Meet the Olympic Uniform Designers Who Won Over the Internet

The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are set to kick off on Friday, but the internet has already dubbed Team Mongolia its winner—not for the nation’s sporting prowess, but for its striking Opening Ceremony uniforms. 

When images of this year’s uniforms began circulating online last week, social media users and fashion publications lauded Mongolia’s ensemble, with athletes wearing a crisp shirt and vest with trousers or a pleated skirt, and flag bearers wearing a tunic taking inspiration from Mongolia’s native deel. The show-stopping detail? Intricate gold embroidery depicting motifs of Mongolia’s heritage and relationship to the games. The costumes were designed by Michel & Amazonka, a sister-run Ulaanbaatar-based label that has since been catapulted into the spotlight.

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“We are still shocked. We didn’t expect that the world would receive it this way,” says Munkhjargal Choigaalaa, CEO at Michel & Amazonka.

Read More: Behind the Scenes as Team USA Gets Fitted for Their Olympic Uniforms

Michel & Amazonka is not the only smaller design house generating buzz online, Team Haiti and Team Czech Republic have also been celebrated for their uniforms, designed by Stella Jean’s eponymous brand and Jan Černý’s JAN SOCIÉTÉ, respectively. Their uniforms stood out as designs that break from typical sportswear with more fashion-forward garments and striking craftsmanship. They broke through even compared to designs from global fashion giants with larger budgets and greater resources, including Ralph Lauren for the United States’ team, Emporio Armani for Italy, and Berluti, a brand under the LVMH umbrella, for France.

In the future, Černý of the Czech Republic hopes that even larger nations will consider choosing smaller brands to design their uniforms to showcase local talent. Amazonka Choigaalaa of Mongolia hopes more designers will dress their athletes in their country’s traditional garments. And Stella Jean of Haiti wants everyone watching on Friday to know that “creativity has no border, it’s a global passport.” 

If there’s one thing all three designers agree on, it’s that the Olympics Opening Ceremony is the biggest catwalk in the world—and everyone will be watching.  

Michel & Amazonka had only three months to design the Mongolian uniform

The fashion house—which debuted its first collection in 2013 during Ulaanbaatar Fashion Week and officially launched in 2015—was not supposed to design the 2024 uniform. They had previously created uniforms for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics, but another designer was hired for this year. But when that designer canceled at the last minute, Michel & Amazonka were brought in with very little time.

“We had only three months to do 120 sets of uniforms,” says Munkhjargal Choigaalaa. It took a team of 42 people to pull it together, sourcing materials, embroidering, and sewing in the narrow time frame.

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The designers took inspiration from elements of Mongolian tradition, landscape, and history. The flagbearers’ deels are similar to the national costume worn during the Naadam festival, Mongolia’s own sporting event focused on horseracing, wrestling, and archery. The embroidery motifs on each athlete’s vest include the Nine White Banners—which are typically brought into the stadium during Naadam—mountains and clouds depicting Mongolia’s landscapes and birds, and the Olympic torch. 

While the design team felt the pressure to represent their nation, particularly in Paris, a fashion capital of the world, they ultimately want the athletes to feel good in their clothes. “These guys are the best boys and girls that are representing our country and we wanted them to be comfortable in our design and look beautiful,” says Munkhjargal. 

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Team Haiti’s uniforms are “a tool of counter colonization”

Stella Jean says she created uniforms on a humble budget for Team Haiti, one of the smallest delegations in the Olympics with just seven athletes. 

“When the General Secretary of the Haitian Olympic Committee called, it wasn’t just a call, it was a call to arms—with no hostility,” says Jean. “No wasn’t an answer.” 

The look takes its white, red, and blue hues from the Haitian flag, with the men’s uniform consisting of a light blue jacket, an adaptation of the guayabera shirt worn by men in the Caribbean, vibrant trousers channeling Naïve folk art, and a Fular scarf. The women’s look features a skirt in the same material, paired with a light blue shirt and structured jacket with a cinched waist. Philippe Dodard, an acclaimed Haitian painter, designed the fabric for the trousers and skirt. 

Wearing these uniforms at the Paris Olympics takes on an even deeper meaning for Haiti, once known as Saint-Domingue, a French colony that fought for its independence during the Haitian Revolution, the first successful resistance movement led by enslaved people against the French colonial regime from 1971 to 1804. “It’s hugely symbolic,” says Jean, who is Haitian-Italian, adding that she merged Haitian fabrics and motifs with Western silhouettes as “a tool of counter colonization.”

Read More: Why France Is Banning the Hijab for Their Olympic Athletes

Jean ran into some issues as she worked to create her designs. Export embargoes in Haiti made sourcing chambray, a cotton-like material, for the women’s shirt difficult. “I used one of my dresses that my grandmother gave to me, because we were not able to source it otherwise. I hope she will forgive me because she’s not here anymore,” Jean says, joking that her design unintentionally became more sustainable.  

Throughout the process, she recognized the rare opportunity to present the world with a positive news story about Haiti, as the country struggles with a recent history of political violence, coups, and the deadly 2020 earthquake. Ongoing violence at the hands of armed gangs has displaced approximately 580,000 people, per U.N. figures.  

“Haiti has no materials now. We have nothing to sell to the world. Our strength right now is this intangible richness [from] our deep culture,” Jean says. “We are here, we are joyful, and we will be back on our own two feet again.” 

Team Czech Republic’s high-fashion uniform represents small nations on the world stage

In 2019, Jan Černý was interning in Paris for the late Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton. This year, the Czech designer is returning to the city as an Olympic uniform designer for his home nation. 

“The main drive for me was to create something for Paris, and for the whole world, to see how to be relevant as a small country,” Černý says. 

The uniform is a collaboration between his formerly eponymous label—which launched in 2016 and rebranded to JAN SOCIÉTÉ in 2023—and Czech sportswear brand Alpine Pro, a long-standing Olympics partner. The team is dressing 275 people this year across the Olympics and Paralympics with a genderless design for all delegates.

The base outfit consists of a red, blue, and white polo shirt with a spray-paint effect, and navy trousers; the hues are variations of the colors in the Czech Republic’s national flag and they resemble vintage Czech uniforms. The polo is knitted from cooling yarn to keep athletes comfortable in the Parisian summer, Černý says.

The most striking component of the look is a lightweight sports coat, made from Japanese nylon, which nods to the Czech baloňák and the French trench coat, Černý says. The white coat features an inky blue Rorschach print, inspired by the late Czech artist Vladimír Boudník, who would be turning 100 this year. 

Černý decided on the coat after remembering the Seine’s windy riverside, and how it can make fabric dance. “In the 10 seconds of camera time that we have during the Opening Ceremony, if there’s going to be movement from the wind, that would be the most beautiful thing,” Černý says. 

Černý says that Czech society has been divided about his designs: “There’s a lot of people who love it and a lot of people who hate it.” But as Černý’s work made its way into TikTok round ups of the best 2024 uniforms, he noticed a change. “It is typical Czech behavior,” he jokes. “We don’t really believe in ourselves, and we need approval from somebody to believe it.”

source https://time.com/7003999/paris-olympics-uniforms-designers-mongolia/

Simone Biles Is Aiming to Have Yet Another Skill Named After Her

Simone Biles has already set all kinds of records and achieved a string of firsts in the sport of gymnastics, and she’s still not done. The International Gymnastics Federation announced on July 26 that she submitted a new skill on the uneven bars, a Weiler 1.5, in which Biles moves from a kip into a handstand, then rotates 540 degrees, or one and a half turns. If she performs this skill at any point during her Olympic competition—through the qualification round, team event, all-around, or individual event if she qualifies for them—then it would be named after her. That would give Biles a skill in all four events. She already has two moves named after her on vault, two on floor, and one on balance beam. The clean sweep would further cement her already indelible legacy in gymnastics.

Read More: Meet the U.S. Gymnastics Team for the Paris Olympics

Other gymnasts, including all-around contender Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, have also submitted skills that could bear their name if they perform them successfully in Paris. Biles’ teammate Suni Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champion, may also debut a skill on the uneven bars, her coach says, but not likely during the qualification, team or all-around events if it would jeopardize the overall team score. “It’s going to be team first,” her coach Jess Graba said after the gymnasts’ first training session in the Bercy Arena on July 25, where the competition will take place.

source https://time.com/7003934/simone-biles-uneven-bars-weiler-new-skill/

The Link Between a Mother’s Lupus and a Child’s Autism

At the turn of the 21st century, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among American children was roughly 1 in 150. That’s according to data collected by the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A decade later, in 2010, the prevalence had risen to 1 in 68 children. By 2020, it had climbed again—to 1 in 36 children. “The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased dramatically in recent decades, supporting the claim of an autism epidemic,” wrote the authors of a 2020 study in the journal Brain Sciences.

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The precise cause and extent of that epidemic are contested. Some researchers have observed that the diagnostic criteria for ASD have evolved during that time—stretching and broadening to include a wider array of conditions. And so part of the rise in diagnoses, they argue, is likely attributable to dilating conceptions and a deeper understanding of autism. Still, the increasing prevalence of ASD diagnoses has spurred greater scientific interest in the underlying causes of the disorder. That work has revealed a possible connection between ASD and autoimmune conditions, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

“For quite a while, there’s been a link between maternal autoimmune diseases and risk for having a child with autism,” says Paul Ashwood, a professor of medical microbiology and immunology at the University of California, Davis and the MIND Institute, which focuses on autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. He mentions work based on nationwide data collected over a period of many years from mothers and their offspring in Denmark. That research found that prenatal exposure to a number of different maternal autoimmune diseases, including both lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, was associated with an increased risk for an eventual autism diagnosis.

Since then, more research has firmed up the apparent association, and also found evidence of a broader connection between a pregnant woman’s immune system and the risk of an offspring with autism. “What we’ve been looking at a lot more recently is how anything that generates a maternal immune response could be linked to autism risk,” Ashwood says.

Read More: The Most Exciting New Advancements in Managing and Treating Lupus

Antibodies and the developing brain

In response to a threat, such as a virus or other pathogen, the immune system produces protein antibodies that are intended to neutralize or eliminate the danger. But among people with autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus, the immune system produces antibodies that attack the body’s own healthy proteins or tissues. These are called autoantibodies.

In a 2015 study in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology, a group of Canadian researchers found that children born to women with systemic lupus erythematosus were nearly twice as likely to develop autism as children of women who did not have SLE. Furthermore, the children of mothers with SLE tended to be diagnosed with autism at a younger age than those of mothers without SLE. 

“In-utero exposures to maternal antibodies and cytokines [proteins that regulate the growth of immune system cells] are important risk factors for ASD,” the authors of that study wrote. Women with SLE “display high levels of autoantibodies and cytokines,” which have been shown in animal models to alter fetal brain development and induce behavioral anomalies in offspring, they added.

“Maternal antibodies, including autoantibodies, start crossing the placenta barrier around day 100 of gestation, and we know that this can affect the developing fetus,” says Judy Van de Water, professor of medicine and associate director of biological sciences at the University of California, Davis and the MIND Institute. “One of the things we’re looking at is how these autoantibodies or other aspects of the mother’s immune response could affect neurodevelopment.”

Some research has already found that maternal autoantibodies related to SLE may lead to the development of heart conditions and also blood and liver abnormalities in a developing fetus. Van de Water and her colleagues are examining whether and how other autoantibodies may similarly affect fetal brain development. “Several of the proteins that these autoantibodies target are really highly expressed in the developing brain, and not the mature brain,” she says. This may create unique exposure risks for a developing fetus.

Read More: How Changing Your Diet Could Have a Major Impact on Managing Lupus Symptoms

The immune-autism link

Apart from lupus, several other maternal autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, have been tied to an increased risk for having children with autism. The same is true of immune-related conditions such as asthma and allergies. Van de Water and other researchers are now taking a broad look at how a pregnant woman’s immune system activity may affect the fetal brain. “Anything that impacts maternal immune homeostasis or the balance of the immune response in the mother could impact neurodevelopment in the child,” she says. “So we’re looking at different immune systems responses—what the response is, how intense the response is, the makeup of inflammatory markers—and their relationships to autism.” 

An autoimmune condition like lupus is one source of a heightened maternal immune response, but Van de Water says that, under the right conditions, just about anything that triggers an immune reaction could potentially affect neurodevelopment in ways that contribute to autism. “We’re looking at a lot of different maternal immune activations or perturbations—whether from an existing condition or illness, or something that happens during pregnancy,” she says. 

In particular, experts highlight the role that inflammatory cytokines may play in autism risk. “The way to think about cytokines in the fetal environment is that they can potentially act in a dose response manner—just as too much is bad, then too little is also bad, but there is this goldilocks level that you need to have for appropriate growth,” Ashwood says. “If there’s some kind of immune condition or inflammatory response that leads to the constant production and release of these cytokines, those could cross the placental barrier and affect fetal development.” 

In the brain, for example, the presence of cytokines “could affect neuron growth, neuron proliferation, the connection of neurons to other neurons, synapse formation, neuronal migration, and all sorts of processes that are necessary to build an interconnected network as the brain grows,” he explains. “Having those systems slightly off-kilter can potentially affect the trajectory of neurodevelopment.”

Lupus and other autoimmune disorders are one potential source of cytokine imbalance. But Van de Water says that obesity is another inflammation-related condition—and a far more common one than lupus—that could produce the sort of immune activity that contributes to autism. “Obesity has a major inflammatory component attached to it,” she says. “We just published a paper looking at this, and it turns out that the biggest maternal risk factor for autism was not any autoimmune disease, but asthma and allergies coupled with obesity. You put these two together with obesity and he risk was significantly greater.”

Another potential connection between a mother’s immune activity and her offspring’s autism risk is the microbiome—the community of bacteria that inhabit the gut. Some research has found that the metabolites produced by a mother’s gut bacteria can affect the neurodevelopment of the fetus. Furthermore, there’s evidence that infections, metabolic stress (such as obesity), and other immune-related events can lead to maternal microbiome imbalances that, potentially, could raise her offspring’s risk for autism. 

On top of this, there’s evidence that people with autism share some distinct microbiome characteristics, and that gut-related symptoms—diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain in particular—are common comorbidities among people with autism. “There’s a lot of interest right now in the microbiome —how it’s formed, the way it nourishes the body, and how it shapes the activity of the immune system,” Ashwood says. There’s also been much recent interest in the so-called “gut-brain connection,” and science has established that the gut’s microbiota influence brain connectivity and functioning.

It’s not certain yet, but it’s possible that maternal autoimmune disorders and other immune-related perturbations could directly or indirectly affect the microbiome of the fetus in ways that contribute to the development of autism.

Read More: What to Know About Complementary Treatments for Lupus

A multifaceted disease

While there are several plausible mechanisms that could tie autoimmune disorders to autism, experts say this is likely only one small part of the autism equation. “It’s worth remembering that autoimmunity in the general populace is pretty low,” Ashwood says. Also, research on the link between maternal lupus and autism has found that while the risks are elevated, women with the autoimmune condition were still at low overall risk for having a child with autism.

Apart from maternal immune conditions, there’s growing evidence of the role that genetics play in a person’s risk for autism. “More than 100 genes are known to confer risk, and 1,000 or more may ultimately be identified,” wrote David Amaral, a distinguished professor at the University of California, Davis and the MIND Institute, in a 2017 paper on the causes of autism. He goes on to explain that, most likely, a mix of genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of autism. “It seems clear at this point,” he writes, “that when all is said and done, we will find that autism has multiple causes that occur in diverse combinations.”

Van de Water likewise emphasizes this point. Autism spectrum disorder is a diverse and multifaceted condition, and its underlying causes are likely equally complex. Lupus and other immune-related conditions may be a piece of the puzzle, but they’re just one of many. “Anyone who tells you they know the cause of autism doesn’t know autism very well. There are many layers to it,” Van de Water says. “There seems to be a relationship between the mother’s immune activity and autism, but we don’t have all the answers yet.” 

source https://time.com/7003909/link-between-lupus-autism-children/

How to Keep Pets Cool in the Heat

PHOENIX — As much of the world swelters, it’s not just people who need help with the dog days of summer. Pet owners have to consider how to both shield and cool down furry family members as intense—at times deadly—heat waves become more common.

“It’s really important to remember that if it’s hot outside for you, it’s even hotter for your pets,” says Dr. Sandra Faeh, American Veterinary Medical Association president. A dog’s breed, weight and chronic health issues also matter. “There’s not one specific temperature that we can say, `this is the right temperature to go outside,’ because they’re all different.”

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In the U.S, over 180 million people, or 63% of households, have at least one pet, according to an American Pet Products Association report. Pet-related spending is projected to be over $150 billion this year, yet a lot of pooch parents aren’t accustomed to changing routines or buying items for hot weather. This summer’s heat is making that more normal.

Simple safety steps

Of course, the surest strategy against high temperatures is to take pets out in the morning and evening, Faeh advises. If you must take them out during the day, be quick and stick to shade, grass and dirt. Pavement can be a scorcher on paws.

“We often think that their paws are thicker, they’re not as susceptible to the heat, but they are. They can blister, they can hurt,” Faeh said.

One paw-sitive measure: Faeh says dog booties made with a thick fabric can help with hot surfaces. Dogs just need time to get the hang of walking in them.

Pets can also suffer sunburns, which can manifest as lighter pigment on the nose, or around the face on short-hair breeds. Veterinarians can prescribe special sunscreen.

Read More: Why Sweat and Heat Make Your Skin So Sensitive

Providing relief even after brief sun exposure is as important as sun protection. Cooling mats and small fans can help. And besides giving dogs water, you can wet their bodies with cool water. But not too cold, Faeh warns.

“If they get cold too quickly, their vessels constrict and then they have a harder time cooling off,” she said.

In a power blackout, Faeh suggests putting pets in a cooler part of the home like a basement or a windowless room. Keep fresh water on hand and any blinds or curtains closed.

Signs to look for if a dog is experiencing heat-related stress or heatstroke include restlessness, excessive panting, drooling and even vomiting. Cats show distress through open-mouth breathing. In any of these scenarios, contact a veterinarian immediately, Faeh advises.

The importance of accessorizing

There’s a wide array of pet accessories and devices available to help beat the heat, says Pete Scott, American Pet Products Association president. But some markets have been caught off-guard by the higher temperatures.

“You don’t think of Connecticut as being 100 degrees,” said Scott, who is based in Stamford. “You’ve got to be vigilant and be prepared. Like if it’s a week out when they say a heat wave is coming, everybody stocks up on bottled water. But they don’t also stock up for their pets.”

Besides booties, protective gear can mean a sun visor and doggy sunglasses or goggles, if your pet will wear them.

David Escalante started Kaykos Dog Shades out of his San Francisco Bay Area home in 2016 after putting a makeshift pair of sunglasses on his family’s pit bull. Now, Escalante, his father and brother hand-make every pair in his San Jose garage. They have sold nearly 15,000 in the last three years.

Read More: What to Wear When It’s Really Hot Outside

Each pair has a drawstring, nose bridge rest and lenses that he says protect against ultraviolet light rays.

“We try to push … to let people know, ‘Hey, you know, think about your dog’s eyes now that you’re out and it’s super bright,” said Escalante, who sells more during heat waves.

Other helpful tools include cooling collars and elevated dog beds that help with airflow, Scott says. You can also feed Fido chilled goodies like canine-friendly gelato, pup-sicles and ice cream mixes.

“When it’s hot, we all like a little frozen treat. So do dogs, so do cats,” Scott said.

Indoor playtime

Another solution is an indoor dog park. Spencer Mak and his wife, Lauren, have operated two Mak Pack Dog Training & Boarding facilities in suburban Phoenix since 2020. The 10,000-square-foot Chandler location includes an indoor dog park with agility exercises, climbing obstacles and a bounce house. They offer a $10 drop-in rate and a $49 monthly membership.

At its busiest, the indoor area has accommodated as many as 100 dogs. In June, when temperatures spiked, Mak saw 520 admissions compared to 300 in May—a nearly 75% jump.

He’s currently working on building an indoor doggy pool with ramps and floats.

And ugh, the car…

Summertime also sees cases of people leaving or forgetting pets in hot cars. The temperature inside a vehicle can surpass the outside very quickly.

“It is so much better to just leave them at home and know that they’re gonna be wagging their tail and giving you kisses when you walk in the door,” Faeh says.

Some vehicles come with dashboard alerts if a child or pet is still in the back. There are also backseat car alarms on the market. But ultimately, “it always comes down to the human that owns the pet,” Scott says.

source https://time.com/7003941/how-to-keep-pets-cool-heat/

Can Food Really Change Your Hormones?

Dr. Taraneh Nazem, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist for RMA of New York, recently watched a TikTok video claiming that eating raw cacao daily could completely balance your hormones and cure PMS. “The creator made sweeping statements without any scientific backing, and the comment section was filled with people eager to try it—despite cacao’s known potential to cause insomnia and anxiety if consumed in large quantities,” says Nazem.

Social-media is rife with posts like this, pushing superfoods and supplements to boost your hormonal health and improve your low energy, poor sleep, bad acne, and so many other ills in the process. “Every day, another influencer on TikTok claims that superfoods can change our hormonal balance,” says Dr. Caroline Messer, an endocrinologist with Northwell Health at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. The myths that especially irk Messer: apple cider vinegar helps women with PCOS, green tea is the secret to better insulin sensitivity, and butter supports healthy estrogen levels.

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Do you even need to “balance your hormones,” as many on social-media tout in their hashtags? Experts share what foods can—and can’t—do for your hormonal health.

The connection between diet and your hormones

The foods you eat can affect your hormone production and secretion by creating small changes throughout your gut, says Perri Halperin, a registered dietitian who is a clinical nutrition coordinator at Mount Sinai Hospital. Some foods also contain hormones or compounds that are similar to or imitate them. (For example, soy contains phytoestrogen, which mimics estrogen.)

But a person’s big-picture way of eating—not any single food included in their diet—is what can truly affect hormonal health, experts agree. “An unhealthy diet high in processed foods and saturated fats can lead to conditions like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS],” says Messer. That’s because a diet high in sweets, dairy, refined grains, red meat, and processed foods can raise estrogen levels and promote insulin resistance due to higher body fat, she explains. Research has linked a Western diet with high estrogen in women, low testosterone in men, insulin abnormalities, and imbalanced cortisol levels.

Read More: You Don’t Need to Balance Your Hormones

It’s also possible to have hormone-based medical issues that can be helped by a dietary overhaul. Kaytee Hadley, a functional dietitian in Richmond, Va., recently worked with a young woman experiencing unpleasant gut symptoms along with irregular cycles, PMS, and ovarian cysts, which would rupture regularly and cause excruciating pain. “It was clear she had hormonal imbalances,” says Hadley. After running a few tests, it was also determined that she had nutritional deficiencies and poor gut health exacerbating these issues.

Hadley had the client focus on a “food-first approach” by adding more nourishment and gut-friendly foods, addressing her vitamin deficiencies, and developing a consistent eating schedule with foods she enjoyed. “In less than six months, she had no more symptoms of PMS or cysts, her acne cleared up, her cycles became more regular, she had more energy, and her bloating and gas were completely gone,” says Hadley.

But this success story doesn’t apply to the average person—and no “magic” superfood touted on TikTok can have these effects. It wasn’t, say, the beans or tofu she started eating more regularly that “cured” her sex hormone imbalances, but sweeping lifestyle changes that focused on a healthy diet, exercise, stress-reduction techniques, and improving her sleep, Hadley says.

Read More: 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep

“While a single food won’t address the underlying cause of hormonal imbalances, nutrients are important building blocks for hormones and affect their production, transportation and elimination,” says Hadley. “If you aren’t getting the necessary vitamins, minerals and macronutrients, making positive long-term changes to your diet can help to optimize thyroid, stress and sex hormones.”

Others echo that outlook. Making lifestyle changes for the long haul can significantly improve hormonal issues. “But a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or a cup of green tea won’t fix everything,” Messer says.

“This kind of misinformation can lead to unmet expectations and potential health issues,” says Nazem.

Hormonal health is often more about what you don’t eat

Consider testosterone, a sex hormone made from cholesterol. Some studies suggest that healthy sources of cholesterol such as eggs and avocados can support testosterone production, says Dr. Alex Robles, a reproductive endocrinologist at Columbia University Fertility Center. Other nutrients important for testosterone production include zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D.

But eating foods rich in these nutrients “likely won’t cause a massive boost to your testosterone levels,” says Robles. “Rather, the lack of these nutrients (or being deficient in them) can negatively affect your body’s ability to produce certain hormones.” (You may see on social media that zinc deficiencies are linked to low testosterone, but such deficiencies are uncommon in the U.S., where people regularly consume zinc from sources like poultry, beans, oats, eggs, and nuts.)

Read More: What Alcohol Does to the Gut

With testosterone and many other hormones, maintaining the right levels is more about what you don’t eat—too many processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and saturated fats, and alcohol—rather than putting a health halo on any one food.

What foods can help your hormones?

Most people do not need to stress about “balancing” their hormones through food or supplements. Your body does that complicated task for you, says Halperin.  “The truth is, [hormones] are incredibly complex, individualized, and they fluctuate,” she says. There’s no “magic bullet” that will create optimal hormonal health.

Messer agrees. While it’s true that foods can impact our metabolic health, our bodies are “pretty resilient,” says Messer, and individual food choices don’t usually create drastic hormonal changes. Eating a well-rounded diet rich in whole foods will cover your bases. 

However, certain foods can sometimes slightly influence your hormones. Here’s how.

Thyroid hormones

Thyroid hormones regulate energy levels, temperature, weight, and metabolism. Called triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), they are also involved in skin, hair, and nail growth.

“Chances are your thyroid and its hormones are working just fine, unless you have a diagnosed thyroid condition like hypo- or hyperthyroidism, for which you should consult a doctor for medication managed treatment,” says Halperin.

Foods that may help thyroid health

Including foods rich in minerals such as iron, selenium, zinc, and iodine in your diet may be beneficial for thyroid health. These include shellfish such as shrimp and oysters, seaweed, Brazil nuts (which are particularly rich in selenium), and fortified foods like iodized salt, cereals, and dairy products. 

Cortisol

The body releases cortisol when it’s physically or emotionally stressed (earning its reputation as the “stress hormone.”) Cortisol normally peaks in the morning to help you wake up and declines throughout the day so you can fall asleep at night. When this natural rhythm is disrupted, people tend to become fatigued, gain weight, and get sick more often. 

As with most hormones, to optimize cortisol levels, dietitians recommend eating a balanced diet and not restricting food intake, as severe calorie restriction may increase cortisol levels. (This is because not getting adequate energy from food and calories is stressful for your body.)

Read More: Should I Take Supplements to Sleep? What Experts Think

Another thing to note: When we’re stressed, our bodies use up certain vitamins and minerals faster. “Focusing on magnesium and B vitamins during these times is especially important for helping your body combat stress and rebalance cortisol,” says Hadley. As long as your doctor or dietitian isn’t recommending you take these supplements, the best way to get those is through a balanced diet.

Foods that may lower cortisol levels

Oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as mackerel, may help lower cortisol levels. That in turn can decrease cortisol-sensitive symptoms like fatigue.  

Some studies have also shown that other omega-3 rich foods like avocado oil and dark chocolate may support healthy cortisol levels. Decreasing added sugar—by cutting out soda, for example—is also key for healthy cortisol levels.

Read More: For Better Well-Being, Just Breathe

Recently, a study showed that following a Mediterranean style diet lowers cortisol levels. In general, adhering to a plant-filled, nutrient-rich diet may keep cortisol in check. An ultra-processed diet composed of refined carbohydrates and sugary beverages can lead to a constant release of insulin, which can result in insulin resistance, weight gain, and inflammation. Because of this blood-sugar roller coaster, you can end up boosting cortisol, which Dr. Simran Malhotra, an internal medicine and lifestyle medicine physician in Bethesda, Md., says may worsen the vicious cycle of eating highly palatable but nutrient-depleted foods.

Melatonin

Often called the “sleep hormone,” melatonin promotes a proper sleep-wake cycle. “Healthy habits, like giving yourself time to wind down and not drinking caffeine or alcohol before bed, can increase melatonin production,” says Halperin. As with other hormones, what you avoid may impact levels as much as what you consume.

Foods that may help produce melatonin

Some studies suggest that tart cherry juice may increase melatonin levels, beneficially impacting both sleep duration and quality. And tryptophan is an amino acid that supports the production of melatonin. Tryptophan-rich foods include turkey, tuna, and quinoa. 

Serotonin

Scientists have discovered a close link between the stomach and the mind known as the gut-brain axis, a two-way communication system between the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system in our gut. Research indicates that 95% of the body’s serotonin—the so-called “happy” hormone that plays a key role in mood—is produced in the gut. 

Foods that may boost serotonin levels

Tryptophan is a key protein building block used to make serotonin. “Meats such as turkey are rich in tryptophan, but our bodies struggle to convert it to serotonin due to competing amino acids,” says Malhotra. Scientists have found that high-carbohydrate meals help by triggering insulin, which aids your muscles absorbing the competing amino acids; this makes it easier for the tryptophan to cross into the brain and boost serotonin levels, she explains. “That’s why a high animal-protein diet can limit serotonin production, whereas tryptophan-rich whole-plant foods such as oats, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, tofu, spinach, and dark chocolate (more than 70% cacao) can boost serotonin levels and promote feelings of calm,” explains Malhotra.

What about “fertility” diets for women?

Sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone impact fertility for men and women in different amounts. On social media, the so-called “fertility diet” is presented as a way for couples (especially women) who are trying to conceive to improve their chances. Experts like Nazem believe that while some aspects of these diets are rooted in scientific evidence, others are exaggerated or lack sufficient scientific evidence. “It’s essential to approach such diets with a critical mindset and understand that individual health and fertility depend on a complex interplay of various factors,” she says.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to eating to optimize fertility, reproductive endocrinologists—doctors who specialize in hormonal health as it relates to fertility—tend to endorse eating a fiber-rich, whole foods diet. Sound familiar? That’s because it’s the same research-backed eating approach science says is best to promote overall health, such as through a Mediterranean or plant-based diet.

Read More: The Silent Shame of Male Infertility

One key reason these diets are so healthy is because they emphasize fiber. “Fiber from fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains not only helps to keep you regular, but it is also important for maintaining healthy estrogen levels,” says Hadley—a sex hormone that can negatively affect fertility if it’s too high. The nutrient acts like a broom to sweep excess estrogen out of the body through bowel movements. Large-scale, longitudinal studies have also shown that women who eat more fiber have a reduced risk of breast cancer. 

Nazem counsels female patients to focus on foods rich in antioxidants, healthy fats and folate to support hormone balance and improve egg quality. “Avocados, nuts, seeds, leafy greens and whole grains are excellent choices,” she says. She’s also a fan of flax seeds and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower; they all contain phytoestrogen, which can improve estrogen metabolism.

The bottom line 

For Hadley, the key takeaway is that making nutrition changes for the sake of your hormones should only be done based on your body’s unique needs. “While there are foundational strategies that anyone can implement, knowing what’s going on with your hormones will allow you to take a more individualized approach and address those imbalances specifically,” she says.

The body is incredibly smart and likes to maintain equilibrium, so unless you have a diagnosed hormone condition, Halperin says there is a good chance your hormone levels are where they need to be. “Small dips or spikes in hormone levels can cause unpleasant symptoms like difficulty losing weight or sleeping, but can generally be managed through a balanced diet, regularly scheduled meals and snacks, weight maintenance, adequate sleep, and stress management,” she says. “If you’re living your best life, but still not feeling your best, your actual best bet is to get checked out by your doctor or RD, versus believing what you see and hear on social media.”

source https://time.com/7000236/can-food-change-your-hormones/

‘Hope Is the Oxygen of Democracy.’ Darren Walker Looks Toward the Future

Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation, announced on July 22 that he intended to leave the highly influential position by the end of 2025. Under his 11-year tenure, Ford’s endowment grew from just over $11 billion to just under $17 billion, slightly smaller than the GDP of Jamaica. He divested the fund from fossil fuels and for-profit prisons and redirected much of the fund’s attention to addressing inequality.

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Walker, who was born in Ames, Texas, was one of the first children ever enrolled in a Head Start program, in a one-room schoolhouse. “It opened up a world for me, a world of learning and knowledge and curiosity and thirst to know more about the world,” he says. “It gave me a head start, and it changed my life.”

As for his future endeavors, he says he has no plan. “I think it’s important to have clarity about what you don’t want to do,” he says. So far he has crossed university president and running for public office off his list. He’s mostly focused on the next 15 months and smoothly moving one America’s biggest money-givers into its next era. He spoke to TIME in the foundation board members’ meeting room the day after he announced his departure.

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You’re leaving the Ford Foundation at what you say is a critical time in its history. What do you mean by that?

If you are a philanthropy committed to the idea that democracy is the best form of government, and that the full participation of the citizenry is essential for democracies to be healthy, this is a challenging time. Hope is the oxygen of democracy, but inequality is the enemy of hope. How do we imagine a flourishing democracy when we have increasing numbers of people who feel left out and left behind, disaffected and disillusioned and therefore hopeless? Hopeless people will do things that we thought were never possible in our society. That worries me.

Americans have begun to realize that the inequity is baked into the system. It’s structural inequity, which is very hard to root out without destroying the structure. Can you point to a program that has begun to reform rather than destroy?

I am a reformer, not a destroyer. I’m a believer that capitalism is the best way to organize an economy, but I’m not naive. The kind of capitalism we have now does not generate shared prosperity. People like me benefit more from the current system. We have supported over the years research and policy development on asset building strategies. I’ll give you an example: Baby bonds, a way of setting aside money, early in life of a newborn that over the years accretes in value. That is a mechanism to address inequality, because it allows, at some point in adulthood, for an amount of capital that can make possible a college education, or a downpayment on a home, or the start of a small business. There are three things that we need to fund a program: an institution, a forceful, terrific individual at the helm, and a powerful idea, an idea that might be marginal, but our support can help move it to the mainstream. Our early support, for example, of Muhammad Yunus when he was an unknown economics professor in Bangladesh, who brought an idea for macro credit to rural women, a marginal idea in the 1970s that now is a part of World Bank policy.

People who push back against the notion that income inequality is a bad thing often say billionaires have the scope to take the big swings. And if you don’t have these risk takers, you don’t have progress. How would you answer that?

I think it’s important not to demonize the wealthy. I think it’s one of the special attributes of this country is that people of very modest means can be extraordinarily successful. And we should celebrate that success and the wealth that they create. Henry Ford was a complicated character. And there is no doubt that he would be surprised that a Black gay man is president of his foundation. I think the fact that I am is a testament to the progress that has been made in America during my lifetime, and to the ideals that are written in our Constitution, that inspire people all around the world, and certainly inspire me. The contradiction that rests in American philanthropy is a metaphor for the larger contradictions that exist in American society. My love for this country is unyielding, in part because this country is the only place in the world my story could be possible. But I do believe that if we have so much inequality that the balance of wealth distorts our democracy, then we should push back against that. Because democracy can’t be sustained. When democracy and capitalism intersect, democracy has to win. Capitalism has to exist, and be vibrant, and muscular, but it also should produce some semblance of shared prosperity.

Are there instances where you think philanthropy does more harm than good?

The things that I consider problematic for philanthropy are not the grants, but how we invest the billions in our investment portfolios. In our case, as we reflected on our own behaviors, we learned some startling things about ourselves. On the one hand, we want to reform the criminal-justice system and reduce the expansion of for-profit prisons. And in our investments, we were investing in the prison system; how does one reconcile that? How does one reconcile being a public-health foundation, seeking to improve the health of people in low-income communities, and then be a significant investor in the largest polluter in those communities? These are the paradoxes that I believe are the most challenging: how we do our best to ensure that we’re not doing harm with the money we’re investing?

I know that you’d hoped for New York City’s notorious Rikers Island prison to be closed. It remains open. Why is it so difficult?

I served on the Commission on the Future of Rikers Island. And among the recommendations was absolutely that Rikers had to be closed as soon as possible and that there needed to be small facilities in other parts of the city. The challenge is, we have some advocates who are abolitionists who want no prisons. And we have citizens who don’t want facilities in their community. It’s very frustrating. It is not because there is no momentum to close Rikers. It’s that we do need in this city a minimum number of decent beds where people can be treated with dignity.

You’ve been the recipient of a lot of criticism from the abolitionists, including from former Ford fellows who protested against you outside this building? Did that smart?

I was profoundly wounded, emotionally, very, very wounded by the protesters, and by disapproval of some of my own staff. But one of the things you learn about leadership is that you have to be guided by values and principles and the framework to navigate really complex challenges. And that was one such occasion. In my personal life, I had just lost my partner [David Beitzel]. It was wrenching. There’s no other way to describe it. But I don’t regret the decision I made.

While you have been at Ford, we have seen the rise of several prominent female philanthropists. Are they different?

The most exciting philanthropy underway in America today is led by women philanthropists—Melinda French Gates, MacKenzie Scott, Laurene Powell Jobs, Alice Walton, Barbara Hostetter. These women are doing philanthropy differently. They aren’t interested in controlling their grantees. So much of philanthropy has been about controlling our grantees, directing them to do what we want them to do and be accountable for our investments. These women are taking a different tack where they say, “We want to support institutions.”

Are there any big moonshot projects you wish that you started earlier?

I wish I had started earlier on the question of philanthropy and AI. We have a working group–a group of foundations have come together recently. I wish we had started that earlier and developed a framework for how AI could help us with our grant-making, to improve and bring efficiency. And to think about what are the implications for philanthropy? What are the implications for our grantees, most of whom do not have the resources or time to explore that question?

When you are the head of an organization like this, how does it affect your personal relationships?

There is no doubt that when you become a foundation president, you breathe rarefied air, you never have a bad meal. When you’re the president of the Ford Foundation, people go out of their way to be deferential, to extend amazing kindness, because most people want something from it. So there are many people with whom I engage in a very transactional way. I’ll be able to move on, after I leave Ford, with joy and happiness and confidence that I’m an OK person. But I will absolutely have fewer friends, and have more dinners with real friends.

If you were starting now with just $1 million, what would you do?

I would probably seek ways to influence thought about policy and technology that ensures that we get the very best of technology while mitigating the harm. I believe that technology is going to be the intermediating force in our society for opportunity. And we cannot have the bias, discrimination, and unfairness that existed in the analog world to simply be transferred to the digital realm. It will only exacerbate inequality.

source https://time.com/7002908/darren-walker-leaving-ford-foundation-interview/

Mark Zuckerberg Just Intensified the Battle for AI’s Future

The tech industry is currently embroiled in a heated debate over the future of AI: should powerful systems be open-source and freely accessible, or closed and tightly monitored for dangers?

On Tuesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg fired a salvo into this ongoing battle, publishing not just a new series of powerful AI models, but also a manifesto forcefully advocating for the open-source approach. The document, which was widely praised by venture capitalists and tech leaders like Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey, serves as both a philosophical treatise and a rallying cry for proponents of open-source AI development. It arrives as intensifying global efforts to regulate AI have galvanized resistance from open-source advocates, who see some of those potential laws as threats to innovation and accessibility.

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At the heart of Meta’s announcement on Tuesday was the release of its latest generation of Llama large language models, the company’s answer to ChatGPT. The biggest of these new models, Meta claims, is the first open-source large language model to reach the so-called “frontier” of AI capabilities.

Meta has taken on a very different strategy with AI compared to its competitors OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Anthropic. Those companies sell access to their AIs through web browsers or interfaces known as APIs, a strategy that allows them to protect their intellectual property, monitor the use of their models, and bar bad actors from using them. By contrast, Meta has chosen to open-source the “weights,” or the underlying neural networks, of its Llama models—meaning they can be freely downloaded by anybody and run on their own machines. That strategy has put Meta’s competitors under financial pressure, and has won it many fans in the software world. But Meta’s strategy has also been criticized by many in the field of AI safety, who warn that open-sourcing powerful AI models has already led to societal harms like deepfakes, and could in future open a Pandora’s box of worse dangers.

In his manifesto, Zuckerberg argues most of those concerns are unfounded and frames Meta’s strategy as a democratizing force in AI development. “Open-source will ensure that more people around the world have access to the benefits and opportunities of AI, that power isn’t concentrated in the hands of a small number of companies, and that the technology can be deployed more evenly and safely across society,” he writes. “It will make the world more prosperous and safer.” 

But while Zuckerberg’s letter presents Meta as on the side of progress, it is also a deft political move. Recent polling suggests that the American public would welcome laws that restrict the development of potentially-dangerous AI, even if it means hampering some innovation. And several pieces of AI legislation around the world, including the SB1047 bill in California, and the ENFORCE Act in Washington, D.C., would place limits on the kinds of systems that companies like Meta can open-source, due to safety concerns. Many of the venture capitalists and tech CEOs who celebrated Zuckerberg’s letter after its publication have in recent weeks mounted a growing campaign to shape public opinion against regulations that would constrain open-source AI releases. “This letter is part of a broader trend of some Silicon Valley CEOs and venture capitalists refusing to take responsibility for damages their AI technology may cause,” says Andrea Miotti, the executive director of AI safety group Control AI. “Including catastrophic outcomes.”

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The philosophical underpinnings for Zuckerberg’s commitment to open-source, he writes, stem from his company’s long struggle against Apple, which via its iPhone operating system constrains what Meta can build, and which via its App Store takes a cut of Meta’s revenue. He argues that building an open ecosystem—in which Meta’s models become the industry standard due to their customizability and lack of constraints—will benefit both Meta and those who rely on its models, harming only rent-seeking companies who aim to lock in users. (Critics point out, however, that the Llama models, while more accessible than their competitors, still come with usage restrictions that fall short of true open-source principles.) Zuckerberg also argues that closed AI providers have a business model that relies on selling access to their systems—and suggests that their concerns about the dangers of open-source, including lobbying governments against it, may stem from this conflict of interest.

Addressing worries about safety, Zuckerberg writes that open-source AI will be better at addressing “unintentional” types of harm than the closed alternative, due to the nature of transparent systems being more open to scrutiny and improvement. “Historically, open-source software has been more secure for this reason,” he writes. As for intentional harm, like misuse by bad actors, Zuckerberg argues that “large-scale actors” with high compute resources, like companies and governments, will be able to use their own AI to police “less sophisticated actors” misusing open-source systems. “As long as everyone has access to similar generations of models—which open-source promotes—then governments and institutions with more compute resources will be able to check bad actors with less compute,” he writes.

But “not all ‘large actors’ are benevolent,” says Hamza Tariq Chaudhry, a U.S. policy specialist at the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit focused on AI risk. “The most authoritarian states will likely repurpose models like Llama to perpetuate their power and commit injustices.” Chaudhry, who is originally from Pakistan, adds: “Coming from the Global South, I am acutely aware that AI-powered cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and other harms pose a much greater danger to countries with nascent institutions and severe resource constraints, far away from Silicon Valley.”

Zuckerberg’s argument also doesn’t address a central worry held by many people concerned with AI safety: the risk that AI could create an “offense-defense asymmetry,” or in other words strengthen attackers while doing little to strengthen defenders. “Zuckerberg’s statements showcase a concerning disregard for basic security in Meta’s approach to AI,” says Miotti, the director of Control AI. “When dealing with catastrophic dangers, it’s a simple fact that offense needs only to get lucky once, but defense needs to get lucky every time. A virus can spread and kill in days, while deploying a treatment can take years.”

Later in his letter, Zuckerberg addresses other worries that open-source AI will allow China to gain access to the most powerful AI models, potentially harming U.S. national security interests. He says he believes that closing off models “will not work and will only disadvantage the U.S. and its allies.” China is good at espionage, he argues, adding that “most tech companies are far from” the level of security that would prevent China from being able to steal advanced AI model weights. “It seems most likely that a world of only closed models results in a small number of big companies plus our geopolitical adversaries having access to leading models, while startups, universities, and small businesses miss out on opportunities,” he writes. “Plus, constraining American innovation to closed development increases the chance that we don’t lead at all.”

Miotti is unimpressed by the argument. “Zuckerberg admits that advanced AI technology is easily stolen by hostile actors,” he says, “but his solution is to just give it to them for free.”

source https://time.com/7002563/mark-zuckerberg-ai-llama-meta-open-source/