Coffee is The Fountain of Youth, Intermittent Fasting slows Hair Growth and Origami inspired Packaging
December 19
As it is the end of the year and time to wind down and relax we will cover a few less technical topics than usual. We will discover that Coffee is The Fountain of Youth. We learn that intermittent fasting slows down our hair growth and that Taxi and Ambulance drivers suffer from much lower rates of Alzheimer's than the general population. Finally we look at an Origami inspired cardboard packaging material that is flexible, versatile and visually appealing.
This will be the final “What’s on Craig’s Mind?” for 2024. Thanks for reading for another year. Merry Christmas to those that celebrate and Happy New Year to all. See you again in 2025.
Coffee is the Fountain of Youth
This study was music to my ears. A team at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology in Portugal have found that regular moderate coffee consumption not only contributes too a longer life but also enhances the quality of those additional years though reduction of major age related diseases.
There have been many studies of the underlying mechanism by which coffee’s major components, caffeine and chlorogenic acids influence fundamental biological processes. These influences include alertness, antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties. How these affect aging is still unclear.
The team reviewed over 50 studies from different regions and ethnicities. They analyzed patterns of coffee consumption and their association with mortality data, health span indicators and other disease metrics. The studies covered over 3 million individuals.
Moderate coffee consumption (three cups or shots per day) correlated to lower functional deterioration in aging, mitigating memory loss, mood and physical condition. The team also found consistent links between coffee intake and reduced major causes of mortality.
If that all sounds too good to be true, this study, funded by the coffee industry (I smell a conflict of interest somewhere, I am just not sure where) says otherwise. There are a range of other factors that may be at play. Social economic status is also correlated with health outcomes and people with some diseases may self regulate the amount of coffee that they drink due to the impact on the body that the coffee produces.
Coffee is the second most consumed drink on the planet (after water). Coffee does have some proven health benefits however it is not clear if it truly is The Fountain of Youth. I however will be continuing to consume my three cups per day until the health benefits have been proven false. I hope to be able to provide a definitive answer to this question by my 100th birthday.
Intermittent Fasting slows Hair Growth
One of the more popular fasting techniques is known as intermittent fasting. It includes diets such as alternate day fasting, periodic fasting (e.g. the 5:2 diet) and daily time restricted eating (e.g. the 16/8 diet, eat only during an 8 hour window each day and fast for the balance). These diets are popular because they can help some people to lose or maintain weight.
There are additional claims that intermittent fasting may reduce type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's (please note; the researchers say it may help, there are no guarantees). Other research shows the potential for higher risk of gallstones, cardiovascular death and colon cancer from intermittent fasting. Now a new study has shown that intermittent fasting slows hair growth in studies of mice.
A group of mice were shaved and then put on a 16:8 or alternate day fasting diet. A control group had unlimited access to food. The fasting group only showed partial hair regrowth after 90 days whereas the control group had regrown its’ hair after 30 days. Similar results were found in a human study of 49 young healthy adults.
You now face a difficult choice, a svelte body or luscious locks. Choose wisely, we can’t have it all.
Lower Rates of Alzheimer's among Taxi and Ambulance Drivers
A team from Mass General Brigham (Massachusetts) have raised the possibility that jobs that require frequent spacial processing could lead to lower rates of death from Alzheimer's disease. The team analyzed national data on the occupations of people that had died from Alzheimer's over 443 professions.
They found that driving a taxi or an ambulance was associated with a lower rate of death from Alzheimer's compared to other professions. The same part of the brain that is involved in creating spatial maps which we use to navigate around the world, is also involved in the development of Alzheimer's. Occupations that require creating spatial cognitive maps in real time (i.e. what is the best way to get from here to there) may have some protection from the disease. This protection however did not hold for other types of dementia.
Other transportation related jobs such as bus drivers and pilots did not have the same protections. These jobs do not involve real time spatial reasoning. Maybe it is time to turn off the driving directions in the car and use an old fashioned map.
Origami Packaging
A team from various Finnish Institutions have developed a new technology for shaping cardboard in a unique and continuous process to create reel-to-reel, origami inspired structures for fiber based packaging materials. The origami folds have the capacity to bring entirely new properties out from cardboard.
Origami folding of cardboard produces a flexible, protective and visually appealing material that is suitable for packaging. A machine was designed to replicate the traditional hand folding origami process. The machine creates more consistent and precise materials than manually folded cardboard. The machine can work with a range of grades of cardboard and potentially other materials.
The aesthetics of packaging is growing in importance along with the growth of e-commerce. Designers are looking for new materials to give the desired customer experience whilst delivering on sustainability goals. Cardboard also has the advantage or removing significant amounts of plastic packaging and the resulting microplastics from the environment.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and feature the startup in this newsletter. Also if any startups need introductions please get in touch and I will help where I can.
If you have any questions or comments please comment below.
I would also appreciate it if you could forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might be interested.
Stay safe out there and speak to you all next year.