The B-day cake: high-fiber, no-caffeine version

Recently, I published my high-fiber chocolate cake recipe. 

Today, I share a similar recipe but without any caffeine.  Although cocoa powder and chocolate chips do not have too much caffeine, if you do not like the taste of chocolate, why not modify the recipe to pure vanilla aroma? 

As I mentioned before, this cake recipe is super-healthy: there is lots of fiber. The added sugar in the recipe comes only from the 4 Tbsp of low-sugar jam, and the jam is optional. The  sweet taste is mostly due to the natural sugar in the bananas and raisins. The recipe calls for total of seven to eight bananas, applesauce, walnuts and whole wheat flour! This is lots of fiber. Even the almond butter has fiber.
 
Since the cake is high in fiber, the sugar spike in the blood is moderated. Soluble fiber slows down the absorption of sugar. According to some calculations, ripe bananas contain 3 g fiber/120 g, mostly in the form of soluble fiber.

High-fiber cake (up to 16 portions)
 
Ingredients:
4 ripe bananas (mashed)
4 oz (113 g) of unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup flaxseed
2 tsp baking soda 
1 packed cup raisins 
1 to 1.5 cup walnuts (cut into small pieces)
 
Frosting ingredients:
1 cup almond butter and/or peanut butter 
4 Tbsp low sugar strawberry jam (optional)
3 – 4 ripe bananas (mashed)
2 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)
 
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray with oil a 9-inch springform cake pan (or spread some coconut oil). You can use any other type of cake pan. I have also used a square cake pan (8" x 8").
Wash the raisins with water, drain and soak them with the vanilla extract (leave in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes). Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, flaxseed, and baking soda). Combine the mashed bananas, apple sauce, and lightly beaten eggs. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the banana-egg mixture. Stir in the raisins and walnuts. Transfer the batter to the pan and bake for 40 minutes. Cool before frosting.

The frosting is prepared by mixing the mashed bananas and the almond (and/or peanut) butter. If you have some chia seeds, add 2 Tbsp. Either way, the frosting is delicious and healthy.

To finish the cake, spread a thin layer of low sugar jam on the top of the cake. Then cover with the frosting on top and the side of the cake.
If you would like to decorate the cake, use fresh fruit, edible flowers, chopped nuts and/or coconut shavings.

Notes:
1. I use only frozen bananas for this recipe. The thawed frozen bananas are easier to mash/incorporate in the dough and frosting. 
2. All springform cake pans leak. I put the pan on a baking sheet in the oven. However, this may increase the baking time to approximately 45 minutes or more.



Using Recipe Nutrition Calculator, if you serve 12 generous pieces of this cake, you consume for 316 calories per serving. Each piece of cake has 7.1 g of fiber and 20.1 g of sugar! This is twice the fiber in a smaller apple and more or less the amount of sugar you would get from a medium apple. Don't you feel good about eating this cake now?

Knowledge is power and health

I m passionate about improving people's lives through knowledge and skills that empower everyone.

Where do you get updated information on health, diet, and lifestyle?
Apart of googling my topics of interest, I am also subscribed to Michael Greger’s NutritionFacts daily updates in the form of videos or blog posts. 

I also have an alert set up with Google for topics dedicated to obesity, cancer, etc.
There are a few websites and YouTube channels that I frequent and would like to recommend.

I have previously written about the YouTube channel What I’ve learned. This is the channel that introduces current information of wellbeing in the most entertaining amd engaging way. The anonymous author continues to churn out great videos on a regular basis.

Another great resource of knowledge that could impact and improve your health is the YouTube channel of Dr. Rhonda Patrick, FoundMyFitness.  You can find who Dr. Patrick is here. One notable fact in her scientific career is that Dr. Patrick trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute with Dr. Bruce Ames. Ames is a legendary scientist who invented the test for chemical carcinogens. To this day, the test is still used to identify compounds that mutate DNA.
 
A great series of podcasts related to health and longevity are offered by Dr. Peter Attia. I was introduced to Dr. Peter Attia, MD, via a podcast with Jocko Willink, a former Navy SEAL.
 
If you are interested in modifying your diet, the YouTube channel Pick Up Limes is a great source of inspiration.
 
I am sure that there are many other valuable resources of information that can improve your quality of life. Please, share your own favorites!

Ball Sitting And Lower Back Pain

Is sitting on a ball – like a stability ball – truly helpful in treating lower back pain?  Here’s an analysis, abstract:

Experimental randomized crossover.OBJECTIVE:The aim of the study was to determine whether sitting on a ball for 90 min/d instead of a chair has an effect on low back pain (LBP), low back disability, and/or core muscle endurance.SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA:LBP may result from prolonged sitting. It has been proposed that replacing chairs with stability balls can diminish LBP in those who sit for prolonged periods. Research on the topic is sparse and inconclusive.METHODS:A total of 90 subjects (university students, staff, and faculty, ages 18-65, who sit ≥4 hr/d) were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group for the first part of the study. Baseline data were collected: Oswestry Disability Index, a numerical pain rating scale for LBP, and four core muscle endurance tests. For 8 weeks, the control group sat on their usual chair. The intervention group sat on stability balls 5 d/wk, increasing up to 90 min/d. Baseline measurements were repeated postintervention. After a washout period, subjects switched groups, and the procedures were repeated-70 completed participation in control group and 76 in intervention group.RESULTS:There were no statistically significant differences for pain or disability in either group (P > 0.05). Changes in isometric trunk flexion (P = 0.001), nondominant side plank (P = 0.008), and Sorensen (P = 0.006) endurance scores were significant within the intervention group but not the control group. Between-group comparisons revealed a significant difference for isometric trunk flexion (P = 0.005) and Sorensen endurance times (P = 0.010). Analysis also showed that ball-sitting did not prevent an increase in LBP over the 8-week period.CONCLUSION:Ball-sitting had no significant effects on LBP or associated disability, but did improve core endurance in the sagittal plane. Although ball-sitting may be useful as an adjunct treatment for LBP when core muscles are involved, clinicians should rely on other, evidence-based treatments for LBP.

Based on this analysis, ball sitting was not helpful for lower back pain, but did help with some aspects of core muscle endurance, which may be indirectly helpful.  For direct treatment of lower back pain, other treatment options may need be required.

The B-day cake

For a no-chocolate version of the cake, go to my next cake recipe.

In the past, cakes were enjoyed only on birthdays. Now pastries, cookies, cakes and sweets are a common treat every day. Not in my family, however! Sweets are kept for special occasions.

Recently, for one of our birthdays, I decided to "splurge" on the sugar and make a cake. The added sugar in the recipe comes only from the chocolate chips and the low-sugar jam (this one is optional). The rest of the sweet taste is due to the natural sugar in the bananas. The recipe calls for total of seven bananas, applesauce, walnuts and whole wheat flour!  This is lots of fiber! Even the almond butter and the cocoa powder have fiber.  I recommend that you use extremely ripe bananas that you have frozen in advance (in anticipation of someone's B-day).  

Since the cake is high in fiber, the sugar spike in the blood is moderated. Soluble fiber slows down the absorption of sugar. According to some calculations, ripe bananas contain 3 g fiber/120 g, mostly in the form of soluble fiber.
 

The B-day cake (up to 16 portions)

Ingredients:
4 ripe bananas (mashed)
4 oz (113 g) of unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup baking cocoa powder (no sugar added)
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1.5 cups walnuts (chopped)
 
Frosting ingredients:
5 Tbsp almond butter (7-8 oz)
4 Tbsp low sugar strawberry jam (optional)
4 Tbsp baking cocoa powder (no sugar added)
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
2 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)
 
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray with oil a 9-inch springform cake pan (or spread some coconut oil). You can use any other type of cake pan.  I have also used a square cake pan (8" x 8"). 

Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda). Combine the mashed bananas, apple sauce, vanilla and lightly beaten eggs. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the banana-egg mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Transfer the batter into the pan, and bake for 40 minutes.  Cool before frosting. 

The frosting is prepared by mixing the four Tbsp of cocoa powder with the three mashed bananas and the almond butter. If you have some chia seeds, add 2 Tbsp. Either way, the frosting is delicious and healthy.

To finish the cake, first, spread the low sugar jam on the top of the cake. Then spread the frosting on top and the side of the cake. For the frosting, you may try peanut butter (with no added sugar), instead of the more expensive almond butter.

The decorations on the picture above were made by my child. Usually, I do not decorate the cake, but one could sprinkle some nuts and/or coconut shavings.
 
Notes:
1. I use only frozen bananas for this recipe. The frozen bananas are easier to mash/incorporate in the dough and frosting.

2. All springform cake pans leak. This is why I put the pan on a baking sheet in the oven. This however, increases the baking time to approximately 45 minutes or more.

In a process of frosting...

Happy B-day, everyone!

Low Oxygen And Osteogenic Differentiation

Low oxygen conditions can affect the differentiation of bone precursor cells.  Abstract:

This study examined the effects of low oxygen tension on the osteogenic differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in a three-dimensional culture system. The high expression levels of hypoxia-related proteins hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor were first validated in ESCs subjected to hypoxic conditions compared with normoxic controls. The osteogenic differentiation of hypoxic ESCs with either osteogenic or osteogenic factor-free media was subsequently evaluated by measuring alkaline phosphatase activity, intracellular calcium levels, matrix mineralization, and the protein levels of osteogenic markers Runt-related transcription factor 2 and osterix. We confirmed that hypoxia significantly stimulated ESC osteogenic activity; the strongest stimulation of ESC osteogenesis was exerted when cells were grown in osteogenic media. To identify differentially expressed genes associated with hypoxia-induced ESC differentiation, we performed microarray analysis of ESCs cultured in osteogenic media under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. This study demonstrated that differences in oxygen tension induced the differential expression of genes known to play roles in such processes as skeletal system development and signaling pathways for bone morphogenetic protein, Wnt, Notch, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and integrin. These findings reveal the effects of low oxygen tension on osteogenic progression in ESCs and provide insight into the molecular pathways that regulate ESC differentiation following exposure to hypoxia.

Sex Differences In Immune Checkpoint Therapy

Women seem to do better than men in immune checkpoint therapy for cancer.  Studying such differences may help devise improved therapeutic approaches for all patients.  Thus - “The pooled overall survival HR was 0·72 (95% CI 0·65-0·79) in male patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, compared with men treated in control groups. In women treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, the pooled overall survival HR compared with control groups was 0·86 (95% CI 0·79-0·93). The difference in efficacy between men and women treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors was significant (p=0·0019).’

Tea Genetics

Understanding the tea genome; abstract

Tea, one of the world's most important beverage crops, provides numerous secondary metabolites that account for its rich taste and health benefits. Here we present a high-quality sequence of the genome of tea, Camellia sinensis var. sinensis (CSS), using both Illumina and PacBio sequencing technologies. At least 64% of the 3.1-Gb genome assembly consists of repetitive sequences, and the rest yields 33,932 high-confidence predictions of encoded proteins. Divergence between two major lineages, CSS and Camellia sinensis var. assamica (CSA), is calculated to ∼0.38 to 1.54 million years ago (Mya). Analysis of genic collinearity reveals that the tea genome is the product of two rounds of whole-genome duplications (WGDs) that occurred ∼30 to 40 and ∼90 to 100 Mya. We provide evidence that these WGD events, and subsequent paralogous duplications, had major impacts on the copy numbers of secondary metabolite genes, particularly genes critical to producing three key quality compounds: catechins, theanine, and caffeine. Analyses of transcriptome and phytochemistry data show that amplification and transcriptional divergence of genes encoding a large acyltransferase family and leucoanthocyanidin reductases are associated with the characteristic young leaf accumulation of monomeric galloylated catechins in tea, while functional divergence of a single member of the glutamine synthetase gene family yielded theanine synthetase. This genome sequence will facilitate understanding of tea genome evolution and tea metabolite pathways, and will promote germplasm utilization for breeding improved tea varieties.

Fiber And Microbiota

Dietary fiber can increase levels of certain gut microbiota bacterial species, as well as higher levels of butyrate, a short chain fatty acid with beneficial anti-cancer effects in the colon.  Abstract:

BACKGROUND:

Dysfunction of the gut microbiota is frequently reported as a manifestation of chronic diseases, and therefore presents as a modifiable risk factor in their development. Diet is a major regulator of the gut microbiota and certain types of dietary fiber may modify bacterial numbers and metabolism, including short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) generation.

OBJECTIVE:

A systematic review and meta-analysis were undertaken to assess the effect of dietary fiber interventions on gut microbiota composition in healthy adults.

DESIGN:

A systematic search was conducted across MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and CINAHL for randomized controlled trials using culture and/or molecular microbiological techniques evaluating the effect of fiber intervention on gut microbiota composition in healthy adults. Meta-analyses via a random-effects model were performed on alpha diversity, prespecified bacterial abundances including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus spp., and fecal SCFA concentrations comparing dietary fiber interventions with placebo/low-fiber comparators.

RESULTS:

A total of 64 studies involving 2099 participants were included. Dietary fiber intervention resulted in higher abundance of Bifidobacterium spp. [standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.64 (95% CI: 0.42, 0.86); P < 0.00001)] and Lactobacillus spp. [SMD: 0.22 (0.03, 0.41), P = 0.02] as well as fecal butyrate concentration [SMD: 0.24 (0.00, 0.47), P = 0.05] compared with placebo/low-fiber comparators. Subgroup analysis revealed that fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides led to significantly greater abundance of both Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. compared with comparators (P < 0.00001 and P = 0.002, respectively). No differences in effect were found between fiber intervention and comparators for α-diversity, abundances of other prespecified bacteria, or other SCFA concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS:

Dietary fiber intervention, particularly involving fructans and galacto-oligosaccharides, leads to higher fecal abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus spp. but does not affect α-diversity. Further research is required to better understand the role of individual fiber types on the growth of microbes and the overall gut microbial community. This review was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42016053101.

A Potential Problem With The Popularization Of Science

Popularization of science is important, but like a double-edged sword, can have certain drawbacks. Here is an interesting paper, abstract:

Science popularization fulfills the important task of making scientific knowledge understandable and accessible for the lay public. However, the simplification of information required to achieve this accessibility may lead to the risk of audiences relying overly strongly on their own epistemic capabilities when making judgments about scientific claims. Moreover, they may underestimate how the division of cognitive labor makes them dependent on experts. This article reports an empirical study demonstrating that this "easiness effect of science popularization" occurs when laypeople read authentic popularized science depictions. After reading popularized articles addressed to a lay audience, laypeople agreed more with the knowledge claims they contained and were more confident in their claim judgments than after reading articles addressed to expert audiences. Implications for communicating scientific knowledge to the general public are discussed.

I believe that people who do not have a science background tend to underestimate the complexity of science, the high degree of “division of cognitive labor” in science (an expert on one field may know little to nothing about another field), and they also misunderstand the basic idea behind modern science.  On this latter point, science is not really about making final and definitive statements, but rather assigning probabilities to hypothesis based on the available evidence. Therefore, people take a single pronouncement as “the final word” and then get frustrated, or disillusioned with science, when that “final word” is later over-turned by a subsequent “final word.”  Popular writers of science also get facts wring, based in their overestimation of their own understanding of the topic, and pass on these misunderstandings to the public. One hope is that blogs like ApplyForLife will enable people with formal scientific training to directly communicate useful findings directly to the public, with the constant caveat that almost nothing in science is “final” – a point that often eludes the popular writers in scientific topics.

Dioscin And Diabetes

Dioscin can help alleviate negative effects of high glucose in type 2 diabetes through preserving pancreatic cells, mediated by effects on Wnt signaling.  Abstract:

BACKGROUND:

Dysfunction of pancreatic beta cells is related with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Dioscin, a natural steroid saponin, has many pharmacological effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dioscin on apoptosis of pancreatic beta cells induced by high glucose.

METHODS:

Pancreatic cell line RNAKT-15 was treated with 20 mM glucose with or without different concentrations of dioscin and viability and apoptosis of cells were measured. Western blot assay was used to measure the expression levels of some proteins such as phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) and β-catenin. Enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the pro-inflammatory cytokines.

RESULTS:

High-glucose could significantly increase cell RNAKT-15 apoptosis and reduce cell viability (p < 0.01). Dioscin could improve the cell degeneration (p < 0.05). The results demonstrated that high-glucose could increase the proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (INF-γ), and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), while these effects were reduced when treated with dioscin (p < 0.05). Western blot results demonstrated that high-glucose affects p-GSK 3β and β-catenin expression levels (p < 0.01) and dioscin could significantly reduce these two protein levels (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS:

The effects of dioscin against high-glucose induced apoptosis of pancreatic cells may occur through the Wnt signaling pathway. High-glucose led to increased pancreatic cell apoptosis and dioscin could attenuate these impairments. These findings highlight an important role of dioscin in the treatment potential of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).