Achy and sore joints can make your life horribly inconvenient, if not unbearable. Many are under the assumption that it is an inevitability with old age, yet there are plenty of younger individuals who develop it as well. Is there a reason why arthritis strikes the way that it does? What, if any, are effective at home options for grappling with arthritis? We discuss this and more in today's episode.

Shows Notes:

0:08 - National Statistics - https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/national-statistics.html

6:30 - Effect of Dietary Sugar Intake on Biomarkers of Subclinical Inflammation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Intervention Studies - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/5/606

6:30 - Alcohol, inflammation, and gut-liver-brain interactions in tissue damage and disease development - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2842521/

11:50 - Joint distraction in treatment of osteoarthritis (II): effects on cartilage in a canine model - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1063458499902637

11:51 - Clinical relevance of the hip joint: Part II–Importance of joint distraction - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/1753614615Z.000000000115

13:06 - External Rotation Strengthening With Manual Distraction for Individuals With Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis - https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2015/08000/External_Rotation_Strengthening_With_Manual.12.aspx

15:48 - Genetic and environmental risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5726551/

16:45 - Etiology and Risk Factors for Rheumatoid Arthritis: A State-of-the-Art Review - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.689698/full

17:35 - The Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Rheumatoid Arthritis - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7362115/

Our bones provide so many critical functions for our wellbeing, and yet it feels as if we tacitly accept they will shrink as we age. What does science say about our bone health as we age? Is conventional wisdom correct about how to "build strong bones"? Is there a science-proven secret to keeping our bones strong, or are we doomed to one day walking as if we are made of brittle glass? We found the science to answer the burning questions.

Show Notes:

0:12 - Osteopenia - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499878/#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%2054,%2C%20and%2070%25%20are%20osteoporotic.

0:42 - Osteoporosis in Men - https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2003/0401/p1521.html#:~:text=About%204%20to%206%20percent,meeting%20diagnostic%20criteria%20for%20osteoporosis).&text=The%20prevalence%20of%20osteoporosis%20is,percent%20in%20Hispanic%2DAmerican%20men.

2:02 - Chemical and Biochemical Basis of Cell-Bone Matrix Interaction in Health and Disease - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2790195/#:~:text=Bone%2C%20a%20calcified%20tissue%20composed,organs%2C%20and%20regulating%20mineral%20homeostasis.

3:33 - Phosphate metabolism and vitamin D - https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944128/

5:30 - The Important Role of Osteoblasts and Citrate Production in Bone Formation: “Osteoblast Citration” as a New Concept for an Old Relationship - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3815682/

6:30 - Role of Citrate in Pathophysiology and Medical Management of Bone Diseases - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/11/2576

7:20 - Impact of muscle atrophy on bone metabolism and bone strength: Implications for muscle-bone crosstalk with aging and disuse - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7861141/

9:15 - Osteosarcopenia: where bone, muscle, and fat collide - https://www.ageingmuscle.be/sites/ageingmuscle.be/files/Osteosarcopenia%20-%20where%20bone,%20muscle,%20and%20fat%20collide.pdf

10:06 - Muscle Strength, Bone Mass, and Age-Related Bone Loss - https://asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1359/jbmr.1997.12.10.1547

14:47 - Effects of exercise on bone density and falls risk factors in post-menopausal women with osteopenia: A randomised controlled trial - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1440244011001575

18:39 - Vitamin D Synthesis Following a Single Bout of Sun Exposure in Older and Younger Men and Women - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/8/2237/pdf

It's almost easy to become desensitized to the number of people complaining about low back pain. While the causes are many, the vast majority of cases are caused by things well within our power to prevent. What is it about our backs that make them susceptible to injury? Is doing something as simple as exercise really the solution? We cover mechanisms of injury and the means to intervene in this episode.

Show Notes:

0:00 - Back, Lower Limb, and Upper Limb Pain Among U.S. Adults, 2019 - https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db415.htm

0:43 - Overview of Motor Vehicle Crashes in 2019 - https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/Publication/813060#:~:text=The%20estimated%20number%20of%20police,%2C%20a%200.3%2Dpercent%20increase.&text=There%20were%20fewer%20fatalities%20in%202019%20than%202018%20in%20the%20following%20categories.&text=Fatalities%20increased%20in%202019%20compared%20to%202018%20in%20the%20following%20categories.

16:15 - Worsening Trends in the Management and Treatment of Back Pain - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1722522

Habits are not just mental routines we perform, but physical ones as well. While making new routines is easy in theory, many of us know it is not simple in execution. What are the tricks to incorporating new, healthy habits into our lifestyle? And how can we leverage certain tools to increase our chances of success? We discuss these and more in today's episode on changing habits.

It's hard to avoid seeing blog articles about apple cider vinegar. It invariably has become the poster child for holistic medicine and has been touted as a remedy for a great many things. But what does science say about it's benefits, if any? And could ACV actually do harm? We scoured the data and bring you the answers. Listen and find out!

Show Notes:

1:04 - What is Apple Cider Vinegar? - https://www.bragg.com/blogs/science/what-is-apple-cider-vinegar#:~:text=Apple%20cider%20vinegar%20is%20made,for%20making%20wine%20or%20beer.

3:30 - Beneficial effects of Apple Cider Vinegar on weight management, Visceral Adiposity Index and lipid profile in overweight or obese subjects receiving restricted calorie diet: A randomized clinical trial - https://plixlifefc-media.farziengineer.co/hosted/ACVstudy1(1).pdf

7:30 - Short-chain fatty acids as potential regulators of skeletal muscle metabolism and function - https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-020-0188-7

8:00 - Short-Chain Fatty Acids and Their Association with Signalling Pathways in Inflammation, Glucose and Lipid Metabolism - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/17/6356

11:23 - Gut Hormones and Appetite Control: A Focus on PYY and GLP-1 as Therapeutic Targets in Obesity - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3286726/

13:04 - Regulation of inflammatory responses by gut microbiota and chemoattractant receptor GPR43 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3256734/

14:31 - Dietary fiber and prebiotics and the gastrointestinal microbiota - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19490976.2017.1290756

16:06 - Hypokalemia, Hyperreninemia and Osteoporosis in a Patient Ingesting Large Amounts of Cider Vinegar - https://karger.com/nef/article-abstract/80/2/242/209061/Hypokalemia-Hyperreninemia-and-Osteoporosis-in-a?redirectedFrom=fulltext

16:15 - Corrosive Esophageal Injury due to a Commercial Vinegar Beverage in an Adolescent - https://synapse.koreamed.org/articles/1151076

16:17 - Corrosive injury due to edible vinegar - https://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/resource/pt/wpr-226904

17:21 - Antimicrobial activity of apple cider vinegar against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans; downregulating cytokine and microbial protein expression - https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1038/s41598-017-18618-x.pdf

20:59 - Vaginal Candidiasis Infection Treated Using Apple Cider Vinegar: A Case Report - https://todayspractitioner.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Ozen.pdf

We are surrounded by a litany of shoe choices in our culture. From fashionable to functional, minimal to maximal, it's hard to keep track of the options. Many shoes tout bringing comfort and helping "support" our feet, but there is strong literature that shows quite the opposite is true. Could we have been better off being barefoot this whole time? Is the solution really that simple? We look to science for answers!

Show Notes:

10:12 - Foot Structure and Function in Habitually Barefoot and Shod Adolescents in Kenya - https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2017/11000/foot_structure_and_function_in_habitually_barefoot.18.aspx

13:31 - Minimal shoes improve stability and mobility in persons with a history of falls - https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1038/s41598-020-78862-6.pdf

14:18 - The effects of habitual footwear use: foot shape and function in native barefoot walkers - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Todd-Pataky/publication/266333875_The_effects_of_habitual_footwear_use_Foot_shape_and_function_in_native_barefoot_walkers/links/54c334180cf219bbe4eaa680/The-effects-of-habitual-footwear-use-Foot-shape-and-function-in-native-barefoot-walkers.pdf

16:54 - Transitioning to Minimal Footwear: a Systematic Review of Methods and Future Clinical Recommendations - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40798-017-0096-x

Creatine is a popular supplement in the fitness world. Touted for increasing performance and strength gains, rumored to ruin your kidneys and make your a water-retaining sea cow. Are any of these claims true? We look to the science for answers!

Show Notes:

3:07 - Creatine: State of the Science at the Millennium - https://www.creightonprep.creighton.edu/uploaded/Athletics_Page/Weight_Room/Supplement_Info/creatine.pdf

4:00 - Creatine Supplementation - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thomas-Trojian/publication/249320351_Creatine_Supplementation/links/5a85a236aca272017e560cba/Creatine-Supplementation.pdf?_sg%5B0%5D=started_experiment_milestone&origin=journalDetail

5:30 - Creatine Supplementation - https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/Citation/1999/08000/Creatine_Supplementation.3.aspx (download the pdf to view article)

7:37 - Does long-term creatine supplementation impair kidney function in resistance-trained individuals consuming a high-protein diet? - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1186/1550-2783-10-26

7:39 - Studies on the safety of creatine supplementation - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00726-011-0878-2

8:26 - Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation on Body Weight and Percent Body Fat - https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2003/11000/Creatine_Monohydrate_Supplementation_on_Body.30.aspx

8:26 - Creatine Supplementation - https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2013/07000/creatine_supplementation.10.aspx

9:10 - Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1022465203458

Cholesterol has been touted as the leading cause of heart disease, the leading killer in America, which would make it public enemy #1. But what if cholesterol is not the main culprit? Compelling data shows that may very well be the case. Listen on and find out!

Show Notes:

4:40 - Is atherosclerosis caused by high cholesterol? - https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/95/6/397/1559536

7:44 - Endothelial Dysfunction, Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Atherosclerosis: Beneficial Effects of Statins - https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ben/cmc/2007/00000014/00000002/art00011

8:40 - Statin Therapy: Review of Safety and Potential Side Effects - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5126440/

9:48 - Psychological stress, immune response, and atherosclerosis - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hongfeng-Gu/publication/221805408_Psychological_stress_immune_response_and_atherosclerosis/links/5d418723a6fdcc370a6fb5a4/Psychological-stress-immune-response-and-atherosclerosis.pdf

10:41 - Psychosocial stress and atherosclerosis: family and work stress accelerate progression of coronary disease in women. The Stockholm Female Coronary Angiography Study - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2796.2006.01759.x

11:37 - Dietary fats, carbohydrate, and progression of coronary atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women - https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/80/5/1175/4690419

12:00 - Gut Microbiota in Hypertension and Atherosclerosis: A Review - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/10/2982

13:07 - Microbial trimethylamine-N-oxide as a disease marker: something fishy? - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16512235.2017.1327309

13:51 - The Gut Microbiota and Its Implication in the Development of Atherosclerosis and Related Cardiovascular Diseases - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/3/605