Does flying increase cancer risk?

Going on a tangent from another Board. We were talking about "space weather" and landed on the question of "flying and radiation".

Found this literature review found that:

aircrew have higher rates of certain cancers, such as melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer, and breast cancer in female flight attendants, compared to the general population. However, the evidence does not clearly prove that cosmic ionizing radiation alone causes these cancers, because other factors—like disrupted sleep patterns, lifestyle, and exposure to chemicals—also affect risk.

(Quoting the Credo summary)

To me, it sounds plausible. Flight attendants, pilots, and frequent flyers beware!

I should probably drink more coffee

Think coffee is a bad habit? Research actually suggests otherwise. This umbrella review of 218 meta-analyses concludes that 3-4 cups a day is associated with lower risk for heart disease and all-cause mortality. Check out the source to read more!

Plant-based diet - is it fine?

I'm an occasional vegetarian - for health, and environmental and ethical reasons. I think most would already agree that one can have a complete diet, without meat. Nonetheles, I found this paper useful.

It's a narrative review of evidence. A few helpful takeaways (gleaned from the Credo summary):

• A plant-based diet has health benefits, and is better environmentally.

• A plant-based diet can be complete, but there are some potential drawbacks. E.g. it's harder for the body to absorb certain nutrients from plant sources.

• And so, if you're a vegetarian or vegan, you do have to put in some thought, to ensure your diet is complete. (Though the same could be said of any diet!)

Do knee exoskeletons help people with knee joint problems? Or does it just help people move faster (which wouldn't help joints, and may even worsen joint problems!)

Is taking 10-20mg of a statin starting at age 35 a good or bad idea? I have slightly high cholesterol and my doctor wants to start me. What are the side effects to taking this long term?

Does flossing give me microplastics?

Hi all. Sharing this discussion from another Board. Two interesting things I learnt:

1. Freezing food itself can kill bacteria.

2. Microwaving food kills bacteria – both through heating and non-heating effects.

Have a read of the papers!

The Surprising Benefits of Eating Spicy Food

Capsaicin is the molecule that gives chilli peppers their distinctive, spicy kick; a potent irritant found in the fleshy, seed-holding parts of peppers and any dish that has you reaching for the milk after a few bites. But growing evidence links it to reduced all-cause mortality and protection from many specific vascular conditions.

The 2025 Chinese Cohort Study

One study in particular is making the rounds on Reddit and some news outlets: a huge cohort study following 500k adults living in China.

The researchers compared people who eat spicy food less than once a week with people who eat it more often, following up with them for an average of 12 years. They looked for differences in rates of vascular disease, major coronary events, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, stroke, and non-stroke cerebrovascular disease.

They rated them on how healthy their lifestyles are, and adjusted some models for relevant factors like BMI, drinking and smoking status.

They found some statistically significant benefits to eating more spicy foods:

• Reduced rates of vascular disease (3 to 5% risk reduction)

• Lower risk of ischemic heart disease (2 to 5% risk reduction)

• Lower risk of major coronary events (4 to 13% risk reduction)

• No significant differences for other conditions

Benefits were more pronounced in people with better lifestyle scores (from better diets, less smoking, less drinking and more exercise), and were confined to people who ate mildly spicy or moderately spicy food (rather than very spicy).

Other Studies with Similar Results

This wasn’t the first study on the topic, either. Other research on 16k American adults found a 13% reduction in all-cause mortality, and a meta-analysis covering studies from four different countries broadly agreed, finding a 12% risk reduction.

Why Capsaicin Might Be Helpful

The research from the Chinese study proposed three possible mechanisms for this benefit:

1. Capsaicin’s effect on messenger RNA and some specific cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP7A1) results in lower cholesterol.

2. Its effect on TRPV1 receptors (known as vanniloid or capsaicin receptors) helps regulate vascular tone.

3. It reduces the level of an oxidative stress marker (MDA) and boosts superoxide dismutase, increasing the antioxidant capacity of blood vessels.

[Physionic] Resistant Starch is OP?

www.youtube.comI watched this great video from Physionic on the scientific literature on resistant starch and its impact on visceral fat and liver health. Very compelling evidence via placebo controlled RCTs on resistant starch's ability to treat Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) or fka NAFLD and weight loss plus 6 more studies as provided by Physionic. He states that compared to placebo, the studies show 300% relative or 20% absolute improvement in reducing visceral fat.

Visceral fat, the fat that surrounds internal organs, can put people at higher risk for several diseases like cardiovascular disease and specifically contributes to fatty liver disease, even when compared to other fat types.

The most common type of resistant starch (RS3) is formed when the starch in foods like rice, pasta, and potatoes is cooked and then cooled allowing the starch to crystallize in a process called retrogradation. The starch becomes undigestible for humans but becomes fuel for our gut microbiome. Raw starch (RS2) found in potato starch, green bananas, or high-amylose maize acts similarly and is most commonly used in supplements.

The theoretical biological mechanism for this improvement is via the reduction of a harmful bacteria that is crowded out by other bacteria that thrive on resistant starch. Even more interesting, Physionic found that 70% are hyper-responders to resistant starch.

Resistant starch, because indigestible, packs significantly less caloric and carbohydrate punch than its non-resistant version. But these studies show that it goes beyond harm reduction. Resistant starch can have positive effects especially with supplementation to reach minimum effective doses.

15 Steps to Prevent Dementia

My great-grandma and grandma had dementia, which makes me worry about my parents (and my future self!).

And so, I was really pleased to discover that -- in many cases -- dementia can be prevented.

A recent Feel Better Live More podcast covered the topic.

Podcast guest Tommy Wood referenced this Lancet report, that suggests 45% of dementia cases globally can be prevented, or at least delayed. (Wood thinks this is a conservative estimate.)

Helpfully, the Lancet Report identifies 14 factors to avoid/overcome to reduce our risk of dementia. (I've put the list in the comments below!)

Wood also highlighted a second study -- the "VITACOG trials" (based on a large UK dataset).

Critically, this study identifies one additional strategy to prevent dementia -- that the Lancet Report completely leaves out (of their 14 factors).

Basically: eat sufficient amounts of vitamin B combined with omega-3 fish oils. This helps reduce brain athrophy.

So, to reduce dementia risk: avoid the 14 risk factors (see comments below), and eat vitamin B + omega-3.