The Weekly Dose...

The Weekly Dose...

... the latest from Dr Karan

  Here is your weekly dose...  

Hi all!Here is your weekly dose of the Sunday Six! A list of what I'm pondering and exploring. If you enjoy this please feel free to forward this to friends. families and enemies alike!**You'll find more in depth analysis of some of these subjects on my social platforms in the links just below, including Dr Karan Investigates! for deep dives into interesting topics on my YouTube channel.**

🎗️ Cancer Awareness Month 

I want to start this newsletter with a very important point. October is cancer awareness month, so it makes sense to start with a quick recap about checking how lumps. I put a video up on

YouTube

  that you should check out. I talk about three commonly forgotten places to check for breast cancer. Please give it a watch and put it into practice!

📺 What I'm Watching... 

Jungle - Amazon Prime

A 6-part series looking at the lives of multiple strangers living through their struggles in a difficult world. Viewed through the lens of UK rap, this series is all about how these strangers lives unravel around them and even the smallest of actions cause reactions.

Although only two episodes in, a cast included Tiny Tempah, Dizzee Rascal and Big Narstie means I'm hooked!

📚 What I'm Reading... 

The Fate Of Rome - Kyle Harper

One of my favourite eras in history is the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. This book opened my eyes to the sequence of unfortunate events that occurred which ultimately led to the downfall of the Empire, a very fascinating read!

🦷 The Sweet Truth About Sweeteners... 

You've probably been bombarded with talk about how sweeteners can cause cancer or disrupt the gut microbiome. Honestly speaking, I can tell you sweeteners probably won't do you any good, but overwhelming evidence we have right now suggest they don't do any significant harm in humans. 

There is a recent study published which has suggested it might disrupt the gut microbiome, but this was only shown in mice and not translated in humans. Sweeteners are clearly a better alternative to sugar, and they avoid the dental damage that sugars can cause. They also play a role in curbing peoples cravings and helping some to maintain/lose weight!

Having said that, if all your liquid consumption is from drinks with sweeteners that's also not ideal! It's all about moderation, people!

🥬 What's New In The World Of Science... 

Can an unborn baby taste and even react to what their mother is eating?

Thanks to 4D ultrasound scans we can look closely to how an unborn baby reacts to certain foods. By analysing 4D scans we can see a baby enjoying sweeter foods, whilst pulling comically disgruntled faces when the mother is eating bitter foods, like kale.

This is important research as it can help a child being a less picky eater. By exposing the baby to healthier foods which can be bitter, they are more likely to eat them when born. I would advise you to check the video out if only to see the unborn baby's reactions to sweet and bitter foods! 

We Might Be Able To Manipulate

🌲 Fun Fact... 

Certain types of antibiotics can turn your bones green! Not that you would ever see (hopefully not, anyway) but in some bone samples seen under the microscope we see evidence of this. It's harmless but a very strange quirk of the human body.

Just think, right now your bones might be a shade of forest green!

As always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which of this weeks Sunday six is your favourite? Is there something you want more, or less of? I'm open to any suggestions so please let me know! Just send a  tweet to @drkaranrajan and use the hashtag #theweeklydose at the end so I can find it!

Have a wonderful week, all.

Much love,

Karan