Matt Metzgar

Happy Thanksgiving 2008!

Comment Features

I am trying out a beta version of "Typepad Connect" here on the blog.  This is why the comments now have user pics next to them.  The idea of the service is to allow readers to build a profile (for use in this blog or any other Typepad blog).  I hope it is working properly.

A couple of other comment improvements are supposedly in the works.  The first change is to allow users to sign in via OpenID.  This will allow users with various ids, such as Google, AOL, Yahoo, etc., to sign in with those usernames.  The second change is to authorize regular commenters, so that their comments won't have to be held for approval and delayed.  I am looking forward to these improvements, whenever they become available.

Taubes Clarified

I think some people have exaggerated the message of Gary Taubes in regards to carbohydrates.  This is partly his fault, because early in his book he talks about the problems with "refined carbohydrates", but by the end of the book, he often lumps all carbohydrates together.  He even refers to his hypothesis as "the fattening carbohydrate", which obviously puts the focus on carbohydrates, and not refined carbohydrates in particular.

Recently, Taubes answered a few reader questions over at Michael Eades' blog.  One the first questions dealt with this topic - is it carbohydrates or refined carbohydrates that are the problem?  Here is the end of his response:

"The point is that when researchers look at traditional populations eating their traditional diets — whether in rural China, Japan, the Kitava study in the South Pacific, Africa, etc — and find relatively low levels of heart disease, obesity and diabetes compared to urban/westernized societies, they’re inevitably looking at populations that eat relatively little or no refined carbs and sugar compared to populations that eat a lot. Some of these traditional populations ate high-fat diets (the Inuit, plains Indians, pastoralists like the Masai, the Tokelauans); some ate relatively low-fat diets (agriculturalists like the Hunza, the Japanese, etc.), but the common denominator was the relative absence of sugar and/or refined carbs. So the simplest possible hypothesis to explain the health of these populations is that they don’t eat these particularly poor quality carbohydrates, not that they did or did not eat high fat diets. Now the fact that some of these populations do have relatively high carb diets suggests that it’s the sugar that is the fundamental problem. Ultimately we can only guess at causes using this kind of observational evidence."

From his answer, he clearly states that carbohydrates per se are not the problem, but instead it is the presence of refined carbohydrates.  Unfortunately, many people in favor of low-carb diets do not point this out.

A related issue is what's the appropriate diet if a person has damaged their metabolism from refined carbohydrate consumption?  Some people argue for low-carb, but this is just one possible route.  Also, this deals with the treatment end of the metabolic syndrome, not the cause.  If someone is asking, "what is causing the obesity epidemic", then based on the evidence Taubes (and I) would say it is refined carbohydrates.  Obviously then, removing refined carbohydrates but not carbohydrates in general would stop future generations from becoming obese.  The secondary issue is how to treat those already affected by the metabolic syndrome - is removing refined carbohydrate enough, or do all carbohydrates need to be limited because of damage to the metabolism.  This second question is interesting, but much more research needs to be done.

Are Heavy Squats Natural and Safe?

For many years I have used the deadlift as my main compound movement.  This year, I decided to focus on the squat instead.  This was done partially just to mix things up, but the squat is a natural movement that I wanted to explore more.   

I have experimented with a number of positions, and at times have made good progress.  However, once I get into the heavier weights, it always seems to lead to lower back pain on the day after.  While it could be true that something in my form is not correct, I have begun to question whether the movement itself is responsible for the problems.

If you try to imagine what would have been functional movements for hunter-gatherers, it's easy to see that the deadlift would be a primary movement.  The squat, however, I'm not sure about.  There's no doubt that they would have performed bodyweights squats much more than people do nowdays.  But whether they would have performed a heavy weighted squat is debatable.

If they lifted loads on their shoulders, it would have been for carrying these loads over a distance, and hence the loads would have been fairly light.  The only time a squat would take place with this weight would have been the initial pickup of the weight and the final putdown.

I wonder too about the forces on the spine with the squat vesus the deadlift.  It just feels like the spine can extend more with the deadlift, versus more of a compression feeling with the squat.  Surely, some research has been done on this.  I would like to learn more about the biomechanical effects of the two movements.

Instant Injury Fixer

A few years ago, I pulled a muscle in my upper back.  Even though it healed, I still seemed to aggravate it from time to time.  Earlier this year, I made one simple change in my gym routine to address the problem: I substituted chin-ups instead of pulldowns.

Since I made this change in February of this year, I have had no problems whatsoever with my upper back.  My only explanation is that the chin-up is a natural movement, while the pulldown - having your legs held in place and pulling an overhead weight down - it not a natural movement.

Even though this is anecdotal evidence, it does show how the body can benefit from following natural movement patterns.

Invisible People

One of the things that baffled me the most about the recent election was the topic of illegal immigration.  It was rarely mentioned by either candidate, and the media didn't force the issue.

Here's some background info: there are now roughly 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.  To put this into perspective, that's as many people as there are in the entire state of Ohio.  So now you have a state-sized group of people in the U.S. who aren't paying taxes, have no legal status, etc.  And this isn't a problem?

The solutions I see put forth on this issue are mostly fiction.  You can't arrest twelve million people.  Building fences and increasing security costs money. 

In its simplest form, illegal immigration is an economic issue.  Immigrants come to the U.S. because they can earn higher wages here.  As long as businesses will hire illegal immigrants, they will find a way to get here.

For a more comprehensive read, check out "The Economic Logic of Illegal Immigration".

The World Before Products

I think one of the strange side effects of capitalism is how it turns information into products.  This is not to say that this is entirely bad, but capitalism seems to exaggerate things. 

In ancient times, if you needed information how did you get it?  You simply asked someone.  And since this person was part of the same community you were, they most likely would just tell you, for free.  Nowadays, information has become a business, and predictably, the predators have entered the market.  Everyone is selling e-books, memberships, etc., all driven by big hype that probably delivers little results. 

Certainly, if someone puts a lot of effort into something, like for example publishes a book, this package of information now has increased value - it's a permanent reference that can be utilized for many years.    But just to provide information or answer a question, this seems more like a natural responsibility of living on this planet to me - not a business proposition.

It's hard to even imagine, but there was once a world without products.  People got the information they needed (right or wrong) from family, friends, and the community.  If you contributed information, you were simply doing your part - provinding guidance to others so that the community would continue to survive and prosper.

Do What Works

Here's a neat study that looks at different resistance training programs.  Rugby players were tested to measure their testosterone response to four different lifting protocols:

• Four sets of 10 repetitions (reps) at 70% of one repetition maximum (1RM)
• Three sets of five reps at 85% 1RM
• Five sets of 15 reps at 55% of 1RM
• Three sets of 5 reps at 40% 1RM

For each player, the protocols that produced the highest and lowest testosterone response were noted.  Players then followed their "maximum testosterone" program for three weeks.  Finally, players alternated and performed their "minimum testosterone" program for three weeks.

When following the maximum testosterone program, all athletes increased strength and bodyweight.  When following the minimum testosterone program, 75% of athletes made no progress or actually had a decline.

This is one of the reasons I don't think blanket recommendations work for everyone.  This study clearly showed there were individual differences in the response to the various routines.  When people followed what best suited them, they made progress.  When they didn't, the made no progress or even regressed.

I think the lesson from this study is pretty simple: do what works.  While one program may work great for a friend or for Mr. Universe, it may not work for you.  Eventually, individualized lifting programs based on genetics and scientific testing will probably be available to everyone.  Until then, listening to your body and making appropriate adjustments can lead to success.

Classroom of the Future

Here's an article on a prototype "classroom of the future".  I think it's pretty neat because it's a "chairless" school.  There are standing desks, but the focus is on having students move (or at least not just sit) while they learn.

The project began with a simple question: do students really need to sit at desks in order to learn?  My guess would be no!  I think the research will eventually show that movement strongly impacts learning. 

This also fits in better with our evolutionary heritage.  In ancient times, children or young adults wouldn't have sat around motionless for hours listening to others.  I think the combination of sitting-and-learning probably came into vogue just as a way for teachers to exert control.

The way modern schooling is set up is very unnatural from a biological standpoint.  It seems that even though people recognize this, not much changes.  Hopefully, this new classroom will be a step in the right direction.

Autism and Vitamin D, Part II

A few months back I wrote about the possible connection between autism and Vitamin D.  Now a new study shows that U.S. counties that have more precipitation have higher rates of autism.  The researchers speculate that it could be indoor pollutants, tv-watching, or the lack of Vitamin D that acts as a trigger for autism.  My bet is on the trigger being the lack of Vitamin D.

Incredibly, the president of the Autism Society was immediately skeptical of this research.  This is in spite of the fact that it was published in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal, and its lead author is an economist at Cornell with a history of research publications.  The president was even "surprised that the AMA is publishing such studies."

Given that there is currently no consensus on what causes autism, why would this president dismiss any research on the subject?  If you don't know what causes a condition, shouldn't you be open to new ideas?  The Vitamin D hypothesis is plausible and also makes sense within an evolutionary framework.  If this president had been doing his homework, he could have read about the Vitamin D hypothesis earlier this year when it was published in the journal Medical Hypothesis.  Or he could have looked at this new study that questions whether a Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of autism in Somali.

This president should be embarrassed by his statements.  If he is as incompetent as his statements suggest, he should step down from his position and allow someone who is knowledgeable about autism research to lead the organization.