Like a lot of emerging areas of health, there is not quite enough research yet to show that microbiomics really works. But certainly, there’s reason to believe as well as consumer interest, so we’ll see how it develops! “If this collaboration between Nordstrom and Viome proves successful, similar partnerships between at-home diagnostics developers and established retail chains may become even more common.” | learn more
“Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. It’s a relatively new field that combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and their functions) to develop effective, safe medications that are tailored to a person’s genetic makeup.” | learn more
“The thought of being able to control user acquisition and growth, and have the offering subsidized or paid for by insurance is just too compelling.” | learn more
Intermittent fasting shows health and longevity benefits in a variety of species. This short article published in Nature highlights a study that’s also linked fasting results to the circadian clock. | learn more
Shockingly interesting! “Many researchers and doctors—and broader societies—take it as a given that obesity means ill health. In fact, says Ruth Loos, who studies the genetics of obesity at the University of Copenhagen, “We can be obese but remain healthy.” Scherer, Loos, and other researchers worldwide are examining genes, animal models, and humans to understand how factors such as the distribution of fat in the body and the nature of…
Hah! “As with many interventions intended to prevent ill health, the effectiveness of parachutes has not been subjected to rigorous evaluation by using randomised controlled trials.” | learn more
“With sleep playing such a big role in a person’s metabolic, immune, mental and overall health, it’s time for people to start taking their sleep seriously. How do you do that? According to Chicago entrepreneur Jeff Kahn, two actionable ways to do that are by adjusting your schedule to your circadian rhythm and reducing your sleep debt.” | learn more
“The two will tap hospital chain HCA’s private patient records to train machine learning models, which could help monitor patients, improve operations, and guide doctors’ decision-making.” | learn more
While I’m not in the market for middle school textbooks, I am fond of this one for its approach. Ever since Hans Rosling helped me realize my world view was based on decades-old and outdated data, I’ve wondered if that cycle persists. It doesn’t have to. “Your World, Better: Global Progress and What You Can Do About It is a book written for the smart and engaged middle school student.…
Published in Nature Medicine: “Analyses from the gut microbiome of over 1,000 individuals from the PREDICT 1 study, for which detailed long-term diet information as well as hundreds of fasting and same-meal postprandial cardiometabolic blood marker measurements are available, unveil new associations between specific gut microbes, dietary habits and cardiometabolic health.” | learn more