Try This: Surprising Contributor to Heart Disease, New Science in Gut Health, COVID, and More

If heart-disease prevention is top of mind, you’re going to want to keep reading—there’s something you might be doing every night that could impact your heart in a major way!

Plus, COVID is back, and even though it's pretty much a cold now, I’ve got a recommendation that could help with prevention. Lastly, I’ll also be sharing some exciting research on the impact of exercise on the gut microbiome. 

Let’s get into it!

Bright Lights at Night and Heart Disease 

A massive new study following almost 90,000 people for nearly a decade just made a clear connection between nighttime light exposure and heart disease. 

People who were exposed to the brightest nighttime light (think streetlights spilling into the bedroom, glowing electronics, or even a TV left on) had a much higher risk of developing serious heart problems over time—things like coronary artery disease, heart attacks, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and even stroke. In some cases, the risk jumped by 30–40 percent.

But here’s something unexpected from the study…the effects weren’t the same for everyone!

Women showed stronger links between nighttime light and conditions like heart failure, and younger people seemed especially sensitive when it came to heart-rhythm issues.

Here’s the deal: we can’t always escape lights at night. Some people are shift workers, some caregivers have to get up at night, etc. But as much as possible, try to limit your light exposure.

Here are some things you can actually control: 

• Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask.
  

• Dim screens and charge your phone outside the bedroom.
  

• Keep your sleep space as dark as possible by covering up lights. Sometimes I’ll even use things like tape on clocks or small sources of light.
  

• Try not to fall asleep with the TV on. If you want something to distract your mind, put your TV on a timer or listen to an audiobook instead. 

I’ve seen such a huge improvement in my sleep when I keep my space as dark as possible, and now I’m super-sensitive (for good or worse lol) to even small amounts of light, so I will go to great lengths to keep wherever I’m sleeping as dark as possible.

The Power of Exercise on the Gut Microbiome

We are well-versed now in how exercise, even small amounts, has the ability to impact our blood sugar, mental health, cardiovascular health, and more. Now, science is pointing to its benefits for gut health. 

This review looked at the impact of a single bout of acute, or very short-term, exercise (less than three weeks) on the gut microbiome. 

Using 11 studies (with over 191 participants), researchers found that acute exercise had the ability to influence specific bacteria in the gut, like those that produce butyrate (a short-chain fatty acid that is critical for optimal gut health). It can even alter metabolic pathways in the gut, like the conversion of lactate to beneficial short-chain fatty acids, and change our fecal microbes.  

Here’s the deal, though: the more prolonged and habitual exercise becomes, the more benefits and diversity shifts. So for all you runners, lifters, and exercise enthusiasts, here’s more motivation to stick to your movement habits—you’re actually changing your gut microbiome for the better! 

And for those of you on a gut-healing path, it's time to add exercise to your plan.

Can a Simple Nasal Spray Help Prevent COVID? 

Apparently, COVID is on the rise again. And even though I’m not afraid of getting it, I’d still rather not get it again. That’s why I’m always looking for simple, low-cost tools to keep me and my family safe, especially when traveling or being exposed to large crowds.

In a new double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 450 healthy adults were randomized to receive either an over-the-counter azelastine nasal spray (an antihistamine) or a placebo. Participants used the spray three times a day for 56 days and were tested for COVID twice a week. The results showed: 

• Azelastine group: 5 of 227 (2.2%) contracted COVID-19.
  

• Placebo group: 15 of 223 (6.7%) contracted COVID-19.

• Time to infection (among those infected): Longer in the azelastine group (mean 31.2 days) than in the placebo group (19.5 days). (Basically, it took longer for the azelastine group to be infected.)
  

• Symptomatic COVID-19 cases: Fewer in the azelastine group (21 of 227) than in the placebo group (49 of 223).
  

• Rhinovirus infections: Lower incidence with azelastine (1.8%) vs placebo (6.3%).
  

• Adverse events (AEs): Similar between groups; azelastine was well-tolerated. 

In summary, the nasal spray was able to help prevent and delay the infection and led to fewer symptoms, which is pretty good.

If you’re traveling, immunocompromised, or in an area where you suspect COVID could be a possibility, this could be a low-cost prevention tool worth exploring. Also, you can get a bottle from your local pharmacy for around $10–$20. And for those who want to geek out, Dr. Roger Seheult breaks down the research in this video.

After reading about it, my plan is to use an azelastine spray when traveling—one puff in each nostril three times a day. As always, this is not medical advice (and by the way, even though I’m Indian, just a reminder that I’m not a doctor lol).

That’s it for this week! 

Happy Friday,
Dhru Purohit