This week I’ve got some great shares for you.
High level:
- A gene gives us more insight into lung cancer risk
- Watch this talk if you care about getting to the truth
- Solid advice as we approach “sick season”
- The new product I bought that changed my alertness
Let’s get into it.
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Number 1: A Rare Gene May Dramatically Increase Lung Cancer Risk in Nonsmokers
Smoking remains a major risk factor when it comes to lung cancer, but as we mentioned a few weeks ago, there are a lot of “healthy” nonsmokers who are also developing this disease.
And just to refresh your memory, if lung cancer in people who have never smoked were considered its own disease, it would rank as the fifth leading cause of cancer death worldwide.
So I was excited to come across this fascinating new study published in Science identified a rare inherited genetic mutation that may help explain why some people who have never smoked develop lung cancer.
Researchers analyzed genetic data from more than 3.3 million people and focused on a mutation called EGFR T790M. Unlike mutations that develop during your lifetime, this one can be inherited from a parent and is present from birth.
People carrying the mutation had roughly a 25-fold higher risk of lung cancer compared with noncarriers. Among people who had never smoked, the association was even stronger: Carriers had approximately a 62-fold higher risk. (For perspective, smoking in this analysis was associated with roughly a fourfold higher risk.)
Interestingly, researchers didn’t find an increased risk for 17 other cancers, suggesting this mutation may be unusually specific to the lungs.
They also discovered something unexpected about where the mutation came from. In the US, carriers were disproportionately concentrated in Southern Appalachia, particularly Tennessee and Alabama. Genetic analysis suggests a founder brought the mutation to the region roughly 200–225 years ago, where it was passed down through generations.
There are some important caveats. This mutation is extremely rare, so these findings aren’t a reason for everyone to run out and get genetic testing. The primary analysis also involved people of European ancestry, so we need more research in diverse populations. And carrying the mutation doesn’t mean someone will definitely develop lung cancer.
But I think the bigger message is fascinating: Smoking isn’t the whole story on lung cancer. Understanding inherited risk and lowering your exposure to pollution—both inside and outside of the home when possible—are hugely beneficial.
Number 2: Watch this talk if you care about getting to the truth
This weekend, I watched this incredible talk by investor Bill Gurley about how we uncover the truth after major catastrophes, why powerful institutions sometimes stand in the way, and what it takes to prevent the next one.
If you care about truth-seeking and protecting humanity, I highly recommend watching this. I don’t want to give away where the talk goes, but if you trust me, know that I think it’s well worth your time.
Number 3: Exercise Protects You from Illness
As we’re winding down from summer and starting to enter the fall and winter months, this study is a powerful reminder that one of the ways to keep your immune system strong and protect yourself from illness is to regularly exercise.
In this study, researchers found that regular exercisers had immune cells showing greater readiness to recognize and respond to threats, alongside lower inflammatory signaling.
In a separate study tracking 1,002 adults for 12 weeks, those who exercised aerobically at least five days a week experienced 43 percent fewer days with respiratory illness symptoms than those exercising once a week or less, with activities like brisk walking counting toward exercise. These findings don’t prove cause and effect, but they offer another compelling reason to keep moving as cold and flu season approaches.
Eat well, practice stress management, and don’t forget to exercise this season.
Number 4: The Newest Addition to My Office
When Lightwork Home Health tested our house, one of their biggest recommendations was to get more bright morning light inside our home.
So I recently got this Brighter Lamp for my home office and office, and I’ve been so impressed with it. Brighter puts out 60,000 lumens, roughly 75 times the light output of a standard 800-lumen household bulb, and boy, do you notice it!
The photo above is the lamp in my wife’s home office. I moved the lamp there for a day, and she refused to let me move it back the next day. LOL!
I spent so much time thinking about reducing blue light at night that I’d forgotten the other half of the equation. Bright light, including blue light, is super important in the morning for focus, mood, and a bunch of other things.
Getting outside for sunlight is still my first choice, but since so many of us spend our workdays indoors, this has been a welcome upgrade.
I reached out to the Brighter Lamp team to ask them for a discount for my newsletter audience. Just click this link and use code DHRU to get $100 off your order.
That’s it for now. See you next week.
Much love,
Dhru Purohit
P.S.: Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.