mechanisms offset much of the energy provided by nuts.
The interesting bit is that nuts have “limited bioaccessibility,” which is news to me.
Casualties (Or Lack Thereof)
Strength training is a treatment for lots of things: body composition, athletic insufficiency, and ego deficit, to name a few. A recent study, likely repeated ad nauseum, indicates it will also repair your aging genes:
However, following exercise training the transcriptional signature of aging was markedly reversed back to that of younger levels for most genes that were affected by both age and exercise.
I’d just like to keep my 87 year old clients from breaking a hip; now I can tell them their genes are only 70 years old.
Skyler Tanner 