Xi'an's Og

In this issue with a nutrition highlight, some recommendations for healthier options, not particularly surprising:

• “Morning coffee seems best for heart health“, based on a large longitudinal US study, even though “relationship between coffee consumption and health is unclear”, and especially since this does not impact all-day coffee (and tea?) drinkers.
• “Go vegan for the gut microbiome“, again based on a relatively large metagenomics study (in the US, the UK, and Italy). Omnivorous get the most diverse microbiomes, but red-meat eaters produce some species linked with IBD and cancers, while vegans host more beneficial bacteria with anti-inflammatory impact. Dairy eaters are also (unsurprisingly) associated with healthier microbiomes. And a connected article in this volume on how changes in the microorganisms in the guts contribute to cognitive decline.
• “The quest for proteins“, associating the hormone FGF21 as an endocrine signal of protein deprivation, and hence justifying our craving for protein-loaded food. Without concluding at its health consequences.
• “Sugar rationing reduced diabetes and high blood pressure“, really?! Reminiscing of the post-war (WWII) years in the UK when sugar was rationed. And surveying people born before and after the rationing about their diabetes and hypertension patterns. (Guess what?!)
• “Ditch the fries, not the mash” as a recommendation to eat potatoes despite the high sugar content of this starchy root (which I very rarely consume, even less in the fried format!). Again based on a huge longitudinal study of 5.2 million people years! The conclusion is still that “replacing total potatoes (…) with whole grains was associated with a lower risk of [type 2 diabetes],”

And a shorter list of recommendations for skin care, away from influencers! Like applying sunscreen, eating a nutrient-dense diet, using a simple, well-balanced moisturizer. Apart from these servings, a continuation of themes met in previous issues

• an editorial on the three recipients of the 2026 Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature, as part of a series of remarkable women scientists, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, Xiwen Gong at the University of Michigan, Ellen Roche at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Zhen Xu at the University of Michigan, with a rather un-international location
• yet another tribune on Epstein!, calling for stricter rules on private funding of research,
• and yet another on stopping the use of AI in war, which has about as much chance to be heeded as a call to stop the wars (alas!),
• two further wishful opinion articles calling for action against Trump 2.0, with lots of must and can, but little consideration for the negligence of the rule of law by Agent Orange and his administration…

And an article on how Pokémons inspired future scientists, especially those involved in collecting and classifying.