Sigma Nutrition Radio Danny Lennon

Food science and behavior are intimately connected. One critical but often overlooked facet of this connection is food texture and its substantial impact on eating behavior and energy intake.
Food texture encompasses characteristics such as hardness and structure. It categorizes food into liquids, semi-solids, and solids, each with a wide range of textures—from dry and crispy to elastic and more substantial. This classification deeply affects how we consume food. The time it takes to chew and swallow a food item can vary greatly based on its texture.
Different textures can also influence the speed at which satiety signals are triggered. Eating rate is a highly individual trait, stable over time, and consistent across different contexts. Some people are naturally slower eaters, while others consume food quickly. This variance can have significant implications for energy intake and body weight.
In this episode, Dr. Marlou Lasschuijt, an assistant professor in the Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour group at Wageningen University, discusses the above topics and their implications.
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Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium (for study notes and transcripts) Go to episode page The Restructure Project Receive our free weekly email: the Sigma Synopsis Timestamps: 00:14 Introduction 00:47 Dr. Lasschuijt’s Research Focus 04:23 Understanding Food Texture and Eating Behavior 06:37 Impact of Food Texture on Satiation and Eating Rate 16:55 Applications and Innovations in Food Science 18:31 Unanswered Questions 25:34 Practical Recommendations  27:00 Current and Upcoming Research Projects

Cholesterol-lowering medications, particularly statins, play a pivotal role in reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and apolipoprotein B (apoB) concentrations, which are causal markers in atherosclerosis development. The efficacy of these medications is well-documented, with numerous clinical trials demonstrating substantial benefits in reducing cardiovascular events and improving overall mortality rates.
Despite the robust evidence supporting the benefits of cholesterol-lowering medications, there are various misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding their use. One common myth is that these drugs are unnecessary for those without overt cardiovascular symptoms, ignoring the preventative benefits for at-risk individuals.
Concerns about side effects, such as muscle pain, liver damage, and cognitive impairment, are often exaggerated. While side effects are possible, they are typically mild and manageable. Regular monitoring and adjustments by healthcare providers can help mitigate any adverse effects, ensuring that the benefits of reducing LDL-C and apoB far outweigh the risks.
In this episode, preventative cardiologist Dr. Paddy Barrett discusses the different types of lipid-lowering medications, their mechanisms of action, the side effects that may occur, and the misconceptions about the drugs that are unfortunately widespread.
Timestamps:
00:14 Introduction 03:26 Dr. Barrett’s Background 04:50 What is “Lipid Lowering”? 05:30 Overview of Lipids and Atherosclerosis 09:58 Setting Targets for Lipid Levels 15:52 Medications for Lowering LDL and ApoB 20:12 Statins: Types, Effects, and Side Effects 35:38 Addressing Concerns and Misconceptions 42:47 Future of Lipid Lowering Therapies Links:
Go to episode page Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition PREMIUM drpaddybarrett.com Dr. Barrett’s Substack Book: Heart. An Owner’s Guide Receive our free weekly email: the Sigma Synopsis

When aiming for healthy aging and reducing chronic disease risk over the lifecourse, exercise, specifically a combination of resistance training and cardiorespiratory fitness, has a fundamental role to play. In addition it can mitigate age-related declines and support independence in later years.
A strong evidence base exists showing the benefits of increased strength and cardiorespiratory fitness on a range of important outcomes related to lifespan and healthspan. But some intriguing questions remain, such as:
How strong is strong enough? At what point do we maximize the benefits of exercise? How “fit” do we need to be? Is simple participation enough or do we need a true training adaptation? How can this actually be implemented in practice so that it is doable? In this episode, Dr. Jordan Feigenbaum shares his insights on this topic and offers advice on how we can increase our probability of a long healthspan, through exercise interventions.
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Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium Go to episode page Join Sigma's email list Barbell Medicine Timestamps:
04:40 Dr. Feigenbaum’s Journey and Barbell Medicine’s Mission 05:57 Defining and Achieving Healthy Aging 10:37 The Impact of Exercise on Health and Longevity 28:52 Strength Training: How Much is Enough? 38:43 Muscle Mass vs. Strength: What Matters More for Health? 47:18 The Paradox of Muscle Mass vs. Strength 49:05 Designing an Effective Strength Training Program 01:01:27 Cardiorespiratory Fitness: Importance and Assessment 01:06:19 Optimizing Cardio Training: Intensity and Volume

Contemporary society is witnessing a growing interest in, and embracing of, plant-based diets. Numerous athletes are now gravitating towards such dietary choices, motivated by concerns for health, performance or ethics. Consequently, coaches, nutritionists, and other fitness experts find themselves increasingly tasked with guiding athletes who adhere to plant-based diets. For coaches and trainers, understanding the possible impacts of these dietary preferences on athletes’ objectives is paramount, as is devising dietary plans that optimize their performance. This episode discusses the scientific and practical aspects of supporting athletes who have adopted a vegetarian lifestyle and diet.
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The Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) stands as a cornerstone in nutritional research, offering valuable insights into dietary patterns and habits over a specified period. Despite its widespread use and established utility, the FFQ has not been immune to criticism, much of which arises from a misunderstanding of its purpose and inherent limitations.
At its core, the FFQ is designed to assess the frequency and quantity of food consumption, aiming to capture long-term dietary behaviors rather than precise intake levels. Researchers employ it to investigate relationships between diet and various health outcomes, such as chronic diseases or nutritional deficiencies.
However, critics argue that its reliance on self-reported data introduces biases and inaccuracies, leading to potential misestimation of nutrient intake. Additionally, some detractors question the FFQ’s ability to capture sporadic or infrequent dietary choices accurately.
Yet, it’s crucial to recognize that the FFQ serves a specific purpose within the realm of nutrition research. While there are no doubt limitations, its strength lies in its ability to capture habitual dietary behaviors over an extended period. Moreover, researchers employ various strategies, such as validation studies and data adjustment techniques, to enhance the FFQ’s reliability and validity.
In this episode, world-leading nutrition epidemiologist Dr. Deirdre Tobias discusses the development of the FFQ, the key concepts that are crucial to understand, common criticisms of the FFQ, and how we should evaluate the utility of this tool.
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“Personalized nutrition” has been promoted as an approach that will improve people’s health by prescribing them specific dietary recommendations based on their own genetic and phenotypic data.
The premise is that given we each respond differently to foods, having general dietary recommendations may be doing many people a disservice. And by using an array of personal data, it is now possible to give unique diets that improve health.
The early and interesting findings of research in this area was met with much fanfare, and indeed, many companies are now offering commercial direct-to-consumer services based on genetic and physiological testing, followed by “personalized” dietary prescription. Such testing may include genetic tests, microbiome testing, glucose monitoring data, and more. This data is then fed into machine learning algorithms to prescribe dietary recommendations.
However, do the marketing claims match the current evidence? Does the “proof” it works that is often cited, actually back up the claims? Do personalized nutrition diets actually lead to improved health outcomes over generic, conventional dietary recommendations? Do personalized nutrition diets lead to better outcomes than standard dietetic/nutrition practice?
To answer these questions, we go through the main studies cited in favor of personalized nutrition being superior to typical dietary advice, and see if they indeed support the claims.
So is personalized nutrition superior to standard dietary advice? Let’s find out…
Note: This was originally a Premium-exclusive episode. If you’d like to get more episodes like this, subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium.