Over the last decade, scientists and researchers have made huge advancements in our understanding of the human microbiome, which is the complex community of microorganisms that live in the human body. Of particular interest has been the human <a href="https://futurism.com/sponsored-gut-health-crisis">gut microbiome</a>, which consists of the bacteria, fungi, phages, yeast, parasites, and viruses that live in our digestive tract and dramatically affect our overall gut health.
Scientists have observed that changes in the human gut microbiome can affect our digestive health and our immune systems, and possibly even our mood and behavior. They have also established links between our gut health and a number of human diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, irritable bowel syndrome, and colon cancer.
Unfortunately, while research on the human gut microbiome is very promising, much of what science has actually revealed is being drowned in what <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/microbiology-microbiome-science-needs-a-healthy-dose-of-scepticism-1.15730" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harvard researcher William Hanage</a> calls a “tsunami of its own hype.” For example, food companies, natural health bloggers, and daytime TV doctors are out there telling people to eat all these specific foods that they claim will promote a gut health. But in fact these “experts” have no idea what foods you should eat, because the science says everyone’s gut is different. As a result, what is good for one person is not necessarily good for the next.
In reality, if you want to take advantage of our increased understanding of human microbiomics, you need a <a href="https://individualizedmedicineblog.mayoclinic.org/2017/06/13/the-magic-of-the-microbiome-new-mayo-researcher-looks-for-ways-to-promote-health-prevent-disease/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">diet tailored for your unique gut microbiome</a>. And to understand what makes your own gut microbiome unique, you need to take a microbiome test to figure out exactly what is going on in your digestive tract. Currently, the most advanced microbiome test available is from a company called <a href="https://www.viome.com/?refcode=FUTURISM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Viome</a>.
<h2><a href="https://www.viome.com/?refcode=FUTURISM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Viome Essential &#8211; Gut Intelligence Test</a></h2>
<figure id="attachment_156235" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.viome.com/?refcode=FUTURISM" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="wp-image-156235 size-large" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2019/04/viome-kit-new-2-1200x800.png" alt="Viome gut microbiome testing for gut health." width="1200" height="800" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Viome.com</figcaption></figure>
A microbiome test is like a DNA test, only instead of mapping out genes that are linked to specific health issues, it maps out the organisms in your gut. And w<a href="https://www.viome.com/?refcode=FUTURISM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ith Viome, you can take a microbiome test from the comfort of your own home</a>. The company will send you an easy to use at-home kit to collect your sample, which you will then return by mail. Next, <a href="https://www.viome.com/?refcode=FUTURISM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Viome will analyze your sample</a> in order to understand what nutrients and toxins are being produced by your gut microbiome.
What makes <a href="https://www.viome.com/?refcode=FUTURISM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Viome’s microbiome test</a> superior to its competitors is their proprietary microbe identification technology and advanced analytics engine. These work together to create unique dietary recommendations designed specifically to:
<ul>
<li>Increase microbial species associated with overall wellness</li>
<li>Minimize microbial species associated with poor health</li>
<li>Identify the ideal ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats for your diet</li>
<li>Identify foods that are most compatible with your metabolism</li>
<li>Help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight</li>
<li>Increase your energy, focus and well-being</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://www.viome.com/?refcode=FUTURISM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Viome</a> is the only private company in the world that has access to metatranscriptomic sequencing technology, which was originally developed at the Los Alamos National Lab for national security purposes. When you return your at-home sample collection kit, Viome uses this tech to identify the strains and species of bacteria, fungi, phages, yeast, parasites, and viruses that make up your unique gut microbiome.
Next, they assess how active these organisms are, and analyze what nutrients and toxins they produce from the food you eat. Then Viome runs the data through an advanced artificial intelligence algorithm called Vie, which uses a massive database of information to come up with a unique diet designed specifically for you. These dietary recommendations along with detailed explanations are then delivered to an app on your mobile device, making them that much easier to implement.
<h2><a href="https://www.viome.com/?refcode=FUTURISM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tailored Information To Improve Gut Health</a></h2>
<figure id="attachment_155478" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.viome.com/?refcode=FUTURISM " target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="wp-image-155478 size-large" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2019/03/Viome-gut-microbiome-testing-for-weightloss-and-health-1200x800.jpg" alt="Viome gut microbiome testing for gut health." width="1200" height="800" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Viome.com</figcaption></figure>
We’re still a long way from a scientific understanding of all the ways the human gut health impacts our overall health. But if you want to begin putting what we do know into effect right now, <a href="https://www.viome.com/?refcode=FUTURISM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Viome’s industry-leading microbiome test is the best place to start</a>.
Futurism fans: To create this content, a non-editorial team worked with an affiliate partner. We may collect a small commission on items purchased through this page. This post does not necessarily reflect the views or the endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial staff.

Your gut microbiome can affect digestive health and your immune system.

This high-tech test could be the answer to America's gut health crisis

Brands We Love

The Viome Essential Gut Intelligence Test allows us to determine the unique composition of our gut microbiome and tailor a unique approach to gut health.

This High-Tech Test Could Be the Answer to America’s Gut Health Crisis

Now we can take a tailored approach to improving our unique gut microbiomes.

Over the last few years, the keto diet has become a very popular weight loss method, and it’s not hard to understand why. If you do keto right, not only will you burn fat and shed pounds, but you’ll also feel more clear-headed and experience fewer fluctuations in your energy levels. Generally speaking, those are all good things.
Unfortunately, as most doctors and nutritionists will tell you, keto also comes with some very serious risks. The diet’s high saturated fat intake can put you at risk for heart disease, while its avoidance of carbohydrates, including most fruits and vegetables, can lead to a huge nutrient deficiency.
Of course, the most dedicated keto practitioners can avoid these dangers with rigorous scientific precision and monitoring. But for the average person, it&#8217;s not that simple.
One product offers the chance to change that – <a href="https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=504935&amp;u=1363912&amp;m=48871&amp;urllink=www%2Etrubrain%2Ecom%2Fpages%2Fketones&amp;afftrack=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TruBrain Ketones</a>, a dietary supplement from the company behind the highly acclaimed <a href="https://futurism.com/nootropics-clinically-proven-enhance-brain-function" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TruBrain nootropics.</a> According to the company, you can give your body and your mind the most efficient fuel possible without drastically changing your lifestyle to accommodate the keto diet.
<h2><a href="https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=504935&amp;u=1363912&amp;m=48871&amp;urllink=www%2Etrubrain%2Ecom%2Fpages%2Fketones&amp;afftrack=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TruBrain Ketones &#8211; Keto Diet Enhancing Supplement</a></h2>
<figure id="attachment_154505" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=504935&amp;u=1363912&amp;m=48871&amp;urllink=www%2Etrubrain%2Ecom%2Fpages%2Fketones&amp;afftrack=" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img class="wp-image-154505 size-large" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2019/03/trubrain-ketones-keto-booster-1200x800.jpg" alt="Trubrain Ketones is the keto diet hack you've been waiting for." width="1200" height="800" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">TruBrain</figcaption></figure>
To understand how <a href="https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=504935&amp;u=1363912&amp;m=48871&amp;urllink=www%2Etrubrain%2Ecom%2Fpages%2Fketones&amp;afftrack=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TruBrain Ketones</a> work, we have to go back and look at how the keto diet works.
The purpose of the keto, or ketogenic diet, is to force the body to burn a different type of fuel. Normally the body’s primary source of energy is glucose. Glucose is derived from carbohydrates, which are found in grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. However, if you deprive the body of carbohydrates long enough, it will go into ketosis. Ketosis is a metabolic state in which the liver breaks down fat into fatty acids and ketones. The ketones then replace glucose as the body’s primary fuel.
There are several advantages to using ketones as fuel instead of glucose. For starters, ketones are a more efficient fuel, requiring less energy for the body to use. And unlike glucose, ketones don’t rely on insulin for transportation, which eliminates a very complicated process that often results in sudden drops of energy and leave you craving more sugar. Basically, when your body is burning ketones, you’ll have more energy and a clearer head.
There are different ways to reach ketosis and increase the amount of ketones in your body. One of them is a strict adherence to the high-fat, low-carb keto diet. Another is fasting. But for most people, these methods can be difficult to pull off and maintain. That’s where <a href="https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=504935&amp;u=1363912&amp;m=48871&amp;urllink=www%2Etrubrain%2Ecom%2Fpages%2Fketones&amp;afftrack=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TruBrain Ketones</a> comes in.
<a href="https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=504935&amp;u=1363912&amp;m=48871&amp;urllink=www%2Etrubrain%2Ecom%2Fpages%2Fketones&amp;afftrack=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TruBrain Ketones</a> is a powder that you dissolve in water. One scoop of the supplement contains 12g of a key ketone body called betahydroxybutyrate. Without any dietary adjustment, the normal level of ketones in the body is somewhere in the range of 0-0.6mmol/L. Simply adding <a href="https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=504935&amp;u=1363912&amp;m=48871&amp;urllink=www%2Etrubrain%2Ecom%2Fpages%2Fketones&amp;afftrack=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TruBrain Ketones</a> to an average diet will raise the level of ketones to 1-1.5mmol/L. And a three-month subscription to TruBrain Ketones comes with an easy-to-use at-home testing kit, so you can track your ketone levels for yourself.
In short, <a href="https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=504935&amp;u=1363912&amp;m=48871&amp;urllink=www%2Etrubrain%2Ecom%2Fpages%2Fketones&amp;afftrack=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TruBrain Ketones</a> offers a more practical way to achieve a higher concentration of ketones compared to the traditional keto diet or fasting. So if you’re looking for a way to boost your energy, enhance your workouts, and soothe your busy mind without the drawbacks of the keto diet, <a href="https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=504935&amp;u=1363912&amp;m=48871&amp;urllink=www%2Etrubrain%2Ecom%2Fpages%2Fketones&amp;afftrack=" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this supplement</a> could be for you.
Futurism fans: To create this content, a non-editorial team worked with an affiliate partner. We may collect a small commission on items purchased through this page. This post does not necessarily reflect the views or the endorsement of the Futurism.com editorial staff.

This nootropics company developed the keto diet hack you've been waiting for

Trubrain Ketones is a specially formulated ester powder designed to naturally increase ketone levels and achieve ketosis without keto diet drawbacks.

This Nootropics Company Developed the Keto Diet Hack You’ve Been Waiting For

TruBrain Ketones helps your body reach ketosis with much less work.

<h2>Liquid Diet</h2>
Most humans aren&#8217;t big fans of bugs that feed on their blood.
Keeping mosquitoes at bay is a task that scientists have been buzzing about for quite some time now. Not only because the pests can be a nuisance, but also because they can transmit terrible diseases like West Nile Virus and Malaria. The quest to fend off the hungry swarms has led scientists to some innovative solutions — including the recent discovery that human diet pills can <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47157017">curb the appetites</a> of some mosquitoes.
<h2>Buzz Off</h2>
The research, detailed in a <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(18)31587-3">new study</a> published in the prestigious journal Cell by a team of researchers from Rockefeller University, examined the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/entomologyecology/index.html">the principle spreader</a> of dengue fever throughout South America, Africa, and the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/zika/vector/range.html">Eastern United States</a>.
Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are driven to feed on human blood in order to acquire a protein they need to lay their eggs. But the researchers found that giving the mosquitoes a saline solution containing human diet drugs left the mosquitoes feeling full and without an appetite — similarly to how the drugs would work in humans.
Although the study didn&#8217;t specify which drug or drugs were used specifically, it did say that the diet pills work by suppressing the Neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors responsible for diet regulation in humans, and mosquitoes apparently. By analyzing the mosquitoes&#8217; NPY receptors, the researchers were able to determine which ones were affecting their diet, meaning they could reproduce similar effects by interfering with those NPY receptors without the use of human diet drugs.
<h2>Blood Pact</h2>
The study has huge implications for new ways to control pest populations. Understanding ways to curb the insects&#8217; appetites would reduce the need for insecticides, which many insects are developing immunity to and which have been tied to the deaths of both <a href="https://futurism.com/common-insecticides-poisoning-songbirds">birds</a> and <a href="https://futurism.com/european-union-ban-insecticides-bees">bees</a>. New population control methods would also offer alternatives to <a href="https://futurism.com/gene-drive-mammals">controversial gene drives</a>, which destroy populations entirely.
&#8220;We&#8217;re starting to run out of ideas for ways to deal with insects that spread diseases,&#8221; the study&#8217;s senior author, Leslie Vosshall, told the BBC, &#8220;and this is a completely new way to think about insect control.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47157017">Mosquitoes &#8216;put off biting&#8217; by human diet drugs</a> [The BBC]
More on pest control: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/gene-drive-mosquitos-crispr">Scientists Wiped out a Mosquito Population by Hacking Their DNA with CRISPR</a>

"We're starting to run out of ideas for ways to deal with insects that spread diseases."

To stop mosquitoes from biting, scientists put them on diet pills

Keto Mosquitoes 

Researchers have found that human diet pills could stop mosquitoes biting. The discovery could lead to novel approaches to pest control.

To Stop Mosquitoes Biting, Scientists Put Them on Diet Pills

Researcher: it's "a completely new way to think about insect control."

To Stop Mosquitoes From Biting, Scientists Put Them on Diet Pills

<h2>Salad Days</h2>
Earlier this week, a <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/ipcc-report-climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations report predicted</a> that climate change will likely lead to international starvation, drought, and extreme weather events by the 2040s.
On Wednesday, a team of European researchers pushed the conversation forward with a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0594-0.epdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">landmark report</a> about the changes we&#8217;d need to make to the global food system to mitigate fallout from climate change and a growing population.
Their conclusion is that sidestepping the worst possible harm from climate change is possible, but it&#8217;ll require sweeping dietary changes across the globe. The biggest shift: Everybody will have to lay off meat and adopt a &#8220;flexitarian&#8221; diet made up mostly of plants.
<h2>Sweeping Change</h2>
Individuals can make dietary decisions that will offset their carbon footprints, the researchers said, but to avoid looming catastrophe, governments across the world will need to make sweeping policy changes to encourage flexitarian diets.
&#8220;I think we can do it, but we really need much more proactive governments to provide the right framework,&#8221; said lead researcher Marco Springmann, from the University of Oxford, in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/10/huge-reduction-in-meat-eating-essential-to-avoid-climate-breakdown">an interview</a> with the Guardian. &#8220;People can make a personal difference by changing their diet, but also by knocking on the doors of their politicians and saying we need better environmental regulations.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0594-0.epdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Options for Keeping the Food System Within Environmental Limits</a> [Nature]
More on climate change: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/ipcc-report-climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Report: Unless We Make Dramatic Changes, We&#8217;re Headed for Climate Catastrophe</a>

Get psyched for Meatless Mondays. And Tuesdays. And Wednesdays.

To feed a hungry planet, we're all going to need to eat less meat

Mystery Meat

According to a new report, everyone on the planet is going to need to a transition to a flexitarian diet to avoid fallout from climate change.

To Feed a Hungry Planet, We’re All Going to Need to Eat Less Meat

Consumer choice won't be enough. Governments will need to step in.

Pizza is healthy. At least that&#8217;s what I was told in kindergarten. After all, it has all the major food groups, which (at the time) included a big ol&#8217; pyramid base of bread. I (and the other six-year-olds, I imagine) took that nutrition advice to heart well into adulthood. Being an adult means you can have pizza anytime you want.
Before you scoff at my poorly-informed nutritional choices, you should probably recognize that you have a fair amount of food misinformation swimming around your own head. Do you buy low-fat cheese and skim milk, count calories, go on juice cleanses — all because you think science says you should? 
Well, science has told you some lies over the years.
If the science surrounding nutrition and diet seems, well, confusing and awful, that’s because it usually is. Think about it. One day saturated fat is bad, then <a href="https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/mbjqzb/once-and-for-all-full-fat-dairy-is-good-for-you">it&#8217;s fine</a>? Fat was once the devil, but now sugar is? Wine <a href="https://kill-or-cure.herokuapp.com/a-z/w#term234">both cures and prevents cancer</a>?
In recent weeks, the science supporting many of our ideas of what makes up a healthy diet came under fire and fell apart. Nutrition research is rife with weak methodology, human error, and the biases of the scientists behind them. For instance, a major study that set out to see if alcohol consumption came with health benefits <a href="https://futurism.com/study-how-drinking-affects-health-master-class-science/">was cancelled</a> after accepting tens of millions of dollars from the alcohol industry and hinting at favorable results.
Yes, articles about each incremental study are part of the problem. But the problem goes much deeper — the conclusions of the studies themselves are contradictory.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration&#8217;s (FDA) most recent guidelines <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-dietary-guidelines-urge-americans-to-eat-less-sugar-1452191504">deem eggs</a> too high in cholesterol and fat to be considered healthy, even though government agencies <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-great-egg-debate-are-they-healthy-or-not-1528812769?tesla=y&amp;mod=e2fb&amp;ns=prod/accounts-wsj">still list them</a> as components of a healthy breakfast. There were a handful of studies intended to determine whether there was any distinction between “good” or “bad” Calories, but they became moot when the researchers failed to include a control group and allowed people who wanted certain results to weigh in, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/how-a-dollar40-million-nutrition-science-crusade-fell-apart/">according to WIRED</a>. Now we can’t even say for sure whether ten Calories of chocolate are inherently better or worse than ten Calories of broccoli.
And earlier this month, the cornerstone study that <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1200303">linked the Mediterranean diet to lower heart disease rates</a> was retracted, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/health/mediterranean-diet-heart-disease.html">according to The New York Times</a>. Even though the study, titled “Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet” or PREDIMED, was amended with a correction after it was initially published, its authors argue that they can still make the same health claims that they did before. Some critics, however, remain unconvinced.
All this begs the question: why is it so hard to scientifically determine whether a certain diet or food is actually good for people? Are we doomed to endure the same, confusing mess of experiments that tell us that coffee is healthy one day but causes cancer the next?
<q class="pullquote">All this begs the question: why is it so hard to scientifically determine whether a certain diet or food is actually good for people?</q>
If we want to do better, we need to figure out a better way to control all of the tiny little extraneous details that can throw off nutrition studies.
“Nutrition research is a difficult task given all the extraneous variables that need to be controlled, therefore it’s important to take into account or control for as many of these variables as possible, i.e. anything that affects our diet, sleep, living situation, time of the year, activity levels, medical history,” <a href="https://www.cwu.edu/health-science/kelly-pritchett-phd">Kelly Pritchett</a>, a nutrition and exercise scientist at Central Washington University and spokesperson for the <a href="https://www.eatright.org/">Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics</a>, told Futurism. “I see this as a ‘control the controllables&#8217; concept,” she added, arguing that researchers need to consider and remove variability from as many aspects of a study participant’s life as possible.
Taking better care of all these little unpredictable variables that can throw off a study&#8217;s conclusion, called confounding factors in academic literature, may have saved the Mediterranean diet study. Ideally, study participants would have been randomly assigned a diet; instead, as The New York Times reported, ten percent of all the study’s participants were not. Instead, all the members of a family and sometimes even entire villages were given the same diet. These inconsistent practices were never reported in the final writeup of the study.
But, you know, randomization is hard. Can you really expect scientists to stick to true randomization, ensuring that the only differences in health outcomes among participants are truly due to whether or not someone adhered to the Mediterranean diet? What happens when neighbors complain that they got less appetizing food than other people in their village? Can you expect the researchers to tell parents that they need to cook separate meals for their children, just for the sake of better science?
Yes. Yes you can. Because the person in charge of that portion of the study decided to take the easy way and let some people (who volunteered to participate in an experiment centered around a controlled diet) have the same food, the entire project had to be overhauled. All of its findings, on which many people worldwide based their eating habits, had to be called into question, perhaps thrown out altogether.
Just because the researchers claim that the Mediterranean diet is still linked to improved heart health after throwing out the compromised data, their research isn&#8217;t any less suspect, and it certainly doesn’t mean we can’t do better in the future.
“I think we do need to question the methodology and how the results are displayed, not just this article, but every article we read,” said Pritchett.
In an ideal world, diet studies would be conducted in a sterile lab, where everything from caloric intake to exercise and sleep of each participant is under the complete control of the scientists conducting the experiment. But, of course, this isn’t so simple — nutrition research like the Mediterranean diet study takes years to tease out any health benefits or risks of a certain food. And each time you impose a new control, you take away a little bit of real-world applicability.
After all, the people who might actually apply the conclusions of that research won’t live in a lab. They’ll be out in the world, trying to balance their diets as they work, study, exercise, sleep, and play.
Even providing food for participants instead of leaving them to plan out their meals could take away some of their stress, which has long been scientifically linked to a slower metabolism and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16353426">increased fat retention</a>.
In that sense, researchers will need to find ways to match their experiments to those lifestyles to find data that might be meaningful for peoples’ lives. But that doesn’t mean they can throw best scientific practices out the window, as some did while studying the Mediterranean diet.
<figure id="attachment_133627" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-133627 size-large" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2018/06/false-nutrition1-1200x628.png" alt="" width="1200" height="628" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image credit: Emily Cho</figcaption></figure>
Fortunately, there are new efforts to formalize how nutrition studies are done. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently funded research teams at Indiana and Tufts Universities to come up with clinical guidelines for randomized, controlled nutrition studies, <a href="https://www.hhs.purdue.edu/nutr/directory/faculty/weaver_connie.html">Connie Weaver</a>, a nutrition scientist at Purdue University who serves as director of the Women’s Global Health Institute, told Futurism.
“Currently, guidelines exist for drug and device trials but not for nutrition studies. Hopefully this effort will lead to guidelines and training that will improve scientific quality of diet studies,” Weaver added.
She also speculated that perhaps researchers could establish some guidelines to salvage some of the findings of tainted studies so that the next wave of scientists doesn’t need to start from zero.
It’s not yet clear what these guidelines will look like, but they will likely mirror the best practices of other scientific fields, emphasizing the randomization and blinds that the scientific community has come to expect and value — at least to whatever extent these techniques are possible out in the field.
But in the meantime, scientists may need to keep acting as public watchdogs, watching out for faulty science (and honest mistakes). Weaver told Futurism that she attended a recent talk about the PREDIMED study at which the speaker argued that public retractions and corrections will help keep scientists honest. As long as scientists are willing to point out mistakes in public, laypeople stand a chance of staying informed about what does and doesn’t count as a healthy meal.
Until these new guidelines go into effect, much of the onus for healthy eating may fall where it always has: on individuals and their choices.
“I do think that the general public tends to focus on the headlines or the abstract rather than reading the full article itself,” says Pritchett. “I would tell the general public the same as I tell my students: read the discussion first and work your way backwards to the introduction.”
<q class="pullquote">“I do think that the general public tends to focus on the headlines or the abstract rather than reading the full article itself.&#8221;</q>
Basically, make sure to look at the actual evidence before jumping on board with any glib claims. For instance, people scrolling through Facebook or Twitter right now would likely encounter headlines saying that pasta doesn’t cause weight gain. But what&#8217;s not as easy to see? Articles that take the time to mention that the study was funded by pasta companies. Probably a good caveat to take into account before changing your dinner plans.
Alternatively, there’s the opposite approach. Since we no longer have science to say what’s healthy or unhealthy, I&#8217;ll just be eating pizza for breakfast every day and filling my cereal bowl with bourbon.

Until better science emerges, we're having pasta for breakfast.

Faulty studies mean everything you know about nutrition is wrong

Health & Medicine

Read about nutrition myths and how science has been dishing out faulty nutrition studies packed with misinformation, at Futurism.

How Faulty Studies Created Nutrition Myths | Futurism

We deserve better nutrition research.

Faulty Studies Mean Everything You Know About Nutrition Is Wrong

Is Fitbit not accurate enough for you? Apple Watch simply not invasive enough?
Maybe a wearable stuck to your tooth would be more your style.
Researchers at Tufts University have created just that. They&#8217;ve <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-03/tu-sdt031618.php">engineered a tooth-mounted sensor</a> that tracks your every bite (and what it contains). Such a device could be useful, but it could also exacerbate our already-problematic relationship with food.
The device is two square millimeters in size and sticks to the surface of a tooth. The sensor is ingeniously simple — when its central layer changes encounters different chemicals (salt, ethanol), its electrical properties shift, transmitting a different spectrum of radio waves. Currently, the patch is set up to wirelessly transmit information about glucose, salt, and alcohol to a mobile device; its creators think it could be adapted to monitor even more metrics, including &#8220;a wide range of nutrients, chemicals and physiological states,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-03/tu-sdt031618.php">a press release</a>.
<figure id="attachment_127608" style="width: 720px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="wp-image-127608 size-full" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2018/03/tooth-sensor.jpg" alt="The tooth-mounted sensor, a tiny gold square mounted on a person's front tooth." width="720" height="299" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: Fio Omenetto, Ph.D., Tufts University</figcaption></figure>
With such a simple and inexpensive design, the sensor could be made widely available. That could be a huge boon to researchers who need a cheap way to track nutrients in a study, or to people who want to get their diet in check and for whom expensive fitness trackers are out of reach, or just don&#8217;t cut it. After all, let&#8217;s face it, we&#8217;re terrible at remembering what we ate, and how much of it.
But a tracker like this one could also have some negative side effects.
Mobile calorie and exercise-tracking apps already allow people to obsess over their every meal down to the macronutrient, and <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/115969/smartphones-and-weight-loss-how-apps-can-make-eating-disorders-worse">anecdotal evidence suggests</a> doing so can exacerbate obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and eating disorders. Clinical psychologist Lara Pence, of the Renfrew Center Eating Disorder Treatment Facility, told New Republic: “It doesn’t really take research for us as an organization or for me as a clinician to see their damaging qualities.&#8221; She emphasized that the sense of guilt that trackers promote when a user surpasses their calorie allotment “speaks to the very core pathology of the disease: If I do this, then I have to do that.”
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28214452">Indeed, one 2017 study</a> found that fitness tracking devices in general were <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-truth-about-exercise-addiction/201702/do-fitness-trackers-promote-eating-disorders">associated with eating disorder symptoms </a>among college students (though, strangely, the same didn&#8217;t hold true for calorie counting apps). Unfortunately, there&#8217;s a considerable lack of clinical research on their broader impact.
How would a sensor that takes away the most labor-intensive part of fitness tracking — data entry — fit into that trend? To paint with a broad brush, modern culture already has an <a href="https://futurism.com/loreal-modiface-robots-insecure/">unhealthy obsession with appearance</a> and body type. A tooth-mounted sensor probably wouldn&#8217;t give people eating disorders; these medical conditions are much more complex than that. But it could potentially worsen the symptoms of people who already have these disorders, and make it much easier for others to forget that eating sometimes isn&#8217;t just about calories and nutrients — it&#8217;s also something that can bring cultural understanding and, you know, joy.

There's some evidence that existing fitness trackers already exacerbate the symptoms of eating disorders.

Tooth-mounted sensor could feed our already unhealthy relationship with our diets

A new cheap tooth-mounted sensor can wirelessly track the nutrients in every bite. That may exacerbate existing trends of micromanaging our food.

Tooth-Mounted Sensor Could Feed Our Already Unhealthy Relationship With Our Diets

The sensor can track salt, glucose, and alcohol, so you can obsess over every bite.

Tooth-Mounted Diet Tracker Could Feed Our Unhealthy Relationship With Food

Diets have always gone through fads. The grapefruit diet, Atkins, paleo, Whole30 — like a many-headed weight-loss hydra, just as soon as one falls out of favor, another rises in its place.
The weight-loss technique du jour: DNA-based diets. Companies such as <a href="https://www.dnafit.com/us/diet/">DNAFit</a> and <a href="https://www.helix.com/shop/nutrition/">Helix</a> suggest consumers pay about $100 and a simple cheek swab; the resulting genomic analysis will purportedly show them what kind of diet will keep their bodies in peak health. Maybe a low-fat diet would work best to help you slim down — or maybe it&#8217;s a low-carb diet. These companies claim (with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21747052">some scientific support</a>) that individuals&#8217; genomic code can hold information about a person&#8217;s propensity to obesity – and that the diets they suggest would counteract that. 
But a recent study shows these DNA-based diets may be just another fad.
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In <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28027950">the study</a>, published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers put 609 overweight adults on one of two diets: a low-fat diet, or a low-carb diet. Both groups successfully implemented their new eating habits, and both lost weight over the course of the year. Using DNA tests, and by assessing a number of other biological factors, the researchers hypothesized whether a low-carb or low-fat diet should work for each person.
People in both groups did lose weight over the course of a year: an average of 11.7 pounds for the low-fat group, and 13.2 for the low-carb set. But the difference between how much weight people lost on average was so small that researchers don&#8217;t consider it to be statistically significant. And when they compared participants&#8217; genetic analysis across groups, they found no correlation. That is, people seemed to respond about the same to the weight loss regimen, no matter what their genetics might indicate. 
Someday, this could all change — DNA has the potential to help us figure out the best things to eat. DNA analysis yields pretty much the same results each time, but it&#8217;s the interpretation that varies because the results are probabilistic. A certain genetic variant might mean someone is more likely to display a particular trait, but it gets complicated when you start to take other genetic variants into account that might turn others &#8220;off&#8221; or &#8220;on.&#8221;
When you start to think about the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4422763/">effect of the environment</a> on these genes, the picture starts to get way more complicated. It&#8217;s all a matter of drawing conclusions from the data that&#8217;s available. For now, scientists haven&#8217;t been able to untangle all those factors. That will likely change as they get a better sense of the inner-workings of the genome. 
Yes, these diets could someday be much more prescriptive and individualized. But that day is not today. At least for now, these diets are pretty useless.
Here&#8217;s some good diet advice: eat more fruits and vegetables. That&#8217;s one tidbit that will never go out of style.

A genetic test to help you lose weight is just the latest fad, a new study shows.

Sorry, DNA-based diets don't work

Diets personalized to individuals' DNA are all the rage. Unfortunately, they don't work any better than your typical diet, according to a new study.

Sorry, DNA-Based Diets Don't Work

Your genes don't hold the answers to all your problems. 

Sorry, DNA-Based Diets Don’t Work

<h2>Eat Your Vegetables</h2>
As the number of <a href="https://alzres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13195-016-0188-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">people being diagnosed with dementia</a> and other debilitating brain diseases is projected to grow steadily in the coming decades, doctors and researchers are not only <a href="https://futurism.com/dementia-will-be-a-treatable-condition-in-10-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">looking for effective treatments</a>, but also for ways to promote general brain health. As it turns out, one way to slow brain aging may not be that different from what works for our general physical health: eating salad.
Scientists at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago monitored the diet of 960 elderly people. They discovered that participants who ate up to 1.3 servings of leafy vegetables a day performed better in tests designed to understand how the brain ages than their peers who ate no salad at all. The volunteers were in their early 80s and received a regular “food frequency questionnaire” between 2004 and 2013, along with two cognitive assessments.
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Although the researchers could not identify a causal link between vegetable consumption and slower brain aging, they think nutrients like lutein, folate, beta carotene, and phylloquinone — naturally present in leafy greens — may play a part.
The correlation is quite striking, however. Over 10 years of follow-up, people who ate the most salad were found to be on average 11 years younger from a cognitive perspective.
Many <a href="https://futurism.com/new-research-shows-that-education-may-be-the-key-to-avoiding-dementia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">other factors can have an impact</a> on brain health, some of which are lifestyle related. Seafood and alcohol consumption, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, and the amount of physical and cognitive activity are all criteria that the researchers controlled for when assessing the robustness of their findings.
However, “the study results do not prove that eating green, leafy vegetables slows brain aging, but it does show an association,” said professor of internal medicine at Rush Medical School and study author <a href="https://www.rushu.rush.edu/faculty/martha-clare-morris-scd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Martha Clare Morris</a> in <a href="https://www.rush.edu/news/press-releases/daily-leafy-greens-may-slow-cognitive-decline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement</a>. “The study cannot rule out other possible reasons for the link.”
<h2>Steps to Slow Brain Aging</h2>
There is a <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-08/rumc-eaa080415.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wealth of clinical studies</a> trying to capture the effects of a good diet on brain health, and on ageing in particular. Some look at the power of a single ingredient, others focus on <a href="http://newsroom.cumc.columbia.edu/blog/2017/07/17/brain-aging-may-be-accelerated-by-inflammatory-diet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broader dietary patterns</a>.
But bad food is rarely the sole contributor to brain decline. Binge eating, a lack of antioxidants, and a diet low in fibers combine with other factors — a sedentary lifestyle or emotional stress, for example — to put a strain on our brain.
Eating more greens may not be a silver bullet. But this study joins a growing body of research that <a href="https://futurism.com/we-may-have-uncovered-the-first-mental-exercise-to-prevent-dementia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">focuses on small, easy-to-adopt changes</a> that are sure to improve our physical fitness, and may also help our brains in the long run.

A salad a day may keep your brain running better for longer.

Neurologists may have discovered a key ally in the fight against brain aging

A new study found eating an extra serving of leafy vegetables a day may slow brain aging. The greens staved 11 years from participants' cognitive decline.

Neurologists May Have Discovered a Key Ally in the Fight Against Brain Aging

Eating your greens could help keep your brain fit for longer.

<h2>Reversing Type 2 Diabetes</h2>
Researchers from Newcastle and Glasgow Universities believe they have found a way to effectively reverse type 2 diabetes, without requiring <a href="https://futurism.com/new-clinical-trial-made-diabetes-patients-insulin-independent/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a new kind of drug</a> or invasive surgery. <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20351193">Type 2 diabetes</a> is a chronic condition that affects how a person&#8217;s body metabolizes sugar, either because they&#8217;ve developed resistance to the hormone insulin, or their pancreas fails to produce enough insulin.
It&#8217;s long been believed that the condition is manageable, but not curable. According to findings published in the journal <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)33102-1/fulltext?elsca1=tlpr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Lancet</a>, however, type 2 diabetes can be reversed through weight loss. More specifically, by reducing the amount of fat being carried in and around the abdomen, as accumulated fat in this region impedes the function of the pancreas.
The study included 298 patients, aged 20 to 65, who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the previous six years. Half of the patients were put on a low-calorie diet and lost an average of 10 to 15 kg (22 to 33 pounds). The other half of patients, who served as a control group, received the best diabetes management available — but that did not include a weight loss program.
Of the patients who lost weight, more than half saw their diabetes go into remission: 86 percent of the patients who lost more than 15kg, 57 percent who lost 10 to 15 kg, and 34 percent who lost 5 to 10 kg.
Of the patients in the control group who were not on a weight management protocol, only 4 percent saw their diabetes go into remission.
&#8220;These findings are very exciting. They could revolutionize the way type 2 diabetes is treated. This builds on the work into the underlying cause of the condition, so that we can target management effectively,&#8221; lead researcher Roy Taylor, from the Newcastle University, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/dec/05/radical-diet-can-reverse-type-2-diabetes-new-study-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told </a><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/dec/05/radical-diet-can-reverse-type-2-diabetes-new-study-shows" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a>. Interesting, indeed, as many of the current treatments for type 2 diabetes involve medication and even surgery to restrict stomach capacity.
“Substantial weight loss results in reduced fat inside the liver and pancreas, allowing these organs to return to normal function. What we’re seeing … is that losing weight isn’t just linked to better management of type 2 diabetes: significant weight loss could actually result in lasting remission,&#8221; added Taylor, whose team presented the results of the trials at the International Diabetes Federation Congress in Abu Dhabi.
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<h2>Sometimes, No Advanced Tech is Needed</h2>
It&#8217;s fairly standard practice for physicians to encourage, if not prescribe, <a href="https://futurism.com/healthcare-startup-claims-it-can-defeat-diabetes-with-nutrition-alone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a healthy diet </a>for most of their patients, especially those with type 2 diabetes. But dietary guidance has not traditionally been the focus of treatment for diabetes and similar conditions. “Rather than addressing the root cause, management guidelines for type 2 diabetes focus on reducing blood sugar levels through drug treatments. Diet and lifestyle are touched upon, but diabetes remission by cutting calories is rarely discussed,” Taylor told The Guardian.
The new study showed that a diet of 825–853 calories per day over a period of 3 to 5 months, followed by a gradual reintroduction of food in the next two to eight weeks, could have a profound impact. “Our findings suggest that even if you have had type 2 diabetes for six years, putting the disease into remission is feasible,&#8221; University of Glasgow professor Michael Lean, co-lead researcher, explained to The Guardian. “In contrast to other approaches, we focus on the need for long-term maintenance of weight loss through diet and exercise and encourage flexibility to optimize individual results.”
<a href="http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/204871/1/9789241565257_eng.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to the World Health Organization (WHO)</a>, global diabetes cases have increased from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. Those numbers are expected to reach 642 million by 2040. According to data from <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/diabetes.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports</a>, type 2 diabetes accounts for around 90 to 95 percent of cases in adults.
These findings present a hopeful option not just for improved management of the condition, but a potential cure. One that doesn&#8217;t rely on expensive medications or invasive surgery, but instead, on improved diet and lifestyle — which could also be beneficial in managing and preventing a number of other <a href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/health-risks-overweight">chronic conditions which are affected by weight</a>. As Taylor told The Guardian, &#8220;The weight loss goals provided by this programme [sic] are achievable for many people. The big challenge is long-term avoidance of weight re-gain.&#8221;

These findings could revolutionize the way type 2 diabetes is treated.

In a new study, researchers claim they've found a way to reverse type 2 diabetes

Close up nurse demonstrating insulin pen on finger

New research from two universities in the United Kingdom has demonstrated that weight loss may be a viable way to reverse type 2 diabetes.

In a New Study, Researchers Claim They've Found a Way to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes

It caused remission in 90% of trial patients.

In a New Study, Researchers Claim They’ve Found a Way to Reverse Type 2 Diabetes

<h2>Genetically Encoded Diet</h2>
Your DNA is the code to what every part of you looks like. It determines how each cell in your body functions, and it can even dictate what diseases may afflict you during your lifetime. DNA is what makes you, you, and now a San Francisco-based nutrition and dietary service is using that genetic information to determine what food your body really needs.
<a href="https://habit.com/" target="_blank">Habit</a> promises its users &#8220;personalized nutrition&#8221; based on the idea that diet advice written for generalized groups of people — usually based on body mass index and age — can&#8217;t be good enough for any individual with a body so complex.
The service starts with an at-home test kit that requires the client to supply finger-prick blood samples before and after consuming an included &#8220;proprietary metabolic challenge beverage&#8221; that contains sugars, fats, and carbohydrates designed to replicate the typical American diet. The blood samples are then sent to a lab where they are analyzed for genetic variations and over 60 biomarkers are measured.
These markers and information like age, body weight, height, waist circumference, activity level, and health goals help Habit determine the best diet for each client. Chefs can then prepare personalized meals, and nutritionists, lifestyle coaches, and a mobile app are available to the user for a complete experience. Habit will launch next year, with the test kit selling for $299 and meals costing about $12 to $15 each.
<figure style="width: 783px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/10/pan-with-chicken-and-spinach.jpg" width="783" height="380" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Credit: Visualhunt.com</figcaption></figure>
<h2>A Code To Unlock&#8230;Everything?</h2>
While the <a href="http://www.eatright.org/" target="_blank">Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24439821" target="_blank">doesn&#8217;t yet recommend nutrigenetic testing</a> as a basis for dietary advice, saying more evidence-based studies are needed to prove its validity, genetic analysis is already a driving force in the study of medicine.
DNA can tell us about the afflictions we&#8217;re born with or ones that could develop throughout our lifetimes — <a href="https://futurism.com/genetics-of-autism-scientists-find-new-link/" target="_blank">autism</a> is linked to mutations in certain genes, <a href="https://futurism.com/scientists-identify-15-genes-related-to-depression-thanks-to-crowdsourced-genetic-study/" target="_blank">serious depression </a>may be caused by multiple groups of genes, and abnormalities in cell development in regions of the brain could indicate a cause of <a href="https://futurism.com/new-parkinsons-treatment-may-stop-the-spread-of-faulty-protein/" target="_blank">Parkinson&#8217;s disease</a>. Genes reveal <a href="https://futurism.com/scientists-may-have-identified-the-protein-that-controls-aging/" target="_blank">how we age</a> and offers possibilities for delaying our bodies&#8217; deterioration. Some studies have even used genetic profiling to<a style="background-color: white" href="https://futurism.com/company-maps-genetics-tell-can-get-stronger/" target="_blank"> strengthen athletes</a>.
Perhaps our genetic code can tell us the story of our life before we even live it, but we&#8217;re just taking a bit of time to learn how to read it. As we become more fluent in the language of DNA, developments like Habit could use this blueprint to our futures to improve our lives in the present.

Hard Science

Habit analyzes clients' blood samples to provide "personalized nutrition" based on genetic variations and the measurements of more than 60 biomarkers.
Long used in other areas of healthcare, DNA could be a valuable tool in improving diet and nutrition, but more evidence-based studies are still needed to prove its effectiveness. 

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