A new study from the Institute for Systems Biology compared people who lost 1% or more of their weight each month on a weight loss diet, compared with those whose weight didn’t budge–finding that the groups had different microbial DNA and bacteria in their microbiome. Those that lost weight had microbial DNA that allowed bacteria (especially Prevotella) to grow fast (these bacteria ate more sugar/nutrients before the body could absorb them), while the weight-loss-resistant group had…
A new study from Stanford University tested the impact that a diet high in fermented foods (yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, etc.) versus a diet high in fiber-rich plant foods would have on the gut and immune system. After ten weeks, the fermented food group saw significant reductions in 19 different inflammatory compounds and harbored a more diverse array of microbes in their guts–while the high-fiber group did not. This represents some…
It’s widely believed that people put on weight in middle age because their metabolisms slow down and that women have slower metabolisms than men, and menopause makes things worse (which is why women struggle with weight issues). A large, new study (6,500 people) indicates that those assumptions are flat-out wrong. Rather than metabolism slowing in middle age, there are four distinct phases of metabolic change:…
Global spread of autoimmune disease blamed on western diet–The Guardian, January 9, 2022 Globally, autoimmune diseases (ranging from type 1 diabetes to rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis) are rising by between 3% to 9% a year, even in countries where they did not exist before. This seems to be correlated with the rate of adoption of western-style diets and specifically fast food, which…
Work-from-Home Drives Real Estate Shifts: Major Inflation for In-Nature “Wellness Locations” By Thierry Malleret, economist Stay-at-home and hybrid working are here to stay. For those with a profession allowing them to do so, 2-3 days a week working from home is becoming the norm. The consequences of this radical shift will be manifold. Three shifts stand out: (1) Cities will continue to thrive, but high-end…
Industry Research: The Spa Market Spa Industry Expected to Surpass Pre-Pandemic Revenues in 2022–Reaching $122 Billion The GWI’s new report on the global wellness economy includes in-depth data on the spa industry, a “high-touch” market that was therefore a major “pandemic loser,” but which is forecast to be one of the top-three fastest-growing wellness markets through 2025. If the market reached a record $111 billion…
