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Muscle Talk

Jaime Filer

Jaime Filer graduated with a kinesiology degree from York University, where she was a varsity athlete. She’s also a former competitive bodybuilder who competed in drug-tested events throughout North America. If something new is trending in fitness, chances are Jaime’s already tried it!

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Energy Drinks and Omega 3s

Are energy drinks a gateway drug?

We all want that morning pick-me-up, that little jolt of caffeine to get our day (and our bowels) going. But what happens when “want” turns into “need,” and “use” slowly transitions into “abuse”? In 2014, nearly one third of teenagers admitted to using high-caffeine energy drinks or shots. This scary statistic was correlated, not surprisingly, to higher rates of alcohol, cigarette, and/or illicit drug use. According to a study published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, teens who used energy drinks were two or three times more likely to report other types of substance use than those who didn’t use energy drinks at all. Although there is no direct cause-and-effect data, behavioral psychologists claim that “energy drinks have been linked to behavioral patterns of “sensation-seeking or risk orientation.” “ROCKSTAR?” Not so much.

Not all omega-3s are created equal

There are two types of omega-3 fatty acids: DHA and EPA. You might think they’re just two sides of the same coin, but researchers at Oregon State University have proven otherwise. They found that DHA was significantly more effective at reducing the harmful proteins involved in liver fibrosis than EPA. It reduced the amount by more than 65 percent! DHA was also more valuable for preventing fibrosis or scarring of the liver that’s associated with a disease known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), as well as improving the conditions of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.