Lose weight by eating potatoes and rice
The secret to great tea, the bugs causes blindness, and the unending war between predator viruses and zombie bacteria
Hello!
I hope you’ve been well. Today I want to share a few recent research breakthroughs that I’ve been quite interested in and writing about. Tying all of them are microbes - tiny, invisible beings that most people don’t think about.
First up…
Lose weight by eating aloo and rice?
Rest assured, this headline is absolutely true. For long aloo, chawal, and other carbohydrates have been vilified. In fact in Bangla, aloo-bhate marka is a kind of person who a simpleton who eats potatoes and rice.
It turns out these simpletons know a thing or two that sophisticates don’t.
Potatoes and rice are not our enemies.
Potatoes are often vilified, but that’s because we fry and over-salt them. Cooked and cooled rice and potatoes contain resistant starch which helps control weight and blood sugar. You can mash up boiled and cooled potatoes with a little bit of salt and chili peppers to make the Bengali delicacy aloo makha.
The kind and amount of carbohydrates you eat matter, but some carbohydrates are good for you. Whole grains, leafy vegetables, lentils - they all contain carbohydrates that the beneficial microbes in our gut eat, and we know now gut microbe health is connected to overall health including heart health, weight, mood and mental state. And so do potatoes and rice.
But don’t just take my word for it.
Here’s the research on resistant starch I wrote about in my science column in Hindustan Times this week.
Obesity is a big problem worldwide. A study in The Lancet found that over a billion people globally are obese. This includes children and adults, and the problem isn't just in rich countries. Poor diets and lack of exercise are making things worse everywhere.
New weight loss drugs are promising, but they're hard to find. Healthy living is still key.
Recent research highlights a special carb called resistant starch that might help with weight loss. It feeds good bacteria in your gut and is found in foods like plantains, beans, oats, and cooled rice and potatoes.
A study in China with 37 overweight people showed that eating this starch for 8 weeks helped them lose weight and fat, especially around vital organs. They also found more fat in their stool, meaning their bodies were getting rid of it rather than storing it.
This starch seems to improve gut health and even helped mice lose weight in experiments. It can also help control blood sugar levels.
The study was small and people regained weight after stopping the starch, which is a common challenge with weight loss. Also, experts say it's important to keep eating a variety of fibers, not just resistant starch. And if you're thinking of trying it, talk to a doctor or nutritionist first to avoid stomach issues.
But study is exciting as it shows how diet can improve health by affecting gut bacteria.
Could microbes by the key to Alzheimer’s disease?
I’m a microbiologist, but even I had no clue that the brain has its own microbiome and many dementias associated with microbes may be reversible.
The discovery of a man in his 70s whose Alzheimer's-like symptoms were reversed after treating a fungal infection in his brain has sparked interest in the role of microbes in neurodegenerative diseases! This case, involving the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, challenges the long-held belief that the brain is sterile, devoid of microbes due to the protective blood-brain barrier.
Recent research, including a study by Richard Lathe and colleagues, has identified a diverse "brain microbiome" containing around 100,000 species, a discovery that aligns with other findings linking certain microbes to Alzheimer's disease. These microbes include varieties of fungi, bacteria, and even an unidentified alga, which were found in higher concentrations in individuals with Alzheimer's.
This emerging evidence suggests that an imbalance in the brain's microbiome could contribute to neurodegenerative conditions, raising questions about the relationship between specific microbes and brain health, the mechanisms by which microbes might influence neural degeneration, and how they actually breach the blood-brain barrier.
The cause of genetic blindness is… bacteria
Recent research seems to indicate that bacteria escaping from the gut and reaching the retina may partly cause blindness previously believed to be solely genetic.
This finding is pretty surprising, since eyes are generally considered shielded by a barrier impermeable to bacteria. The research was published in Cell.
Microbes are the secret to a great cup of tea
What makes a great cup of tea? Could it be microbes in the soil? This is the focus of a science column I wrote a few days ago.
I love drinking hot tea and am very picky about it. My favorite is a floral Darjeeling tea, made just with hot water, no sugar or milk. It's known as the "Champagne of teas" and has a unique taste because of how the tea bushes are cared for in the Himalayan foothills of my home state.
The place where tea grows is very important for its taste. It depends not only on how high up it grows or the weather, but also on the soil. Scientists have discovered that soil bacteria affect the flavor of tea. They studied tea plant roots and found these microbes play a big part in making tea taste good by helping the plant get the right amount of nitrogen. This is important for the plant to grow well and produce theanine, an amino acid that gives tea a special umami flavor.
A team of researchers in China looked into how these soil microbes help tea plants. They found out that these tiny soil organisms help tea plants get more ammonia, which helps make more theanine. This makes the tea taste better.
They even created a mix of specific microbes to see if they could make plants produce more theanine. It worked, showing a new way to improve tea taste without chemicals. This method might not be used everywhere yet, since there are challenges to doing this in large tea gardens. But, if it keeps working well in tests, it could lead to better quality tea made in a more environmentally friendly way.
This could also make special teas more popular for people who are willing to pay more for better taste and sustainability. So, soil microbes change the way tea tastes, making it even better for those of us who really love our tea.
“For years, a type of bacteria called Enterococcus faecium lurked in Lynn Cole’s bloodstream. Often found in hospitals, E. faecium is usually a gut-dwelling bacteria but can creep into other areas of the body. Her doctors tried various antibiotics, but the bacteria was zombie-like: It kept coming back.”
Lynn Cole’s infection could not be treated with antibiotics, and so the doctors turned to viruses in wastewater. This is a riveting story about the menace of infections caused by drug-resistant superbugs.
Now’s the time that I need to tell you that I have a book that unravels the secret pandemic of superbugs coming out this year.
This secret pandemic is on track to kill more people than cancer and cause more economic havoc than COVID.
In my book, I talk about a lot of things including the promise and limitations of phages - the treatment used on Lynn Cole.
Stay tuned for more.
Anirban
As interesting as ever.
Looking forward to your new book!