And yet lots of dermatologists will tell you to avoid sunlight.
The medical community is full of contradictions.
The medical community is full of contradictions.
Looking after our physical and mental health via modulation of multitudes of interrelated bodily systems and their unique chemistry and biology is a massive multivariate optimisation problem.
However, there are reasonable heuristics we can use as a guide for better outcomes, for example, "spend more time in nature" - it's probably no coincidence that doing so is reasonably good for us given we've effectively evolved over many millenia to make the most of "being in nature".
EDIT: Except lava.
Clearly it's Iava, the Latin word for Java. Quidquid Iava quondam scribum, omni currum, sed delenda est.
We added iodine to salt to prevent deficiency, then decades later told everyone to avoid salt. I've found iodine to be a huge piece of the puzzle - certainly not a panacea but one of several go to solutions.
Because sodium is being added to packaged and processed foods, the average American was getting way more sodium than the recommended amount. And given the number of obese people and those with hypertension who are salt-sensitive, lots of people were getting way more sodium than was healthy for them.
Unlike white sugar which seems to be bad for humans in nearly any amount, salt is an essential nutrient. I suspect it was so demonized as an attempt to deflect blame off of other food additives such as sugar. Low sodium diets may make sense for people with high blood pressure, but it isn't something that everybody should be doing.
It seems grossly irresponsible to only highlight the dangers of high sodium while ignoring the dangers of low sodium diets.
see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbSic4Oo8ME&t=420s
So if your food tastes salty, you should drink more water to dilute the concentration (and hopefully you won't drink so much water to induce hyponatremia - it's a balancing act).
By the time you get the thirsty feeling, your body has switched over to converting glucose to fructose, etc.
Part of the into: Additionally, I examine research findings suggesting that some individuals might benefit from increased intake of sodium and other electrolytes (magnesium and potassium) to enhance mental performance, lessen anxiety, and offset dizziness. Yet, other people may need less sodium. I discuss how you can determine your optimal sodium intake and why sodium intake levels need to be uniquely tailored to an individual’s lifestyle.
[1]: https://hubermanlab.com/using-salt-to-optimize-mental-and-ph...
Recently I started drinking a homemade electrolyte and if I miss it for a few days I can really tell. Increasing my salt and potassium has made my head feel better, I don't get dizzy standing up quickly, I got rid of the always thirsty feeling and my circulation is better (fingers aren't cold all the time).
Why did I make this change? My wife had a bunch of tests. The heart doctor said everything was great and to increase salt in the diet. We eat the same and many of the things I listed were mentioned in her appointment - so I figured it would likely be good for me.
Pass the salt.
Some processed food manufacturers have started using iodized salt in some of their products in recent years at least where I live, though. (Northern Europe)
I don't know if that's an entirely a local thing or a wider thing e.g. in the EU. AFAIK the local soil here isn't that rich in iodine and so produce doesn't end up containing as much iodine either. The local food authority ended up recommending that iodized salt be used not only in schools etc. but also in bakeries and the food industry. Apparently some have followed suit, although not to a full extent.
A quick look at some store-bought packaged bread and the package of a frozen baguette I ate last night shows a bit more than half of them have or had iodized salt. That includes, perhaps a little surprisingly, the store-brand frozen baguette. The few other packages I have at hand don't indicate iodized salt but I've heard its use in the food industry has increased from the practically zero it used to be.
So, the answer might be a resounding no or a less resounding one, depending on where you are.
[1] Source: general impression of what I've read and heard, so basically a hunch
What was the change you made?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbSic4Oo8ME&t=4590s
If you're eating a high glucose/carb diet, the body will convert glucose to fructose. Enough fructose will switch your body from fat-burning to fat-storage mode => obesity.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) can be caused by high uric acid levels.
Foods high in fructose and purines (beer, anchovies) will increase uric acid.
I sound like a spokesperson for this video, but watch the video for how fructose (and high purine content food - beer, anchovies et al.) causes high uric acid -> high blood pressure and gout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbSic4Oo8ME
If you focus on individual mechanisms, it looks like contradictions, but as a whole it makes sense.
Sunlight is beneficial for vitamin D production, but harmful when it comes to UV damage.
Both can be true and not contradictory.
As humans developed, evolution didn't have to create the optimal system, just a system that gets the organism to reproductive years. After that? Irrelevant.
That could point to the challenge of fixing diseases of aging. A good analogy is programming - if the program you came up with uses 8 bit variables, and that limitation causes problems later, well, you're going to have to start from scratch to fix it.
I’ve been feeling sicker than usual lately. Stupid amount of rain in NSW. Went out yesterday morning on a bright sunny day and suddenly I felt much better.