Clarity on staying healthy and happy arrives every day, from all corners of the globe. The Plunge brings you the information you always wanted: current, clear-cut answers from the world's leading scientists and creators.

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Making your cells young again

The expression of certain genes, Yamanaka factors, allow adult cells to convert into pluripotent stem cells. The discovery earned Shinya Yamanaka the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine. This week, David Sinclair's team at Harvard showed it's possible to similarly restore cells' youthfulness with a cocktail of chemicals. This was previously only possible with gene therapy (which earlier this year was used to reverse blindness in monkeys). The discovery paves the way for scalable regenerative medicine targeting eyesight issues and other age-related diseases. Said Sinclair: “Until recently, the best we could do was slow aging. New discoveries suggest we can now reverse it”. (​Aging​ - 4 mins)

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Sweat monitoring in clothes

Researchers at the Tokyo University of Science have developed a chemical biosensor that can be directly built into textiles. By incorporating the sensor directly into T-shirts, wristbands, and insoles, the innovation would remove issues around skin irritation and provided improved data. The sensor is able to track electrolyte concentration in sweat, allowing for diagnosis and prevention of heat stroke. One step closer to a consistent, quantified self. (ACS Publications - 12 mins)

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There's work, and there's life

Life isn't all about work, even for the highest performers. Adam Grant, psychology professor and author of numerous books including Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, brings the heat with this post citing a 2020 study from the BMJ. Emergency surgeons performed significantly worse on their birthdays. The study of procedures on 65-99 year olds showed 30 day mortality rate increasing from 5.6% to 6.9% when the procedure happened on the surgeon's birthday. The take away? We all get distracted and deserve space to attend to our lives. Whether good or bad, life deserves attention. Grant is an amazing follow, constantly pushing back against today's often overly-aggressive work culture. (Twitter, BMJ - 18 mins)

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Prescriptions for produce

One dose of tomatoes? That may be what's needed to fight the massive cost of heart disease. Researchers at Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University looked into the implications of a "produce prescription" for 6.5 million adults suffering from diabetes and food insecurity. They believe nearly 300k cardiovascular disease events could be prevented, generating 260k quality adjusted life years (QALY). It would also be cost effective. Given all costs, the plan would amount to $18,000/QALY. To put that in perspective, GLP-1 medications like Ozempic cost $200,000/QALY. That doesn't include decreased healthcare costs and improved productivity value, which could total over $50 billion. The catch? Adults would have to eat the equivalent of one small apple more per day. (American Heart Association - 24 mins)

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