Trust these doctors

In 2013 Trust me I’m a Doctor aired on BBC. It is hosted by medical journalist Michael Mosley and a team of doctors who scientifically investigate popular health claims, myths, and misconceptions. I always learn something new when I watch the show and I would like to share some of their findings which are most relevant to Strong Able Free.

We don’t need so much protein

In a Trust Me experiment, a group of participants were put on an exercise regime; throughout their exercise program some drank a protein drink and some did not. Results showed NO difference in muscle or strength gain between the two groups. Everyone’s strength increased by about 30% and muscle mass by 1-2%, irrelevant of protein supplementation!

Fact: Your body can only use about 20-30 grams at a meal, so anything extra is either stored as fat or comes out in your urine.

When you eat matters

A new theory suggests that giving ourselves longer periods without eating can make us healthier. In a Trust Me experiment, 12 people changed their eating habits over 10 weeks to test this new theory. They ate breakfast 1.5 hours later and supper 1.5 hours earlier and no snacking after supper. This meant there were three hours more per day when they were not eating. There were no restrictions on what they ate.

Results showed that those who restricted their eating time had lower resting blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and body fat. Why? Because (a) your body deals with the calories more efficiently, (b) increased metabolism during the day and (c) possibly a fasting effect.

Fat levels naturally rise in the evening due to melatonin. When you eat during this time, you "spike" the natural effect. Results suggest that we should be eating most of our calories earlier in the day. Late dinners and evening snacking make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight and almost impossible to lose weight.

I have put this theory into practice by fasting between 6pm and 8am everyday and I do like the results. Read my article about intermittent fasting here.

Competition is a good motivator

Trust Me conducted a study where three groups of people were given different motivational techniques to establish which technique worked best.

• The control group was given no incentives, no prizes and no coaching.

• Competitors were given incentives to achieve the most weight loss within the group (individual goals for weight loss and a prize for the individual who lost the most weight).

• Collaborators were given incentives to work as a group (prize given to group who lost most weight, total pounds lost).

The collaborators improved 16% and their improvement remained stable throughout the month. Competitors improved 30% on a week by week basis. The conclusion: When it comes to weight loss, social pressure motivates us.

This is why it is crucial to let others know when you are trying to lose weight, get people to compete with you, or at the very least have a group of people who can help motivate and support you.

Get to know your gut

Our gut bacteria is key to how we process food. Different foods will spike blood sugar levels in different people, causing weight gain. In another Trust Me experiment, two women (same height and same weight) had the exact same diet and activity for one week but each woman had a very different gut bacteria profile.

It was found that the foods that spiked for one woman had the opposite effect on the other so the woman that gained weight on those foods changed her diet to avoid foods that spiked her blood sugar levels and this resulted in a change in her microbiome.

Research is showing that we can change our gut bacteria. Knowing what foods to eat and changing our gut bacteria so we process food better may be key to weight management and weight loss. For more information on this fascinating subject and some recommended resources, read my article about the microbiome.

Some other interesting findings included:

• Women seem to benefit more from working out on an empty stomach, whereas men do better after they have eaten. This is because men have more muscle, which means they have a greater capacity to store and utilize carbohydrates.

• Stop buying high antioxidant smoothies and fruit drinks. Yes, antioxidants sweep up free radicals which are thought to cause damage to cells, BUT free radicals are vital for muscle growth. Free radicals are signal molecules that tell the body when to repair muscles. Most of us have the amount of free radicals we need and our bodies are very good at maintaining homeostasis. When you ingest a smoothie or fruit drink that is loaded with antioxidants, the level of antioxidants in your body will initially spike but your body will then do what ever it takes to get back to homeostasis and will compensate by lowering free radicals BELOW baseline. It will take up to 24 hours to get back up to baseline. So instead of getting an antioxidant boost, that smooth is causing your body to overcompensate and reduce free radicals below baseline for up to 24 hours, impairing your body's ability to build and repair muscle.

• There a difference between outdoor and treadmill running, but it’s not what you think. We do get more benefits from running outside because running outside forces you on to different surfaces improving balance; you get an increase in Vitamin D and it is better for your mind. You can read Your Brain on Nature for more information on this topic. If you want to get some of the benefits from outdoor running but prefer to run on a treadmill, use at least a 1% incline to compensate for the lack of wind resistance and vary your speed and incline throughout your workout.

The Trust me, I’m a Doctor TV show has inspired me to make several changes in my life, and all have had positive results.