Alina-Gufran on Ultrahuman Blog

Pregnancy and heart rate: What you should know

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 13:59:38 +0000

This article on pregnancy and heart rate was first published in April 2022. It’s been checked, reviewed and updated.

Pregnancy can be both beautiful and unsettling. The body undergoes changes you may never have experienced – internally and externally.

One of the more confusing effects is heart palpitations. But what is a dangerous heart rate for a pregnant woman? We explain all:

Highlights

Several factors can increase the risk of heart palpitations, including anxiety, caffeine, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, weight gain, hormonal shifts, low blood sugar, low blood pressure, and anemia.
Heart palpitations during pregnancy typically don’t require treatment if they’re occasional and not linked to an underlying heart condition.
Lifestyle strategies – such as staying hydrated, using relaxation techniques, and limiting sugar, caffeine, and fat – may help reduce symptoms.

What do heart palpitations feel like?

Heart palpitations often feel like your heart is racing, pounding, skipping a beat, or fluttering. Some people may notice an extra heartbeat or feel like their heart is briefly pausing.

All You Need To Know About Fish Oil

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 17:27:00 +0000

Making sure you’re consuming all the natural oils and minerals the body requires is a big part of living a healthy life. One such source is fish oil, which is one the most commonly used natural oils that help with heart health and a host of other things. It’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are very important for good health.

Fish oil is an especially powerful element that helps with reducing inflammation, boosting brain function and improving joint health, skin health and moods. It’s known to help with cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s and other forms of cognitive decline. Read on to understand its benefits, how it works and how safe it is to consume.

24 Proven Ways To Reduce Bloating

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 15:24:00 +0000

Modern life, lifestyle changes, certain foods and various conditions can lead to bloating, especially in women, which can cause discomfort. Bloating can occur in both children and adults and may interfere with one’s daily life and ability to participate in social and recreational activities.

Some symptoms that can accompany bloating are flatulence, pain, frequent burping, belching, abdominal rumbling, or gurgles. Read on to understand what exactly is bloating, what causes it, and what steps you can take to mitigate it.

7 Ways To Sleep Better With Shoulder Pain

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 15:15:00 +0000

Shoulder pain can be a big bummer when you’re trying to catch a good night’s sleep. Quite often, it’s hard to pin down what’s causing the pain and if there’s anything you can do about it without immediately running to a doctor. There are several causes of shoulder pain that we will further explore in this article, along with some sleeping positions to keep in mind to ensure a good night’s sleep despite the pain.

How To Navigate High Blood Sugar During Pregnancy

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 13:05:00 +0000

Gestational diabetes refers to diabetes diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy (gestation). It’s said to affect up to 10% of women in the U.S. each year, with or without a history of diabetes or pre-diabetes.

There are two types of gestational diabetes—women with class A1 can manage it through exercise and diet and those with class A2 might need to take insulin or other medications.

It’s believed that gestational diabetes can go away after you give birth, but it can be detrimental to the baby’s health and raises the mother’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes. Women with gestational diabetes may not have symptoms. Routine screening can help identify it.

Gut Microbiome & Metabolic health

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:57:00 +0000

Your body is full of trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microorganisms. They are collectively known as the microbiome or microbes, for short. While some bacteria are associated with disease, others are extremely important for your immune system, heart, weight and many other aspects of health. Trillions of these microbes exist mainly inside your intestines and on your skin.

What is the gut microbiome?

The microbes are found in a “pocket” of your large intestine called the cecum, and they are referred to as the gut microbiome. Although many different types of microbes live inside you, bacteria are the most studied. What’s more, there are up to 1,000 species of bacteria in the human gut microbiome, and each of them plays a different role in your body. Altogether, these microbes may weigh as much as 2–5 pounds (1–2 kg), which is roughly the weight of your brain. Together, they function as an extra organ in your body and play a huge role in your health. [1 ]

Why Should Fenugreek Be Your Kitchen Staple?

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:36:00 +0000

Fenugreek is a bitter-tasting herb, native to the Mediterranean region and Southern Europe. It has been a pantry staple in Indian homes with its preparation and consumption varying across regions. It is increasingly garnering popularity as a go-to herb and has numerous health benefits that are being examined scientifically. Let’s have a look at some of them.

Highlights

Compounds called alkaloids in fenugreek help block sensory receptors that are responsible for perceiving pain,
Research suggests that some fenugreek compounds possess anti-diabetic properties and improve insulin sensitivity,
Its anti-inflammatory effects are attributed to its high antioxidant flavonoid content.

Benefits of Fenugreek

1. Helps reduce blood sugar

How Can Fat Be Your Friend?

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:08:00 +0000

Think of your body’s energy supply as a three-storied warehouse. The first floor is occupied by circulating glucose, the second by the glycogen in your liver and muscles while fat stores inhabit the last floor. With carb restriction, your body first uses the reserves on the first floor, making its way down slowly to the last floor. When you eat high-carb diets or sugar, your body rarely needs to go hunting to the last level for energy. It doesn’t budge beyond the first level of glucose. Intermittent fasting and carb restriction amongst others ways can help your body to adopt the reverse bottom-up approach and use the fat stores on the last level. This is how fat-adaptation works.

The Biological Concept Of Hormesis

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 09:45:00 +0000

Hormesis is defined as a phenomenon in which a harmful substance gives stimulating and beneficial effects to living organisms when the quantity of the harmful substance is small (Sakai, 2006).

Highlights

Hormesis is a phenomenon that is described to be beneficial or has a stimulatory effect caused by exposure to low doses of an agent that tends to be toxic at high levels,
Hormesis activates in the cells as a result of phytonutrients found in food and botanicals,
There are a number of ways to strategically stress your body that include short, intermittent bursts of certain stressors that trigger cellular processes that enhance overall health.

What is Hormesis?

Hormesis is a dose-response phenomenon, characterized by a low-dose response that is opposite in effect to that seen at high doses. Hormetic type responses have been reported in the literature since the late-nineteenth century.

Hacking your Menstrual Cycle for Training or Workouts

Sat, 20 Aug 2022 10:49:00 +0000

Aunt Flo can bring the best of us to our knees, making us feel achy, sad, tired or unmotivated. But what if you could learn to manage the tumultuous hormones and enhance your energy, mood and overall health?

Cycle syncing is a biohacking option that utilises a deeper knowledge of your menstrual cycle to enhance your health and feelings of well-being.

The lifestyle changes recommended in this regard can help us be more in tune with our bodies and attain a more balanced lifestyle with fewer mood swings, greater energy levels and better sleep. There are several ways to sync your life to your cycle, including watching what exercise corresponds to which stage of the cycle and nutrition.

Gut Health: 7 Red Flags to Watch Out For

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 13:58:00 +0000

The gut is often called the second brain, which isn’t surprising considering all the functions in the body it affects. It also houses the enteric nervous system that maintains contact with the brain and central nervous system and helps regulate processes vital to the human body. Our diet, environment, stress levels, amount of exercise, etc., influence the composition of the gut microbiome. Lack of fibre, hydration and exercise, sugary and processed foods, too many antibiotics and emotional or physical stress can negatively impact the gut microbiota. Gut health refers to the balance of microorganisms that inhabit our digestive tract.

Decoding New Research: Your Gut Can Tell How Lonely You Are

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 12:07:00 +0000

Introduction

The gut is usually associated with eating and digestion. We’ve all heard of the phrase ‘feeling gutted’, but new research suggests that there may be more than just metaphorical truth to this. In recent studies, scientists have found evidence that the gut microbiome is not just important for physical and digestive functioning but also has an important link with loneliness, ‘wisdom’ and mental health. In particular, one study carried out by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, has found evidence to show that both loneliness and wisdom (or compassion), are related to gut microbial diversity and composition (1).

7 Superfoods to Boost Your Metabolic Health

Fri, 24 Dec 2021 15:13:00 +0000

For some people, superfoods are yet another marketing gimmick that narrows down focus to a few ‘power foods’. For others, they’re the new horizon in making the most out of our daily diet in terms of nutrition, vitamins and minerals. Let’s take a deep dive into seven superfoods and how they interact with our metabolic health to help our digestion, weight management, gut well-being and mental health.

Highlights

Superfoods are plant-based foods that offer maximum nutrition for minimal calories and are usually packed with minerals, antioxidants and vitamins,
Antioxidant molecules found in superfoods can mitigate or decrease the effects of free radicals that are known to cause health problems,
Superfoods are easy to consume and can be added to various foods in a variety of diets with little to no preparation.

What are Metabolic Superfoods?

Superfoods are plant-based foods that offer maximum nutrition for minimal calories and are usually packed with minerals, antioxidants and vitamins. Antioxidants can be defined as natural molecules that neutralise free radicals in the human body. Free radicals can be defined as natural byproducts of energy production that lead to cell damage and accelerate the ageing process.

Gut Nutrition: What You Should Know About the Big MACS

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 17:13:00 +0000

Introduction

Did you know that hunter-gatherers have been known to consume 100 gms of fibre a day from seasonal food sources, as opposed to westerners who barely eat about 15 gms of fibre per day? Case in point: the Hazda community residing in Tanzania (one of the world’s last remaining hunter-gatherer communities) whose diet comprises fibre-rich tubers, berries, and wild meat. Studies have found that they have more diverse and richer gut microbiomes than westerners. When we eat, we are also feeding the countless microbes in our gut. Fibre-rich MACs or microbiota accessible carbohydrates are their favoured diet. Let’s explore in more detail what MACs are, how they’re beneficial to our health and how we can incorporate them more into our diets. Research shows that consumption of even a little more than 5g of fibre every day can be conducive to the growth of beneficial Bifidobacterium spp (good bacteria).

Activity fueling score: Everything you need to know

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 14:25:00 +0000

The human body provides energy through a combination of carbohydrates and fat-based fuels. High-intensity workouts rely dominantly on carb-based sources while the body depends more on stored fat during long, slow burn exercise.

Highlights

The fueling score signifies how well-fueled you were during your activity window and ranges from 0 to 10 on a scale. The higher your fueling score, the more optimally fueled you were during your activity,
There are three Glucose Zones are: Overfueled [> 140 mg/dL] ,Optimal zones [80-140 mg/dL] (Superset of High & Low intensity) & Underfueled [< 80 mg/dL],
When the figures are high for the fueling score and slope, it’s an indication that you were able to maintain appropriate glucose levels during your workout.

Pre-exercise glucose intake and suitable feeding strategies ensure that your body is equipped with the right amount of glucose to sustain your dream performance through the session.

Role of Diet in metabolic syndrome

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 18:12:00 +0000

Research suggests that metabolic syndrome, also known as syndrome X, marked by abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia is a non-communicable disease (NCD) that has become a major health hazard of the modern world. But the great news is that you can mitigate this risk or even reverse the condition by making changes to your diet and lifestyle.

What is metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of conditions that occur simultaneously, elevating your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

A Primer on Circadian Diet

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 17:40:00 +0000

A circadian rhythm or circadian cycle, refers to an internal process that modulates the sleep–wake cycle and recurs roughly every 24 hours. This piece delves into how consuming food in alignment with the circadian rhythm can enhance metabolic health.

What is the Circadian Rhythm Diet?

The circadian rhythm diet is essentially time-restricted eating in which you eat within a certain time frame, generally during daylight hours, and fast the rest of the time. Our circadian rhythms are influenced by light and dark, which tells our body when it’s time to wake and when it’s time to sleep. It is said that nearly every tissue and organ in our body is regulated by a biological clock, with a master clock located in our brain called suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN (explained in detail further), keeping all the other clocks in sync and on schedule. There is, however, one interesting thing to note about this system. Food actually overrides the clocks in all of our peripheral tissues. It doesn’t affect the brain tissue. The brain keeps going with the sun, but the clocks in the body are actually more controlled by the food that we eat. Food can un-synchronise the clock in your head from the clocks in your body and when they’re not talking well to each other, you don’t get optimal responses (from the body). (13 )

Metabolic phenotypes in Obesity

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 10:12:00 +0000

According to WHO , overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is regarded obese. The issue has grown to epidemic proportions, with over 4 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese in 2017, according to the global burden of disease. Rates of overweight and obesity continue to grow in adults and children. From 1975 to 2016, the prevalence of overweight or obese children and adolescents aged 5–19 years increased more than four-fold from 4% to 18% globally. Body mass index (BMI) is a calculation that takes a person’s weight and height into account to measure body size. In adults, obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30.0 or more , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Obesity is associated with a higher risk for serious diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Serotonin Imbalance & Metabolic Health

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 10:38:00 +0000

Serotonin is hailed as the ‘happy hormone.’ It enables communication of our brain cells with other nervous system cells and modulates our mood. It is conducive to our feeling of well-being and also plays a role in regulating metabolic health. Serotonin falls under a category of messengers called neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters: Chemical Messengers

Neurotransmitters are often referred to as the body’s chemical messengers. They are the molecules used by the nervous system to transmit messages between neurons, or from neurons to muscles. Communication between two neurons happens in the synaptic cleft (the small gap between the synapses of neurons). Here, electrical signals that have travelled along the axon are briefly converted into chemical ones through the release of neurotransmitters, causing a specific response in the receiving neuron.