The SHN #14: The Skinny on Fat, Paul Selig, and Longevity Science

Welcome back to The Synergetic Health Newsletter! 

In this edition, we’ll explore the world of dietary fats.

After that, I’ll introduce you to famed clairvoyant, Paul Selig.

Then comes a skeptical view of longevity science.

Finally, I’ll include some links to things I’ve found particularly interesting recently.

Joe Burt

The Skinny On Fat

In an era marked by evolving dietary guidelines, the role of fats in our health journey remains a subject of ongoing debate. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has emphasized limiting saturated fat intake to 10% of daily calories, a notion challenged by emerging research.

Despite recent shifts in dietary recommendations, misconceptions persist. A case in point is the view on polyunsaturated fats (PUFA), often deemed "heart-healthy" compared to their saturated counterparts. However, delving deeper into the science uncovers a different narrative.

PUFA, encompassing omega-3 and omega-6 fats found in fatty fish, nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils, has long been celebrated for its supposed benefits. Yet, a more nuanced understanding emerges, revealing its implications in a spectrum of chronic conditions. PUFA has been linked to heart disease (studies here, here, here, and here), obesity, diabetes (here and here), cancer (here and here), fatty liver (here), and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's (here, here, and here), while also exhibiting immunosuppressive effects (here, here, and here).

The critical factor lies in the distinct properties of PUFA. These fats possess multiple double bonds in their carbon chains, setting them apart from saturated fats that lack such bonds. These structural nuances give rise to fundamental concerns for energy balance, underpinning the detrimental impact of PUFA on health.

1) Structural Weakness: PUFA's incorporation into cell structures, including mitochondria, disrupts energy integrity, leading to energy leakage. This, in turn, increases energy demands and diminishes efficiency (studies here, here, here, and here).

2) Inflammatory Transformation: Conversion of PUFA into compounds like eicosanoids triggers inflammation, a hallmark of chronic diseases. Chronic inflammation relies on PUFA, and its reduction can mitigate this factor (studies here, here, and here).

3) Susceptibility to Damage: The presence of double bonds renders PUFA highly susceptible to lipid peroxidation, instigating oxidative stress, inflammation, and DNA damage (here and here).

In contrast, saturated fats emerge as champions. Sturdy and resistant to damage, they safeguard against the effects of PUFA. These fats, prevalent in sources like butter and coconut oil, present a promising avenue for restoring energy balance and improving overall health.

In navigating the complex world of fats, a shift toward understanding the nuanced roles of PUFA and saturated fats is paramount. While reducing PUFA intake poses challenges due to its widespread presence in processed foods and popular health foods, embracing saturated fats might be the key to a healthier future. A conscious choice to prioritize energy balance could lead to improved well-being and a reimagined relationship with dietary fats.

The Counter Argument

As with almost every topic in the field nutrition, there are two sides to the debate. There remain many doctors and researchers who are unconvinced that PUFA’s are a major problem, and instead even argue that the balance of the research has shown them to be cardioprotective.

Here’s that view: “While polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids contribute to good health, the strongest evidence for heart health is found when polyunsaturated fats replace saturated fat in the diet.”

Mount Sinai offers the following “heart-healthy diet guidelines”: Limit daily consumption of saturated fats (found in red meat, butter, cheese and whole-fat dairy products) to a range of 5% to 6% of total daily calories. Replace unhealthy saturated and trans fats with healthy unsaturated fats from plant and fish oils. Olive and canola oils are rich in monounsaturated fats. Salmon and other fatty fish, as well as walnuts and other nuts, are excellent sources of polyunsaturated fats.

Cherilyn Cecchini, MD says: “Polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) are generally heart healthy. Scientists believe that PUFAs act on the heart, blood vessels, and blood in different ways to achieve these healthy effects.”

As you can see, there is clearly a difference of opinion on what types of dietary fats are more beneficial for human consumption.

My personal research and intuition has me pretty firmly in the avoid PUFA’s as much as I reasonably can. I credit Jack Kruse, Ray Peat, Chris Knobbe, and others for shepherding this message.

Practically, I limit my consumption of nuts and seeds, vegetable oils, processed foods, soy products, salad dressings, fast food, and fatty fish. I replace these fats with higher saturated fat foods like butter, tallow, coconut oil, dairy, and other animal-based foods.

For a comprehensive breakdown on the health consequences of a high PUFA diet, this conversation with Dr. Chris Knobbe is fantastic.

Paul Selig

This is one interesting cat.

Paul Selig attended NYU and received a master’s from Yale. He served on the faculty at NYU for 25 years but it was his 1987 spiritual experience that led to him becoming clairvoyant and thus to his life’s work.

One of the foremost contributors to the field of channeled literature, Selig has authored 11 books. These books are teachings given by a group of entities he refers to as “The Guides.”

What is channeling?

Channeling refers to the process by which an individual acts as a conduit for information, insights, or energies from a source beyond their ordinary consciousness. This source is often believed to be a higher spiritual entity, a collective consciousness, or a guide.

The person who is channeling, often referred to as a "channeler" or "medium," allows themselves to be receptive to this external source and conveys its messages or energies to others.

All 11 books by Selig have been channeled through him by the “The Guides.”

The books convey messages about self-awareness, empowerment, and the recognition of one's true nature. His teachings emphasize the importance of aligning with higher frequencies and embodying one's divine essence.

Watch Selig interviewed on the Next Level Soul Podcast, the Aubrey Marcus Podcast, and the Reality Revolution Podcast.

You can also see Paul during his channeling sessions, which are quite a sight. Here is one called “Understanding the Personality Structure”, and another called “Boundlessness of Identity.”

I love listening to Paul’s interviews because he is such a down to earth guy. He was never a spiritual person prior to developing his clairvoyance and it took him many years to even progress on the spiritual path despite having “access” to these guides.

I’ve read three of his books and enjoyed them. Like many reviewers have commented, the books come with an energetic potential— which was certainly palpable for me. The author, through “The Guides”, is able to transmit a level of truth through text that can markedly raise your consciousness and awareness. It’s quite something.

Here are some of my highlights from his book “Realization (The Beyond the Known Trilogy, 1)”

“A religion is an idea that has been made into a practice. Realization, knowing who and what you are, is not a practice. Knowing God is not a practice. It is a state of being, in union, in agreement, in alignment to the God that is in all things.”

“To grow in Spirit is to comprehend that, while the manifest world is here to enjoy, here to learn through, its very nature is transient, and your dependence upon anything of this world to tell you who and what you are, what you have empowered in fear, what you have been asked to believe, becomes an idol that you have prayed to at the cost of truth.”

“You are not seeking the Divine, you are not looking for it under which rock, in each book that you may read. You are knowing it– in the sunset, in the ocean, in the body you hold, in what you see before you.”

“You begin to realize that love is its own reward, and the act of loving another, anyone and everyone, is the gift of God itself.”

You can check out Paul’s upcoming live and remote events, and follow his content on his YouTube page.

Is Longevity Science Overhyped?

With best-selling books lining the shelves, leading researchers achieving cult status, and your average Joe talking about NMN and resveratrol, longevity is a hot topic right now.

As scientific progress speeds forward, optimism about finding the silver bullet to extending our time on Earth has reached new heights. Professor Charles Brenner, Ph.D., is one of the leading voices throwing some cold water into this bucket of optimism.

In this enlightening interview, Brenner admits the presence of an immense opportunity for profit in the longevity space, which also unsurprisingly brings misleading claims and second-tier science with it.

Here are five key points distilled from this interview that prove that yes, longevity “science” is overhyped:

1. Longevity is a Polygenic Trait: Brenner argues that animal longevity is not controlled by one or a few genes but is a complex trait influenced by many genes. He suggests that the idea of "longevity genes" is misleading.

The sirtuin genes, including Sir2, are not conclusively proven to be longevity genes in animals. While some initial studies suggested they may extend lifespan, subsequent research has failed to replicate these results or found different outcomes.

2. Trade-Off between Longevity and Reproduction: Brenner points out that some animals with extended lifespan, such as certain mice models, experience a loss of fertility and other negative side effects. This trade-off challenges the notion of longevity genes being solely beneficial.

3. Limited Evidence of Monogenic Longevity Genes in Humans: While there are candidate genes associated with centenarians, there is no strong evidence for the existence of single genes that significantly extend human lifespan.

4. Lack of Actionable Aspects of Human Aging: Brenner argues that the increase in human lifespan over the past century is mostly due to improved hygiene and living conditions, not molecular biology interventions. He suggests that healthy aging and disease prevention should be the focus, rather than extreme lifespan extension.

5. Insufficient Evidence for Longevity Drugs and Supplements: Brenner highlights that there is currently no robust evidence for drugs or supplements, such as Resveratrol or NMN, to extend human lifespan. Claims about their effectiveness are often based on weak or non-reproducible data.

Overall, Brenner cautions against overhyping longevity interventions and highlights the importance of evidence-based science in understanding and improving the aging process.

For the average consumer trying to make sense of the rapid scientific progress and supposed “life-extending” benefits of x or y supplement, it makes sense to focus more on maintaining a healthy lifestyle than on seeking a magic longevity pill.

However, for well-heeled individuals willing to get started without the ironclad science, there are many people who are believers in compounds such as Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), resveratrol, Metformin, spermidine, quercetin, and more! Chief among them is Dr. David Sinclair, whose supplement regime you can see here.

Follow Brenner on Twitter here and Sinclair here.

Twitter Thread of the Week:

Stress (cortisol) Causes Hair Loss: This study revealed that even normal cortisol levels have a calming effect on hair growth, suggesting an inverse relationship between cortisol and hair growth. The researchers found that a major stress hormone puts hair follicle stem cells into an extended resting phase, without regenerating the follicle or the hair. “Stress essentially just elevates this preexisting ‘adrenal gland–hair follicle axis,’ making it even more difficult for hair follicle stem cells to enter the growth phase to regenerate new hair follicles.”

What can you do about it? Various interventions targeting cortisol and estrogen could potentially offer therapeutic benefits. Specifically, progesterone, DHEA, T/DHT, vitamin D, T3, pregnenolone, aspirin, niacinamide, as well as anti-serotonin, anti-histamine, and anticholinergic compounds (which reduce cortisol and counteract estrogen effects) might collectively contribute to the arsenal for promoting hair regrowth.

Pooch Belly? Eliminate It In Two Weeks: Follow along with Zac Cupples in this video and do the daily exercises to eliminate the appearance of a pooch belly. For a complete writeup of exercise instructions and rationale, head to his article.

Endocrine Disruptors in Cosmetics May Cause Postpartum Depression, Premature Births: While not unexpected, this discovery could be astonishing to many women, who are the primary consumers of such items (like nail polish, perfumes, shampoo, etc.). The underlying mechanism through which phthalates, the disruptor in question, contribute to postpartum depression (PPD) is by diminishing progesterone levels and its metabolite allopregnanolone. As progesterone is pivotal in preserving pregnancy), the study implies that exposure to these chemicals might trigger premature birth or abortion. Given phthalates' estrogenic nature and their resemblance to thyroid antagonists like BPA/BPS, the link between phthalates, PPD, and their influence on hormonal equilibrium, as evidenced in this study, appears unsurprising.

“Phthalates are a class of chemicals used in plastics and personal care products that have been shown to affect and interfere with endogenous hormones. Their use is so widespread that nearly all U.S. adults, including pregnant women, have detectable levels in their systems.”

Replacing Starch with Sucrose Increases Metabolism, Prevents Obesity: This study showed that “replacing 38.5% of the calories with sucrose resulted in striking insulin sensitivity, lower triglycerides, and lower free fatty acids in the blood despite the highest caloric daily intake in the high-sucrose group compared to both the normal and high-starch diet groups.” Resting metabolic rate increased by about 20% in the high-sucrose group. This study is one of many I’ve recently been exposed to which shows that maybe sugar ISN’T enemy #1.

That will do it for this time! Hopefully you got some value out of it. If you have any questions/comments/things you’d like to learn more about please don’t hesitate to reach out.

If you know anyone who loves learning about these types of topics, send them this link!

To read all past newsletters, go here.