Category: Monthly roundups

April roundup

Here’s a summary of the most interesting research I saw this month:

Over 13% of cardiovascular deaths among 55–64-year-olds related to plastic1

The research linked phthalates in plastic to CV deaths, especially in countries with developing plastic industries. The 356,238 deaths amount to 10.473 million YLL (Years of Life Lost) which cost to up to $3.74 trillion depending on what estimate is used.

My comment: Our understanding of the health burden of plastic grows every month, while regulation lags behind in most countries. In the future, people will look back on us and be shocked that we knew so much and did so little.

Green tea mitigates the hallmarks of aging2

Human studies have consistently linked GT consumption to improved cognitive function, cardiovascular health, muscle preservation, and metabolic regulation.

My comment: This review provides 181 references organized into 12 sections, and the summary images above are very nice.

Fisetin may fight blood vessel calcification3

Fisetin was shown to inactivate p38 MAPK signaling and therefore inhibit vascular calcification, as shown below:

My comment: Fisetin, found mostly in strawberries but also in smaller amounts in apples, is on a lot of radars as an anti-senescent. It is the subject of an eagerly-awaited ongoing study by Mayo Clinic, and many people already take it in supplement form. It’s great to have this mechanistic evidence to add to the observational data.

OS-01 peptide may reduce systemic inflammation4

A pilot study on topical appplication of OS-01 (the peptide used in OneSkin) reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines in the blood compared to the control group. It also slowed aging according to the GlycanAge biological age calculator:

My comment: Firstly, this research was done by the company that sells the product, so it needs to be viewed with extra skepticism. To be blunt, there is a lot of money to be made by them falsifying and cherrypicking evidence. Having said that, I find it fascinating to see so much research in recent years about topical products like sunscreens affecting the blood, and I would love to see independent research on OS-01 to validate these results.

Erythritol increases oxidative stress and reduces nitric oxide production in brain cells5

An announcement was made that these findings will be presented at the 2025 American Physiology Summit.

My comment: Erythritol is often marketed as a healthy sweetener, and it commonly paired with stevia as the flavours compliment each other.

We don’t have the published research yet so it is hard to know how seriously to take it, but the American Physiological Society are obviously confident enough to do this announcement, and existing research links erythritol to adverse cardiac events like myocardial infarction and stroke6 as well as cancer7, so this evidence is not hard to believe.

Air filters in classrooms reduce sick days by more than 10 per cent8

This is a randomized controlled trial that shows a real-world effect on attendance which might be due to them reducing levels of air pollution, pollen, pathogens, or all three.

My comment: Air quality is very important for health, with small differences in quality adding up over time. Filtration and ventilation are an important part of the equation, as well as reducing pollutants when we can. I went into more detail about air quality and how to improve it in my post The Risks of Paint9.

  1. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(25)00174-4/fulltext#fig1 ↩︎
  2. https://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2025.0398#10 ↩︎
  3. https://www.aging-us.com/article/206233/text ↩︎
  4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11975214/#jocd70169-sec-0023 ↩︎
  5. https://www.physiology.org/detail/news/2025/04/25/popular-sugar-substitute-may-harm-brain-and-heart-health?SSO=Y ↩︎
  6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36849732/ ↩︎
  7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39339699/ ↩︎
  8. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2478252-air-filters-in-classrooms-reduce-sick-days-by-more-than-10-per-cent/ ↩︎
  9. https://klaustownsend.com/the-risks-of-paint/ ↩︎

March roundup

Here’s a summary of the most interesting research I saw this month:

Spermidine may prevent atherosclerosis1

Spermidine, which is found naturally in wheat germ and legumes (particularly soy), is capable of impeding the oxidation of bad cholesterol (LDL), a crucial step in the development of endothelial dysfunction and atherogenesis.

The researchers also found its antioxidant effects on LDL to be higher than the well-known antioxidant α-KG (Alpha-Ketoglutarate).

My comment: More research is needed to determine whether supplementation in humans is a good idea, but this certainly supports the existing evidence that dietary spermidine is a good thing.

Microplastics hinder plant photosynthesis2

Researchers estimated that between 4% and 14% of the world’s staple crops of wheat, rice and maize is being lost due to microplastics, and the numbers could rise.

They also estimated that microplastic pollution could increase the number of people at risk of starvation from 700 million to 1.1 billion in the next two decades.

My comment: I gave an outline of some major problems caused by microplastics in my article about the risks of paint3, and this adds another important element to that. We need to stop using plastic.

Artificial light at night linked to cancer4

A study of data from 158 countries showed that artificial light at night is a significantly correlated with all forms of cancer, and also the four most common cancers – lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer.

The researchers controlled for population size, electricity consumption in kWh, air pollution, and forested area.

My comment: It can be hard to properly control for variables when using huge and varied data sets like this, so it’s not convincing on its own, but other research has also shown links between light at night and cancer (especially breast cancer) for a long time5 6 7 8, so this could be a valuable piece of the puzzle. I personally make sure that my light at night is mostly red and amber, and that outdoor light pollution is not visible in my bedroom.

Replacing butter with plant-based oils could lower mortality by 17%9

Data from 221,054 participants was used to show that substituting 10 grams of butter a day (less than a tablespoon) with equivalent calories of plant-based oils could lower cancer deaths and overall mortality by 17%.

My comment: This is a popular political issue at the moment in the USA, so the timing of this study is important.

Reusing deep-fried oil may cause neurological disorders that are inherited by offspring10

To our knowledge we are first to report long-term deep-fried oil supplementation increases neurodegeneration in the first-generation offspring.

My comment: This research on rats is alarming, given how many of us consume takeout food cooked in reheated oil. It will be interesting to see whether a mechanism is discovered in subsequent research, with the authors expressing an interest in exploring the relationship between gut microbiota and the brain.

  1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11858627/#sec3-molecules-30-00955 ↩︎
  2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/10/microplastics-hinder-plant-photosynthesis-study-finds-threatening-millions-with-starvation ↩︎
  3. https://klaustownsend.com/the-risks-of-paint/ ↩︎
  4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5454613/#sec1-3 ↩︎
  5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8520294/ ↩︎
  6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3002207/ ↩︎
  7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34656111/ ↩︎
  8. https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/EHP9381#sec-3 ↩︎
  9. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-03-large-dietary-habits-oils-butter.html ↩︎
  10. https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/science/032524/deep-fried-oil-neurodegeneration ↩︎