Archive for the ‘results’ tag
We’re identical twins but one of us went vegan and it made one big health difference – New York Post
Posted: January 16, 2024 at 2:46 am
Health
By Jeanette Settembre
Published Jan. 10, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET
Its a tale of two twins.
Twins Jevon and John Whittington are identical down to their height (56), weight and what they eat.
Then they decided to go on a polar opposite diet for science: one went vegan, the other chowed down on meat, seafood, eggs and dairy and only one came out more trim.
The 23-year-old Buffalo-based, both recent nursing school graduates, volunteered for a Stanford University experiment putting them on the opposing diets, which are featured in the new Netflix show You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment.
In total 22 pairs took part in the experiment, between May and July 2022, which asked for identical twins because their shared DNA, upbringing and usually lifestyles help cut out other genetic and environmental factors which also affect our health.
John and the 22 other vegan twins followed the vegan diet precisely: not just no meat, but no animal products including milk and eggs.
And Jevon and 22 others were put on the omnivore diet, meanwhile, including chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, dairy and other animal products.
Both diets were designed to be healthy with vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains and lacking sugar, processed food and refined starches.
It was a major change for the Whittingtons. Weve pretty much been eating the same thing our whole lives our diets growing up was a lot of rice, chicken, fish, crab legs, John told The Post. Most people couldnt tell us a part.
The pair started shredded thanks to working out since they were 12, thanks to having a pro-body builder for a dad, John Whittington Jr.
My dad gave us the gift of fit we liken our affinity for taking care of our bodies to him, Jevon told The Post.
At the beginning of the vegan diet, Johns body fat was already an admirable 11.1%, he weighed in at 137.2 pounds with 0.37 pounds, almost precisely 6oz, of visceral fat, the sort which develops around the center of the body and is regarded as being dangerous for long-term health.
Jevon, the meat-eater, had nearly identical body fat 11% at the beginning of the experiment, and weighed just over a pound more at 138.6 with 0.22 pounds of visceral fat.
Within one week, vegan John was already craving his favorites such as lemon pepper chicken wings, but says he satiated the craving with alternative meat products.
I was trying plant-based meat products like plant-based Cajun chicken and veggie burgers, he told The Post.
During the experiment the twins worked out doing cardio a few days a week, weight training and high intensity interval training.
By the end of the study, John lost 0.19 pounds of visceral fat from following the vegan diet, leaving him with just 0.03 pounds less than half an ounce around his middle.
By comparison, on the omnivore diet Jevons visceral fat dropped by one point from 0.22 pounds to 0.21 pounds meaning he lost less than half an ounce of fat.
But a diet which included meat proved to produce more muscle, with Jevon bulking up an extra 7.1 pounds of muscle after the eight weeks, compared to his brother, who gained 2.3 pounds.
Internally, the vegan diet turned out better: it led to a 20% decline in insulin levels, and a 12% drop in bad cholesterol (LDL), along with a decrease in overall body weight although the omnivore diet did not have any negative effects on health.
Whats more important than going strictly vegan is including more plant-based foods into your diet, said Christopher Gardner,Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. The study was published in November in the medical journal, JAMA Network Open.
Despite the results, the twins reverted back to their meat-eating ways after the study culminated since their results werent drastically different from how they started.
We cut back on red meat and dairy, Jevon said.
But it proved to us that we can continue to eat way were eating.
Originally posted here:
We're identical twins but one of us went vegan and it made one big health difference - New York Post
PISA 2022: Could online learning bridge the gap in global education challenges? – Romania-Insider.com
Posted: December 23, 2023 at 2:42 am
A couple of days ago, the results for the PISA 2022 tests were published, bringing along new data on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected student performance and well-being.
However, the studies show that moving to an online environment was not the biggest risk factor for students, as one would expect.
PISA, or The Programme for International Student Assessment, is a study conducted globally by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in member and non-member nations.
The study, initially launched in 2000, is a catalyst for testing 15-year-olds skills and academic levels in reading, mathematics, and science and the last test was conducted in 2018 before COVID-19 happened.
Compared to the last test scores from 2018, the mean performance fell by 10 score points in reading and by almost 15 score points in maths, according to the OECDs report.
The 2022 PISA results show that Education is done differently from country to country.
If, for some countries, the period of COVID-19 didnt signify a roadblock in education, others seem to have been affected by the transition to digital learning.
Key findings from PISA 2022 - according to the PISA Report Summary
Struggles in specific areas
The studies show that children who have not been going to school for longer periods have been scoring lower on PISA tests than those who returned to school quicker during the COVID-19 period.
This should not mean that digitalisation is not the way, but the fact that we might not prepared to tackle it responsibly or accordingly.
The report of the results also notes the fact that there were significant differences in test results between students who reported receiving extra support from teachers during the COVID-19 period and those who had to learn autonomously most of the time.
The PISA report highlighted some challenges that the current education system faces worldwide:
When it comes to the topic of wellbeing in schools, some countries are doing a great job in turning schools into safe spaces and focusing on their students wellbeing.
However, this is not the case everywhere, and theres still much to improve.
This is exactly why online high schools like Spark School are fighting the great fight of making education universally accessible for students no matter where they are in the world.Because everyone should have a chance to get a quality education.
Online education offers crucial advantages in addressing educational disparities:
1. Accessibility: Reaching remote and underserved areas
Online platforms like MySpark can bridge gaps by providing access to education for remote and underserved areas, as highlighted by the results revealed by the PISA 2022 testing.
2. Customised Learning: Tailoring education to individual needs
Tailored learning experiences cater to individual needs and learning paces, ensuring inclusive education regardless of diverse learning abilities.
At Spark, students can study what they want, when they want to, from anywhere in the world. Because they understand the need for different types of learning and lifestyles.
3. Quality Resources: Access to updated, high-quality educational materials
Access to regularly updated, high-quality educational materials enriches learning experiences, surpassing limitations faced by traditional education systems in resource availability.
4. Global Collaboration: Breaking down geographical barriers to learning and collaboration
Geographical barriers are dismantled as online education enables global interactions and cultural exchange, fostering global competencies.
Education is and will always be in a constant state of change.
In a world where academic stability is not always granted automatically, online schools like Spark want to be the beacon of hope for ambitious students needing quality education.
With technology still on the rise, we should be mindful of the changes happening in our society, and we should learn to trust and consider technology an ally in our lives.
Lots of courses are freely available on the internet, and for other things like digital literacy, we should learn to be our own teachers.
After all, autonomous learning was one of the weak points that the PISA 2022 reported in students.
No matter if we are enrolled in a traditional schooling system or not, there are always additional resources available to us - thanks to digitalisation.
The Spark Cambridge Academic courses are a great resource for students enrolled in traditional education systems to enhance their learning experiences and be better prepared for University Admission.
And for students dreaming of flexibility and a curriculum tailored to their needs, the Spark High School experience might be the best possible fit.
And just like that, learning can happen anytime, from anywhere in the world.
*This is Partner Content.