I listened to Steven Bartlett's #DOAC episode on inflammation. Here's what I learned:

I regularly listen to Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO (DOAC) podcast during my commute to work (it's currently in my driving playlist, along with finance podcasts) and during my solo lunch-time one-mile walks because his discussions with guests are compelling and informative. One of the episodes I listened to featured Dr Pradip Jamnadas, the founder of Aristotle Education LLC. I found this episode interesting because it followed soon after the discussion with Simon Mills on herbal medicine.

Simon Mills discussed inflammation and its relationship to the body's immune response. To recap, inflammation occurs when blood vessels become more permeable, allowing white blood cells and other immune system components to leave the blood vessels, enter the injured area of the body, and attack the pathogens causing infections. NSAIDs are not ideal medications because they tend to dampen one's immune response. His treatments of choice are concoctions of different plant materials, many of which have been commonly used by my family for as long as I can remember.

Dr Jamnadas added more to this picture: Too much of a good thing is bad, and this is true for inflammation. Chronic inflammation causes abnormalities in the body's functions, resulting in poor health. This chronic inflammation can be caused by disruptions in the gut microbiome (the amount and diversity of microorganisms living in the digestive tract). 

The old Yakult commercial (which says the drink contains Lactobacillus Shirota strain, a probiotic) came to mind when he mentioned that he drank a supplement that contained Bacillus spores. That commercial encouraged children and adults alike to drink Yakult to experience the health benefits of having this bacterium in the gut. There are many microorganisms aside from Lactobacillus spp. in the gut: bacteria (e.g., Bacteroides spp., Clostridium spp., Bifidobacterium spp.), fungi (e.g., Saccharomyces spp., Candida spp., Aspergillus spp.), and viruses (e.g., bacteriophages). 

Image of microorganisms around and on the intestinal lining, generated by Microsoft Copilot.

Dr Jamnadas further linked imbalances in the gut microbiome to sleep deprivation, impaired insulin sensitivity (i.e., diabetes is an inflammatory disease), and stress. 

I sighed with relief when I heard this because I'm trying to increase my sleep hours. I used to be able to function with only four to five hours of sleep; however, due to changes in my schedule (e.g., longer daily commute, weekend gym classes), I am now aiming for at least seven hours of sleep per night. The increase in my sleep hours has coincided with a drop in my blood sugar levels. Without a drastic change in diet, my A1C level has become normal (though my weight has not improved significantly).

This episode is an eye-opener. Though some of his statements are not textbook accurate (and Steven has thankfully included a compilation of his team's literature review post-interview), Dr Jamnadas has successfully linked health concepts that I previously thought were not related at all. Becoming healthy is not just about solving issues like high cholesterol or diabetes individually. These illnesses have to be treated using what my previous supervisor, Nese, likes to call a "systems-based approach" or a holistic approach. Medications can help, but it is essential to make lifestyle changes (involving diet, exercise, stress, and sleep) that can remove the need to drink these medications.