Studies Archives - The Paleo Network

Paleo Diet Primal Grounding Earthing Barefoot Health Nature Connect-min

Grounding: When Did You Last Connect with Nature?

Have you heard of grounding, or earthing? Perhaps you already do it – maybe without even realising? It might sound a bit new age and made up, but the more I've read about it – and tried it – the more sense it makes.

Earthing is where you allow you your body to be in direct contact with the Earth. You can do this by walking around barefoot, sitting outside outside on the lawn or the sand, or sleeping under the stars (in direct contact with the Earth). Advocates of grounding recommended you do it for at least 30 minutes a day for optimal benefits.

So many people wake up in a high rise house, put their shoes on, drive to work, sit at a desk all day in an insulated office block, drive home – and repeat. Even exercise is often exclusively done indoors in a gym. How many people go weeks without any direct contact to the Earth? Our ancestors walked barefoot and slept on the ground – very different.

The idea behind grounding, is that the Earth has a negative charge. When a person, with an excessive negative charge, walks around in contact with the Earth, the excess of electrons will supposedly be absorbed by the Earth’s surface. By balancing out your body chemistry using the earth, the idea is that you will feel more relaxed and at ease – and with improved sleep.

There are (of course!) lots of companies who have jumped on the grounding/ earthing bandwagon to produce artificial products to mimic the effects of earthing. You can get a grounding mat to put under your desk at work, or earthing sheets, to have the same effect as sleeping on the ground. However, with it being so easy to connect to the Earth naturally, why fake it? The only exception to man made products, that I would put in this category is barefoot shoes. Barefoot shoes like Vibram Five Fingers (VFF’s) are a great way to safely walk around, without worrying about stepping in something you shouldn't.

It doesn't have to be a huge thing to schedule in your day. Find ways to incorporate earthing with what you already do in your daily life. If you enjoy walking, then walk along the beach barefoot. If you write on a daily basis or read, then just change your environment and enjoy doing those activities while sitting on grass. If you just want some time to relax in your day go outside and enjoy nature for a while.

Whether or not you agree with the science behind earthing – you have to agree walking around barefooted in cool grass feels great?

There are several benefits of earthing/grounding that you won’t discover until you get outdoors and take your shoes off!

Do you regularly connect with the Earth? Does it make you feel better? Please share your experiences in the comments below!

What's so bad about soft drinks fizzy coke paleo not healthy-min

Another Nail in the Coffin for Soft Drinks?

It’s good to see yet another study on the detrimental effects of Soft Drinks. This time a study from the University of Oklahoma compared two groups of women over a five year period. One group in the 4,000 strong study consumed two or more sugary soft drinks, whilst the other group drank one or less. The participants had their weight, waist size, cholesterol & triglyceride levels measured and compared over the course of the study. The study concludes that woman drinking two or more soft drinks a day are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The study indicates that whilst the woman’s weight didn't necessarily increase on this soft drink regime, their risk of developing high triglycerides increased four-fold – therefore bodily fat doesn't appear to be the sole reason for the risk.

An observational study like this has far too many variables, yet it is still useful, especially if it leads to further (ideally clinical) studies. It’s also useful if it makes those who consume soft drinks question their nutrition. I think it likely a woman who consumes several soft drinks a day isn't likely to be following a healthy Paleo diet in every other aspect of her nutrition. This makes it impossible to attribute the declining health of that group to their soft drink consumption alone. I also have trouble with the category of “one of less” soft drinks, as I’d consider one soft drink a day to be very high use – especially where those drinks contain High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)! I look forward to the full peer reviewed study which may address some of these points.

I think a lot of slim people consider themselves healthy and have an attitude that they can “get away” with a poor diet, including drinking regular soft drinks. This study goes some way to challenge those views, and perhaps might help make people realise even though they may feel healthy today, they may be storing up problems for their future health. I just hope studies like this don’t lead to diverted consumption of diet soft drinks, which in my opinion are often even more harmful.

What’s wrong with drinking water?

Soft Drinks and Metabolic Disruption: More Than Just Sugar

While studies like the one from the University of Oklahoma highlight the obvious dangers of sugar-sweetened beverages, it’s crucial to understand that the issue with soft drinks extends beyond their sugar content. The combination of artificial colouring, preservatives, acids and industrial sweeteners creates a chemical cocktail that disrupts metabolism and places significant stress on the body.

Even when weight gain isn't immediately visible, these drinks can silently wreak havoc. Elevated triglycerides, increased insulin resistance, fatty liver, and systemic inflammation can all be linked to frequent consumption of sugary beverages. Metabolically, these drinks offer zero benefit and numerous risks — often in the absence of any clear satiety, which can lead to increased overall caloric intake.

The False Health Halo of Diet Drinks

For those looking to reduce their sugar intake, switching to diet soft drinks might seem like a logical step. However, many emerging studies indicate that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame potassium may cause their own set of health issues. They can interfere with gut microbiota, disrupt hunger hormones, and may even be linked with long-term weight gain and glucose intolerance.

Moreover, the very sweetness of these drinks — even without calories — continues to condition the palate to expect sweet tastes constantly, making it harder to wean off sugary or ultra-processed foods. The result? A loop of craving, consumption and metabolic confusion that undermines real food efforts.

Challenging the “Skinny Equals Healthy” Myth

One of the most insidious ideas perpetuated by food marketing is the belief that as long as you maintain a healthy weight, your diet doesn’t matter. But studies like this reinforce the idea that metabolic health is about much more than what the scale says. You can be lean and still suffer from high triglycerides, poor insulin sensitivity, and chronic inflammation.

Soft drinks provide a perfect case study for this. They may not cause immediate weight gain, but their effects on internal health markers can still be profoundly damaging. Just because someone looks “healthy” on the outside does not mean their blood chemistry or organ function reflects the same.

The Case for Replacing Soft Drinks With Real Hydration

Water, herbal teas and homemade infusions with mint, lemon or cucumber provide true hydration without any of the additives found in commercial beverages. For those transitioning off soft drinks, fizzy mineral water with a squeeze of citrus can mimic the mouthfeel of soda without the negatives.

If you're looking for a gentle detox or liver support, dandelion tea and milk thistle infusions can also help — and they’re far more aligned with a Paleo approach than artificially flavoured drinks pretending to offer energy or focus.

How Observational Studies Inform the Bigger Picture

While observational studies can't prove causation, they are often the first step in identifying patterns that warrant deeper investigation. When repeated across large populations and corroborated by mechanistic science, they form a compelling body of evidence.

In the case of soft drinks, we now have multiple observational and controlled studies pointing toward similar conclusions — that sugary beverages contribute significantly to chronic disease. This growing data pool helps to inform public health recommendations, consumer awareness, and eventually, policy change. For example, some cities have introduced sugar taxes on soft drinks or mandated clearer labelling due to this type of research.

The Hidden Link Between Soft Drinks and Gut Health

One area of emerging interest is how soft drinks impact the microbiome. High-fructose corn syrup and artificial additives can feed pathogenic gut bacteria, creating dysbiosis that extends far beyond digestion. This imbalance in gut flora has been linked to autoimmune conditions, mood disorders, and metabolic diseases — further cementing the idea that soft drinks are more harmful than they might first appear.

Artificial sweeteners used in diet soft drinks may also impair the gut lining and encourage the overgrowth of less beneficial bacterial strains. Over time, this can lead to leaky gut and low-grade chronic inflammation, further increasing the risk of disease.

Making Better Choices Daily

If you're trying to support your health or follow a Paleo lifestyle, removing soft drinks is one of the easiest and most impactful changes you can make. Hydration doesn’t need a flashy label or marketing campaign — your body thrives on simplicity. Filtered water, coconut water (in moderation), herbal infusions, and even homemade kombucha (if tolerated) are all great alternatives.

Planning ahead can also help reduce temptation. Keeping a stainless steel bottle of chilled water with you or preparing infused water at the start of each day makes it more likely that you’ll stay hydrated and avoid vending machines or corner shops selling fizzy drinks.

Long-Term Vision: Shifting the Health Conversation

It’s encouraging to see studies like this gaining attention and challenging long-held beliefs. But for real change to occur, the public narrative needs to shift away from calorie-counting and weight-focused metrics toward deeper markers of health. Blood sugar stability, hormone balance, inflammation, and mental clarity are far better indicators of wellbeing.

Eliminating soft drinks — both sugary and diet — is a small but meaningful way to support your body, improve long-term outcomes, and honour the Paleo philosophy of eating (and drinking) in alignment with our evolutionary biology.

As new studies emerge, the importance of whole, unprocessed foods and drinks becomes clearer. Let’s hope this rising body of evidence encourages more people to swap the can for a clean glass of water — their hearts, brains, and future selves will thank them.

What do you think of observational studies like this? Do you think they will they one day start to change nutrition en masse?

Soft Drinks and Violence?

I was interested to hear about a study linking consumption of non-diet soft drinks with violence in teenagers. The study found teenagers who drank soft drinks frequently were 9 – 15% more likely to engage in violent activities, than those who were not frequent drinkers. Almost one in three pupils in the study group of 1,878 drank over five cans of soft drink a week. And if that's one in three, presumably many of the people in the study group must get the majority of their hydration from soft drinks.

This was an observational study, so perhaps the ingredients in the soft drink caused the anti-social behaviour in those who consumed it; or perhaps the anti-social behaviour lead to those teenagers drinking more soft drinks?

But surely with such a high correlation, it has to be beneficial to prevent soft drinks being so accessible to teens? Even more of a problem seems to be the prevalence of energy drinks that seem especially popular with young people. I'd love to see some studies into the effects of these chemically laden drinks.

The Rising Popularity of Energy Drinks Among Teens

While traditional soft drinks like cola have long been a concern for their sugar content and artificial additives, the more recent surge in energy drink consumption among teens may be even more alarming. Marketed with flashy branding and promises of improved performance, focus, and stamina, these drinks are increasingly targeted at adolescents and young adults. Yet, they often contain extremely high doses of caffeine, stimulants, artificial sweeteners, synthetic vitamins, and preservatives — a volatile cocktail for a still-developing body and brain.

Some popular brands contain over 150mg of caffeine per serve — equivalent to more than two cups of strong coffee — with some “extreme” versions exceeding 300mg. Combined with sugar, guarana, taurine, and other synthetic compounds, the stimulating effect on the central nervous system can be profound. For teens, who are more vulnerable to disrupted sleep, anxiety, and hormonal imbalance, regular energy drink consumption may lead to more than just restlessness — it may exacerbate aggressive tendencies, impair focus in school, and contribute to emotional dysregulation.

Potential Behavioural and Neurological Effects

There’s a growing body of evidence that links high sugar consumption and excessive caffeine intake to mood swings, irritability, and reduced cognitive performance. In the context of soft drinks and energy drinks, where sugar and caffeine often co-exist, the neurochemical rollercoaster can be intense. Blood sugar spikes followed by crashes can cause irritability and fatigue, while overstimulation from caffeine can lead to jitteriness, restlessness, and even impulsivity.

Given the teenage brain is still developing, particularly in areas related to emotional regulation and decision-making, these dietary stressors can have amplified effects. When combined with other modern stressors — social media, lack of sleep, academic pressure — the impact of these beverages could contribute to an overall decline in mental wellbeing and behavioural stability.

Marketing to Young People: A Silent Epidemic?

Energy drink marketing is often embedded within the lifestyle and interests of young people. Sponsorships of extreme sports, video gaming events, and online influencers make these products aspirational and socially relevant. The packaging and naming of these drinks often implies rebellion, power, and performance — themes that resonate strongly with adolescents navigating identity and independence.

This marketing strategy, combined with minimal regulation, means energy and soft drinks are not only normalised but are often positioned as “cool” essentials. With corner shops and vending machines offering two-for-one deals and aggressive branding, many teens develop a daily habit without even recognising the potential consequences.

Health Consequences Beyond Behaviour

Aside from behavioural links, the physical health implications of regular soft drink and energy drink consumption in teenagers are significant. These include:

Increased risk of type 2 diabetes: Due to high levels of added sugar and resulting insulin spikes.
Obesity and metabolic syndrome: Especially when paired with a sedentary lifestyle and ultra-processed food intake.
Dental erosion: Caused by both sugar and acidic ingredients.
High blood pressure and heart palpitations: From excessive caffeine and stimulants.
Sleep disturbances: Disrupting circadian rhythms and impairing recovery and mood stability.

These effects are concerning at any age, but they’re particularly harmful during adolescence — a period where long-term habits are formed and future health trajectories are shaped.

The Role of Parents, Schools, and Policy

Given the strong correlation between soft drink consumption and negative behavioural and health outcomes, there’s a clear need for proactive intervention. Here are some strategies that can help reduce teenage dependence on soft and energy drinks:

Parental education: Encourage families to remove sugary drinks from the home and model healthy alternatives like infused water, sparkling mineral water or herbal teas.
School policy reform: Ban the sale of soft and energy drinks in school canteens and vending machines, replacing them with clean hydration options.
Public awareness campaigns: Use social media, schools and healthcare networks to educate teens on the risks associated with these drinks.
Labelling laws: Mandate clearer warnings about caffeine and sugar content, especially for energy drinks marketed to minors.
Access restrictions: Consider age limits or stricter sales policies, similar to those for cigarettes or alcohol, for high-caffeine energy drinks.

Encouraging Better Habits Through Paleo Principles

The Paleo approach offers teens a clear and consistent alternative: real hydration and real food. By promoting filtered water, herbal teas, fresh juices (in moderation), and home-brewed kombucha (with minimal sugar), we can reframe what hydration means and how it supports physical and mental wellbeing.

Teens who eat a balanced diet rich in healthy fats, protein, and fibre will naturally experience better blood sugar stability, mood regulation and energy levels — reducing the perceived “need” for quick fixes like caffeine and sugar. Helping them understand this connection can empower healthier choices that last beyond adolescence.

Empowering Young People with Information

Ultimately, most teens don’t respond well to restriction alone — they thrive on autonomy and understanding. Offering them clear, respectful information about the consequences of energy and soft drinks, and showing them how to create healthier alternatives, is a far more effective strategy than bans or lectures.

For example, introducing teenagers to Paleo-friendly protein smoothies, homemade iced teas, or naturally flavoured sparkling water gives them tools to replace the bad with something equally satisfying. Involving them in the process — making drinks at home, trying recipes together — helps build buy-in and curiosity.

A Community-Level Conversation

This isn’t just a parenting issue — it’s a community-wide concern. Teachers, coaches, health professionals, and even older peers have a role to play in shifting the cultural norm around what we drink. By speaking openly about the links between food, mood, and long-term health, we can help the next generation make empowered decisions that support, rather than sabotage, their wellbeing.

Limit Soft Drinks?

Do you think teenagers should be given a free rein, or should soft drinks consumption be limited somehow?

Soy, Grains & Margarine for Better Health!

2 Comments

I really shouldn't read health supplements any more. They generally just annoy me. But I could resist. I found this gem in the Sunday Telegraph yesterday.

Just before I ditched Paleo and went out to buy some soy and margarine, I thought I'd see if I could find out a bit more about the study.

So it appears the study split 351 men & post menopausal women into two groups for the six-month period. One ate low fat, the other low fat – with “special cholesterol lowering foods”. Hmm, interesting, low fat compared to low fat… The group with the special cholesterol lowering foods lowered their LDL by 13%. But then there was also a 22.6% drop out rate. This is taking me back to Tom Naughton's Science for Smart People lecture at the AHS…

The group with the “special food” also received sessions with a dietitian. The other low fat group did not.

They summed up saying that because the diet was complex, researchers couldn't tell which foods made a difference in lowering cholesterol. Excellent. Regardless, write ups of the study, like the one I saw are still identify these foods as being proven to help lower LDL: –

Soy proteins such as soy milk and tofu.
Viscous or “sticky” fibres from oats, barley and psyllium.
Nuts, including tree nuts and peanuts.
Plant sterols in margarine.

Whilst Loblaw (a Canadian food retailer), Solae (who sell Soy products) and Unilever (who own lots of products, including margarine) sponsored the study and provided some of the foods used, that obviously had no impact on the study. Whatsoever.

I think I'll stick to my high fat diet…

Digging Deeper: When Studies and Sponsorships Collide

It’s always wise to read between the lines when encountering “science-backed” nutrition claims, especially when those claims align neatly with processed food marketing. Studies funded or supplied by companies with direct financial interest in the outcomes — like Unilever, Solae, or Loblaw — are not inherently invalid, but they do deserve extra scrutiny. When a study concludes that “cholesterol-lowering foods” (conveniently available from the sponsoring companies) improve health outcomes, the conflict of interest should at least raise eyebrows.

In the case of this particular study, the fact that both groups followed low-fat diets makes it impossible to determine if the outcomes were related to the removal of saturated fat, the addition of sponsor-supplied foods, or simply the regular dietitian check-ins only one group received.

The Real Problem With Cholesterol-Lowering Narratives

Public health messaging has long been obsessed with lowering cholesterol, particularly LDL, as though it’s the single most important marker of health. But this is an oversimplification. Cholesterol is essential for producing hormones, supporting cell membranes, and helping the body produce vitamin D. Rather than blindly pursuing lower LDL numbers, a more balanced conversation around lipid ratios, inflammation, and metabolic health is overdue.

Numerous studies have shown that total cholesterol — or even LDL alone — is a poor predictor of heart disease in isolation. Far more telling are factors like triglyceride to HDL ratios, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation. Yet articles like the one in the Sunday Telegraph continue to focus on LDL reduction via dietary tweaks that promote processed food products.

What the Study Didn’t Say: The Role of Inflammation

Interestingly, there’s little to no mention of inflammation in the article — or the study itself. Chronic inflammation is now widely recognised as a key driver of cardiovascular disease. Reducing inflammation through a nutrient-dense, low-toxin diet is a far more holistic and effective strategy than simply trying to push down cholesterol levels with soy milk and margarine.

A Paleo diet, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and bioavailable nutrients, naturally addresses inflammation by removing the root causes: seed oils, refined sugars, grains, and ultra-processed foods. But this concept rarely makes headlines, perhaps because there’s no branded margarine to sell alongside it.

The Soy Dilemma

Soy protein is frequently positioned as a “health food” — particularly for its supposed benefits on cholesterol. However, soy comes with its own list of issues. Most commercial soy is genetically modified and heavily processed, often treated with hexane and other chemicals. Additionally, soy contains phytoestrogens, which can interfere with hormone function — especially concerning for those with thyroid issues or hormone-sensitive conditions.

In a wholefood-based Paleo context, soy is excluded not only because of its antinutrients and processing, but also because there are far more nourishing, less controversial sources of protein available — like grass-fed beef, pastured eggs, and wild-caught fish.

What About Oats, Barley and Psyllium?

The “viscous fibre” component of the cholesterol-lowering formula mentioned in the study usually comes from oats, barley, or psyllium husk. While soluble fibre can certainly support gut health and slow digestion, it doesn’t require grains to be effective. Vegetables like okra, sweet potato and pumpkin, as well as chia seeds and flaxseeds, also provide soluble fibre — without the blood sugar spikes and gluten-related inflammation grains can cause for many.

Barley and oats both contain gluten or gluten-like proteins that can trigger gut irritation and immune responses, especially in those with sensitivities. And let’s not forget: these grains are almost always heavily processed before they reach the supermarket shelf.

Peanuts and the “Nut” Misunderstanding

Yes, nuts were included in the study's cholesterol-lowering foods. But it’s worth noting that peanuts are not actually nuts — they’re legumes. This distinction matters in the Paleo world, where legumes are typically avoided due to their antinutrient content (like lectins and phytic acid), potential to cause gut irritation, and high omega-6 content.

Tree nuts, when consumed in moderation and in their whole, raw form, can be a good addition to a Paleo diet. However, over-reliance on roasted, salted nuts as a “health food” — especially when they’re used to bulk out ultra-processed snack bars — often leads to more harm than good.

And Then There’s Margarine

The inclusion of margarine in any list of “cholesterol-lowering foods” is perhaps the most telling sign of industry influence. Margarine is often made with hydrogenated or interesterified vegetable oils, designed to stay shelf-stable and mimic the texture of butter. While many brands now avoid trans fats due to public backlash, they still rely on heavily processed seed oils that are high in omega-6 fats and prone to oxidation — both of which can fuel inflammation.

Butter from grass-fed cows, by contrast, contains fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K2), healthy saturated fats, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) — a naturally occurring fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties. Yet somehow, margarine is still sold as the “heart-healthy” option. Go figure.

Why Real Food Doesn't Need a Sponsor

One of the most consistent themes in mainstream nutritional studies is that real, whole foods rarely get the spotlight — largely because they can’t be patented, branded, or profitably packaged. When large corporations fund dietary studies, the outcomes often reflect a subtle (or not-so-subtle) preference toward products they manufacture and sell.

A study comparing a standard Western diet to a Paleo template rich in real food would be fascinating — but good luck getting funding from a margarine company.

Final Thought: Stick With What Humans Have Always Eaten

The idea that cholesterol should be lowered at any cost is outdated and oversimplified. Rather than relying on margarine, soy milk and barley to prop up your lipid numbers, focus instead on a nutrient-rich, anti-inflammatory diet that your ancestors would recognise as food.

Eat eggs. Cook with butter. Add fatty cuts of grass-fed meat. Include plenty of vegetables, leafy greens and good-quality fats. These foods won’t just lower your risk of disease — they’ll make you feel better, stronger and more in control of your health.

And next time you read about a miracle food study in the Sunday paper, check who paid for it. You might find the answer is as manufactured as the margarine it’s trying to sell.

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