[Newsletter] Vitamin K clots blood but unclogs our brain slowing its aging — new research
By: Walter Adamson
Tags: Health, Stretching, Food, Newsletter, Running

[Newsletter] Vitamin K clots blood but unclogs our brain slowing its aging — new research

Plus, getting to know your stage-5 banana will help your health

Image by Bailey Garrot

My weekly three best insights from me, Medium and the web to help you live longer better.

Should you stretch before running? Seventy-seven percent of runners answer incorrectly— item #3.

We’re learning more about the importance of gut health every day. Bananas feed our gut. Even better if you know the best stage to eat one— item #2.

Cognitive fitness is essential for living longer better. Vitamin K plays a role in slowing the aging of our brain — keep reading —

From around Medium…

1. Scientists discover that vitamin K doesn’t just help our blood clot

People who regularly ate leafy greens (a prime source of vitamin K) showed slower brain aging and slower mental deterioration than those who did not.

In fact, the difference was equivalent to 11 years of aging!

We can’t synthesise vitamin K — we depend on food. It has two forms — K1 and K2, from different sources.

The dietary sources of K2 (cheese, milk products and meat) differ completely from those of K1 (leafy greens and non-hydrogenated oils).

We need to eat egg yolks and high-fat dairy products to get enough K2. Cheese is an important source and, in particular, bacteria-fermented cheese such as Norwegian Jarlsberg cheese and Swiss Emmental cheese.

You can’t really go wrong by adding leafy greens to your diet along with cheese and a good splash of olive oil.

My post: Vitamin K Keeps Our Brain 11 Years Younger — Study

👉 Here is my collection of posts about food which will help you.

2. Stage-5 bananas boost our gut health — that’s good

This week I learnt a lot about bananas from Corinne Kocher and her post — What Does a Stage 5 Banana Mean? It’s an insightful post about what drives the logistics chain between the farmer and the supermarket display.

However, my specific interest was in what a “stage 5” banana looks like, and Google found me the perfect answer, from Corinne.

There is an internationally-accepted, 7-stage banana color chart that vendors and retailers use to agree on certain industry banana standards. In general, most US produce departments aim to offer stage 5 bananas: yellow body, green tips. — Corinne Kocher.

Why would I want to know? I’m glad you asked.

Bananas contain fructooligosaccharides and inulin.

These are classified as fibres, and are not digested in the upper gastrointestinal tract (therefore, they have a reduced caloric value). They stimulate the growth of intestinal bifidobacteria, which in turn are responsible for cardiovascular and many other benefits.

Stage 5 bananas have the highest content of these starches compared to other stages of ripeness.

What this means for us: You can buy tablets with fructooligosaccharides and inulin. But I believe that real food is the best way to improve your diet and health, and bananas are an all-round healthy choice: yellow body, green tips.

The article: What Does a Stage 5 Banana Mean?

Related: ​Your Gut Is Stopping Your Losing Weight — It’s Not Your Fault

From the web …

3. Stretch before running? When the wisdom of the crowd fails

Forty years ago Japanese sports scientists established that athletes who stretched before competing suffered more injuries than those who did not.

Poll Runnersworld.com July 2020 | Image Credit Runtastic.com

Yet bizarrely, a recent poll at Runnersworld.com found that 77% of respondents believe that stretching is an important part of warming up. I guess that you only have to go to any gym and to see how this mistaken belief is perpetuated.

What this means for us: The Japanese scientists found that, in contrast to stretching, warming-up before competing reduced injuries.

I run every day, and I warm up with about ten minutes of mobility exercises. I stretch when I finish. I don’t believe I would be able to run daily for more than a year and remain injury-free without warming up first and stretching afterwards.

The Runners World Article: Should I Stretch Before Or After My Runs?

Related: Have a Better Shorter Warm-up With This 3D Dynamic Stretch For Your Hips, Ankles and Lower Back

Questions, just HIT REPLY, love to hear from you.

Wishing you a safe and active week,

Walter ⭑Keep Moving⭑ Adamson ⭑Top Food Writer⭑

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