Sunday Newsletter (No. 7): You are what you eat, TikTok v. Reels, & more on fake meat
Here’s my take on a few things in tech and science that have been happening recently:
You are what you eat. We’re discovering more and more about the gut microbiome: an eclectic collection of micro-organisms living inside our stomachs. The gut microbiome plays a significant role in our health and has been linked to several diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. A recent study suggested that an abnormal protein, called beta amyloid, may build up in the gut and travel to the brain. Beta amyloid is present in the brain of people with Alzheimer's disease and impedes functions in areas of the brain that control our memory. Another study published a few weeks ago has found that in mice, a prebiotic supplement (given to promote the growth of anti-inflammatory gut bacteria) suppressed the pathway which causes beta amyloid to accumulate in the gut. This prebiotic is going to be tested in a human clinical trial to see if it has any affect on Alzheimer's disease. So, does this mean we should head down to Holland & Barrett and stock up on probiotics to reduce our risk of dementia? I’m not sure - however, it does seem that having microbial diversity in the gut is probably a good idea, and having a diet high in vegetables and fruits and low in sugar is associated with having lower levels of beta amyloid in the brain. We know that such diets are effective in the prevention and treatment of diseases like type 2 diabetes, but it seems they may also aid in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's. That said, at the time of writing this, I happen to be half way through a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. I’ll start repopulating my gut microbiome tomorrow.
Links:
Abnormal proteins in the gut could contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease (Science X)
Boosting gut microbes helps protect mice against Alzheimer’s disease (New Scientist)
Mediterranean diet may slow development of Alzheimer’s disease (National Institutes of Health)
TikTok v. Reels. In a timely move, with TikTok’s future up in the air, Instagram has launched Reels, a short-form video feature, in over 50 countries this week. Reels initially launched in Brazil in 2019, and last month it launched in India, after the country banned TikTok. This isn’t the first time Facebook has tried to compete with TikTok - they launched a new app called Lasso in the US and a few South American countries in 2018 and shut it down a few weeks ago, presumably in preparation for the launch of Reels. Lasso wasn’t very widely used, but now the timing may be right for a TikTok competitor like Reels to gain market share. However, TikTok isn’t gone yet - people are still using it and the Microsoft deal may go through. It is tough to get people to switch products: change takes effort, and remaining constant is easy. Even if the alternative product is slightly better, or even a lot better, the energy required to make a change renders most people inert. Reels is unlikely to become better than TikTok anytime soon, given that TikTok’s recommendation algorithm has been honed to perfection by it’s hundreds of millions of users, and unless TikTok is actually banned, I suspect Reels may not experience the growth Facebook is hoping for.
Links:
Instagram Reels launches globally in over 50 countries, including US (TechCrunch)
Overcoming customer inertia (Intercom)
Fake meat. Two weeks ago, I wrote about plant-based meat substitutes and test tube burgers - I’m intrigued by this industry and I think that normalising lab-grown meat will be the next frontier. This week, Beyond Meat, one of the big players in the plant-based meat substitute market, released their Q2 earnings report, revealing that while it’s restaurant sales fell due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company is growing and it’s supermarket sales have nearly tripled to $90 million. While having products in high profile restaurants makes sense from a brand awareness perspective, it appears that the coronavirus driven shift in consumer behaviour means that alternative meat products might now become more prominent in supermarkets. I was in Sainsbury’s the other day and noticed that the plant-based meat section was quite small - however it was also rather sparse, the shelves had nearly been picked clean. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this section growing over the coming years, if not months. As we consume less meat and more fake meat, I’m interested to understand how this shift will impact our overall health. I wrote about the gut microbiome above - we know that meat consumption alters our microbiomes, but what effect does fake meat have?
Links:
Beyond Meat racks up high COVID-19 operational costs, shares fall 7% (Reuters)
Beyond Meat’s U.S. grocery sales nearly triple, offsetting restaurant losses (CNBC)
This is a newsletter of a three things in tech and science that I've found interesting this week. It's a 5 minute read every Sunday, in which I’m hoping you’ll learn something new.
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