An Unexpected Goldmine of Antibiotics…

It’s probably been drummed into you by now that we are running out of antibiotics and that bacteria are increasingly become resistant to many of these drugs we have at our disposal. 

On the bright side, novel therapies like phage therapy, i.e. using viruses (called bacteriophages, hence the name phage therapy) to destroy bacteria, are proving promising to combat antimicrobial resistance.

Even more interesting was the findings of a new study which suggested that our very own human guts could be an untapped source of undiscovered antibiotics! You’re literally housing a drug factory!

The typical human gut contains 100 trillion microbes and they’re all constantly in competition for limited resources… one of the harshest environments that exist. 

Such extreme environments fosters innovation…

I mean if the bacteria within our guts have to develop the weapons needed to fight against each other for their own survival… why not use their own weapons against them?!

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania surveyed the gut microbiomes of nearly 2000 people and discovered dozens of potential new peptide antibiotics – one of which was called prevotelling-2, which seemed to show anti-infective capabilities with a current FDA approved antibiotics used to treat multi drug resistant infections!

It’s early days yet but another promising hope that mankind has the power to overcome those pesky pathogenic bacteria!

The End of a Language…

Language is always changing. It changes across geography and social groups and importantly across generations and time….

Generation by generation, new pronunciations evolve, new words are borrowed or invented, the meaning of old words drifts, and the morphology decays.

At some point the accumulation of all the slow changes means the "mother tongue" linguists estimate that this point is usually reached after a thousand years; at this point the original and “new” languages will not be mutually intelligible.

For example if we go back to the year 1024 and spoke to an Englishman, you would have absolutely no clue that they were saying – unless you happen to hold a degree in Old English which is basically a form of German.

This is a multi-directional relationship as if you then hopped onto a time machine and transported yourself to the year 3024 (assuming humans hadn’t become extinct by then or become mute slaves to our AI overlords) you also would not be able to hold a conversation with anyone in “English”

After ten thousand years, the relationship will be essentially indistinguishable from chance relationships between historically unrelated languages.

In your lifetime you must not perceive drastic changes. Perhaps you see small deviations in internation, tone and slight dialect changes – think of the “Gen Z slang” from tiktok (e.g. Skibidi toilet, rizz as the shortened form of charisma etc).

If you really look closely, the language you speak and hear has likely deviated a fair amount from how you spoke or the people around you spoke even 20 years ago. My dad used to love using terms like nincompoop, apropos and other archaic words which have largely been consigned to the archives of the English language.

Also, as people observe language change, they usually react negatively, feeling that the language has "gone down hill". Have you ever heard someone from an older generation comment on how amazing the language of the youth is?

Solution to limiting language change (to some degree): read old books.

My “Perfect” Sleep Routine To Fix My Terrible Sleep…

Disclaimer: it’s not perfect but it’s pretty damn good and was a hard fought battle to get it right and escape insomnia 10 years ago!

Disclaimer 2: sleep is not a quick fix and it took me a year of doing these things consistently (but you could probably do it in a few months!)

1.     Non negotiable is having a consistent bed time. Try to be consistent even on weekends, don’t use your days off to stay up late watching Netflix or lie in for hours in the morning. If you can be on time for work, be on time to take care of your body – it’s far more valuable. If you need extra help, use a sleep app or journal your times to keep yourself accountable

2.     Have your last meal 3 hours before bedtime. I used to love late night snacking – this is a sleep destroyer. It takes 90min for 50% of your stomach contents to empty into your small intestine. Having a large meal too close to bed means your body is more metabolically active, reduces melatonin production and raises your core body temperature (thanks also to the thermic effect of food, heat is produced). Think of it like exercise for your digestive tract… not good before bed

3.     Caffeine should be discontinued 5-8 hours before bed. We all metabolise caffeine at different rates.. if you want to play it safe, no stimulants after 12pm. It disrupts sleep and keeps you aroused.

4.     Wind down an hour before bed: no screens, read a book, listen to gentle music (no lyrics ideally), stretch, meditate, breathwork… basically whatever you need to slow down your body and ease into a calmer state.

5.     Regulate room temperature. This mght take some exporation and trial and error. The inevitable truth is our bodies require a lowering of core body temperaute to be induced into a sleep state. The faster you can lower your temperature, comfortably, the faster your sleep induction time. Consider temperature controlled mattresses, lightweight lines or breathable cotton sheets, warm showers or baths before bed. Experiment to see what works

6.     Sunlight first thing in the morning. This is key to sleep later in the day as it entrains or sets your circadian clock and calibrates your body.

Sleep is a journey, it is a marathon and not a sprint. You are doing this for yourself, not others.

Build the basics to have a more productive and happier relationship with your own body.

You can do this.

Sleep tight my little walking microbiomes.

P.S if you want to learn more about how to improve your sleep, order my book “This Book May Save Your Life”

Easy Nutrition Wins…

If you don’t have the energy or time to curate the perfect meal, or the money to constantly buy the freshest, most organic ingredients… fear not.

Nutrition and diet doesn’t have to be complex. I’ve got some staples in my cupboards, fridge and freezer that you will find 365 days of the year to give me a baseline level of nutrition and items which are cheap and available all year and can be eaten with minimal prep! (think under 2 mins)

1.    Frozen fruit and vegetables.

Studies have shown that the nutrient and vitamin content of frozen items is similar to and up to ten times higher than fresh items. This isn’t to say frozen is always better but don’t discard the frozen stuff!

It’s far more convenient and doesn’t depend on seasons (and way cheaper).

An easy go-to snack if microwaving some frozen veg or sticking it in the air fryer till it’s crispy and seasoning it with salt, pepper and chilli

2.    Tinned beans.

I’ve got apocalyptic levels of beans in my cupboard – I’m well stocked for any zombie apocalypse or doomsday scenario.

I’ll be farting and shitting very well in the end times!

Anyway, beans are an excellent source of prebiotics and we know diets abundant in beans have been linked to longevity and lower rates of chronic disease.

3.    Canned and tinned fish.

Tinned and canned fish generally have the majority of essential nutrients found in fresh fish well preserved and it is a very easy way to get your omega 3s and cheaper than fresh fish! 

Men Should Have The HPV Vaccine Too..

The 4th most common cancer type in women is cervical cancer and 95% of these cases are caused by HPV, the human papilloma virus. In around 37 countries, public health initiatives mean girls between 9 and 14 are vaccinated for this.

But HPV affects men too and increase the risk of genital warts, cancers of the genital tract, anus , mouth and throat which suggests that boys too should be routinely vaccinated for this but this isn’t as widely uptaken from a public health initiative standpoint.

There is increasing evidence that genital HPV in men can have effects on sperm quality and male fertility.

The fact is that 85-90% of people will contract HPV but the body clears it naturally in most cases.

Why has education around this in men and the efforts to vaccinate men and boys lagging behind and is not being taken seriously from a public health risk angle? Interestingly, the HPV vaccine was only offered to boys in Britain since 2019

A lot of people remain unaware HPV can cause cancer in men too. Raising awareness is part 1. Part 2 is using this information to make tangible global policy changes to similarly help save lives.

3 Micro Habits To Help Improve Your Life

1.    Put your butt against the back of your seat.

Posture is overrated, and slouching is actually ok a long as its not painful BUT ergonomically it is far better for you and less painful in the long run to have your back/bottom leaning against something. Especially if you spend hours sitting down.

2.    Mute all apps and notifications.

When I first started an Instagram account I got a buzz and my screen flashed every time someone sent a like or message or followed me.

On top of that receiving pointless notifications from the news app etc overloads you with micro stresses.

The average person receives around 46 notifications a day – that’s 46 too many.

You should be in charge of your phone, not the other way around.

Go to your phone setting and turn off notifications for all apps except those used by people you want to be in touch with.

3.    Sleep with your phone in another room.

It seems daunting. Like you’re cutting off an appendage.

But it’s an amputation that needs to happen.

If you’re reading this, you probably sleep with your phone. You need tech free time.

If you use your phone as an alarm, get an old school alarm instead.