John Speakman
@JohnSpeakman4
Scientist working in China and the UK. Studies energy balance: esp #obesity and #ageing. Likes #photography #wildlifephotography. Co-EiC: @lifemetabolism2
Red whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) shenzhen. May 2023.
One of the most-viewed PNAS articles in the last week is “Energy expenditure and obesity across the economic spectrum.” Explore the article here: ow.ly/utv750WuO3x For more trending articles, visit ow.ly/boza50WuO3q.
A new study from the @HermanPontzer Lab published in PNAS finds that obesity rises with caloric intake, not couch time. dupri.duke.edu/news-events/ne…
Given how much useful info I was able to get on eggs, I decided to have a look into bananas. Here is what I found.. Bananas- the wisdom of the internet Bananas are one of the most dangerous foods. Luckily you can tell which ones to avoid from their colour. Black bananas should…
I have been working on energy balance and obesity for quite some time now, and in all that time I never heard anyone, until like a couple of months ago, suggest that artificial food dyes were a major causal factor. Anyone know where this is coming from?
Fun fact: pikas (small rabbit-like animals who need to survive -30 °C winters without hibernation) eat yak (their main food competitor) poop to help them survive pnas.org/content/118/30… H/t to @JohnSpeakman4 and team for this little "nugget" 😉
I often saw the narrative that extending lifespan would have major economic benefits. But I'm unclear how those accrue if the life extension occurs after working life is over. As someone once said to me, the problem with extending lifespan is the added years are always added at…
Fly to New York on a private jet. Arrive at the building in a motorcade. Complain about climate change.
RACMEM is a triennial meeting of researchers interested in energy metabolism. In 2025 it will be held in Shenzhen in China. The meeting will last 5 days from the 13th to 18th October. We have a stunning array of speakers addressing the latest topics in energy metabolic research.…
Many moons ago, @KevinH_PhD and I talked about a book we both wished existed. No fads, no weight loss hacks—just the nutrition and metabolism science. I’m thrilled to announce that we wrote it! Out September 23 @Avery_Books & available now for pre-order. penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671334/f…
I’m excited to announce my new book FOOD INTELLIGENCE coauthored with brilliant journalist @juliaoftoronto! Cutting through the confusion about diet & health, #FoodIntelligence describes the fascinating science of how food both nourishes and harms us. penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671334/f……
This observation is a nice independent replication of the small decline in basal expenditure over the last 100 years or so in the US/Europe that we published in 2023.. nature.com/articles/s4225…
When we account for body size, composition, age & sex, we find a *tiny* decrease in size-adjusted daily energy expenditure in more developed pops - but that is due to decreased *basal* expenditure (maybe from⬇️pathogen burden), not lower activity expenditure. 4/
What are the relative impact of diet vs physical activity on the global obesity crisis? New paper out @pnas uses the DLW Database with 4000+ participants across 34 populations to investigate Obesity & Energy Expenditure Across the Economic Spectrum. Open access link below!🧵1/
Lot's of people to thank, including the people and communities who participated in DLW studies, Amanda McGrosky and Amy Luke (not on X) who co-led this analysis with me, @JohnSpeakman4 who leads the @iaeaorg DLW Database group, and the many contributors to the database. Thanks!
A recent study discovered how α-synuclein, a key protein in Parkinson’s disease, leads to inflammation, leaks in the blood-brain barrier, and disruption of the axons in the brain. The same researchers propose an idea for treating those changes. lifespan.io/news/how-blood…
nice article by @garytaubes centred on a discussion of our recent paper in nature reviews in endocrinology on the downsides of calorie restriction. Thanks Gary. uncertaintyprinciples.substack.com/p/calorie-rest…
People are bad at reporting and importantly they get worse as their bmi increases - data from NHANES and NDNS. nature.com/articles/s4301…
People are notoriously bad at knowing how much they are eating. I wrote a blog about this year's ago. Those with obesity under-report by 20-50%. This isn't intentional. alexleaf.com/youre-probably…
People are notoriously bad at knowing how much they are eating. I wrote a blog about this year's ago. Those with obesity under-report by 20-50%. This isn't intentional. alexleaf.com/youre-probably…
When skinny people eat nothing but junk food we accept genetics are far more important than diet, but when overweight people are constantly dieting, people can't accept that for some reason. They must be eating in secret or something