Diet Soda Brain Aging, Hidden Heart Attack Risk, New Cholesterol Pill, Lettuce Recall, and more... : 1507

Artificial Sweeteners & Cognitive Decline, Myosteatosis on Coronary CT, Merck's Oral PCSK9 Inhibitor, Cyclospora Outbreak, Gut-Brain Synchronization, and the Banana Smoothie Mistake Explained Artificial Sweeteners Linked To 62% Faster Cognitive Decline In Landmark Brazilian Study A study tracking more than 12,700 adults (average age 52) over eight years found that people consuming the most artificial and low-calorie sweeteners, roughly 191 mg a day, about what's in a single can of diet soda, showed cognitive decline 62% faster than the lowest-intake group, equivalent to 1.6 extra years of brain aging, with memory hit hardest. Six of the seven sweeteners tested, including aspartame, saccharin, and acesulfame K, were linked to faster decline; tagatose was the lone exception. Researchers point to gut-microbiome disruption, altered glucose and insulin signaling, and possible direct neuronal effects as plausible mechanisms. Host Dave Asprey breaks down why a dose this small was enough to move the curve, why tagatose deserves more scrutiny before being called "safe," and where diet products' short-term weight-loss marketing conveniently ignores the long-term cost to your brain. Source: https://www.inc.com/kevin-haynes/study-links-cognitive-decline-to-surprisingly-small-daily-amount-of-artificial-sweeteners/91376522 ~~ AI Analysis Of 1,722 Heart Scans Finds Muscle Quality Predicts Heart Attacks Independent Of Calcium Score Using data from the SCOT-HEART trial, a University of Edinburgh team ran an AI model against ten years of coronary CT angiogram scans, measuring skeletal muscle attenuation, a marker of myosteatosis, or fat infiltration into muscle tissue. Every 10-point increase in muscle density corresponded to a 31% lower heart attack risk and 39% lower all-cause mortality over the following decade, and critically, this held independent of coronary calcium score, the current gold-standard risk marker. The same low-density-muscle patients also showed higher lung attenuation, lower liver attenuation, and more torso fat volume, a pattern consistent with systemic insulin resistance rather than a muscle-specific issue. Host Dave Asprey unpacks why calcium score isn't capturing the full risk picture, why myosteatosis is really a readout of whole-body insulin sensitivity, and what he'd add to a routine workup on top of a calcium score. Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jun/30/strong-chest-back-less-likely-heart-attack-analysis ~~ FDA Approves First Oral PCSK9 Inhibitor, Cutting LDL By Up To 60% Without Injections Merck's enlicitide (brand name Lipfendra) is now FDA-approved as the first once-daily oral PCSK9 inhibitor, lowering LDL cholesterol by up to 60% in a phase 3 trial of 2,912 patients, routinely bringing levels down to 50-60 mg/dL. It works by blocking PCSK9, a liver protein that tags LDL receptors for destruction, the same target as injectable drugs like Repatha and Praluent, which have shown roughly 20% reductions in heart attacks and strokes in high-risk patients. Lipfendra is priced at $315 for a 30-day supply, with no excess side effects reported versus placebo over six months, though long-term outcome data is still pending. Host Dave Asprey explains why crushing total LDL without checking ApoB, LDL particle number, or oxidized LDL is optimizing the wrong variable, and what he'd want on his labs before considering a drug like this. Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/science/the-fda-approves-a-new-pill-to-slash-cholesterol-levels.html https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/16/mercks-cholesterol-pill-gets-us-fda-approval.html ~~ Cyclospora Outbreak Tied To Taylor Farms Lettuce Spreads To 34 States, Prompts Nationwide Recall Federal investigators have linked a multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico, with Michigan alone logging over 5,000 cases and 100+ hospitalizations, much of it traced to lettuce used at Taco Bell. Taylor Farms has recalled all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, and Walmart has pulled Marketside Iceberg Salad and Marketside Shredded Lettuce with specific