Motivation Monday - Episode 2

Welcome back to the Daily Dumbbell, your go to source for health news that is interspersed with random sports stats & bad movie references.

Today we have a jam packed research roundup as well as a tale of courage in the face of certain death that we hope will fill you with hope & or motivation for the future.

Let’s dive in!

Technology

An AI Language Learning Model used (ECG) readings to diagnose and classify heart attacks faster and more accurately than current approaches.

Researchers hoped to match the score of current methods, the AI however proved to be much more successful.

AI was able to predict gingivitis based on pictures of the gum line with 90% accuracy. This matches the effectiveness of in person examination.

Scientists embedded an ECG into the handle of shopping carts to detect Atrial Fibrillation through the flagging of irregular heartbeats. Atrial Fibrillation increases the risk of stroke/heart attack by 5x. But when diagnosed early can be treated effectively.

Of the 2,155 shoppers who consented to the study:

• 220 were flagged as having an irregular heartbeat.

• 115 appeared to be a false alarm

• 46 were unclear and were recommended a follow-up

• 59 were found to have an irregular heartbeat. (39 of which had not been diagnosed before)

These all show massive potential to improve population wide healthcare.

Weight Loss

Benefits of fasting appear to disappear soon after the fast ends. Including any associated weight loss…

While many still swear by the effectiveness of fasting, more and more research is piling up by the day to suggest it isn’t any more effective than any other form of caloric restriction.

Important to note, 2/3rds of the weight lost in the fasting studies reviewed came from lean body mass and only 1/3rd from fat mass. This could probably be mitigated a bit with resistance training during the fast, but it could also be entirely mitigated by going about it in a smarter way…

Research into the effect of exercise on those with Type 2 Diabetes had a few interesting takeaways. Nothing groundbreaking here, but whenever we can really drill down on recommendations it makes it easier for people to follow.

In short, any movement is good and more is generally better

• Combining cardio & resistance training appears to be better than either alone.

• Exercise in the afternoon appears to offer a slight benefit over exercise in the morning for glucose control.

• Exercise after a meal may help slightly more than before a meal.

And most importantly? You don’t have to lose any weight to see the benefits of exercise. It’s a mantra we repeat constantly for a reason.

Random, but Fascinating

This study out of UCLA compared the fMRI imaging of happy people against those who scored high on a loneliness test.

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

The opening line from Tolstoy’s famous novel, Anna Karenina has never been more prescient.

The brain scans of the lonely individuals exhibited striking variations from one another. Each lonely brain seemed to possess its own distinct neural signature, highlighting the complex and multifaceted experience of loneliness. These findings provide a tangible and scientific underpinning to the often elusive sense of feeling "misunderstood" by society.

As well as a possible glimpse into why conspiracy theories and dangerous ideas tend to take hold among the most isolated amongst us.

This week, amidst the usual bunch of research studies we dig through, one story stood out—a tale of courage and a quest for a breakthrough in the face of limited options. While our Research Roundup often takes us on a wild ride of fun and bizarre discoveries, the saga of David Bennett Jr. emerged as a shining example of fearlessness and a bold vision for a world without organ scarcity.

Out of the 3,800 souls who received heart transplants in the US last year, David's case broke the mold. Unable to qualify for a human heart transplant and confined to a hospital bed, he was facing certain death. Yet, he made a gutsy decision: he volunteered to be a test subject in a daring experiment. The plan? To have a genetically modified pig heart implanted, with the hope that it would take root and keep him alive.

Scientists tinkered with the pig's genes to remove the triggers that lead to rapid rejection, adding human genes to make the organ more palatable to the body. It wasn’t exactly a shot in the dark, scientists have been working on this for over 30 years, but it was the first procedure of it’s kind and desperate times called for desperate measures.

For 7 weeks it seemed like the heart had taken. Sadly, infection took over, the heart failed and David passed away 61 days after the successful operation.

With a record-breaking 41,000 organ transplants performed last year, it's clear we've made strides. Yet, more than 106,000 people remain on the waiting list, clinging to hope as they navigate the treacherous waters of uncertainty. Many will never get the chance they need, their dreams of a life-saving transplant shattered. Thousands die each year waiting and thousands more don’t qualify.

David's act of courage, his leap into the unknown, choosing to sacrifice his final days for a better future for those who might still have a fighting chance, is a shining example of that old Greek Proverb.

“A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they will never sit.”

In the spirit of David's courage, as well as the bravery & audacity this country was founded upon, let us honor those who dare to tread uncharted territory. It is their willingness to challenge the status quo, to walk into the darkness, not knowing where it will lead, that drives progress and opens the doors to a future where no one's fate is left to chance.

"We are grateful for every innovative moment, every crazy dream, every sleepless night that went into this historic effort," David Bennett Jr. said in a statement released by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We hope this story can be the beginning of hope and not the end."

Cheers to that David.

We hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter. Have an excellent 4th of July! Make sure to come back on Wednesday with all of your fingers for more of our usual nonsense that is occasionally peppered with facts and actionable takeaways.