Your heart is like a turbocharged engine.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is what happens when you tap the accelerator, think of the 1.5 TSI VW Virtus that instantly roars to life,smooth, responsive, adaptive.
It’s not about how fast the engine runs,
but how effortlessly it revs up or down based on what life throws at you.
HRV = how fast your body adapts
Here is a detailed thread on HRV ⬇️
What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?
It’s the tiny difference in time between each heartbeat
measured in milliseconds (ms).
Even at 60 bpm, your heart doesn’t beat once every exact second.
That variation is HRV.
It reflects how well your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is responding to stress, recovery, and life.HRV is influenced by the function of the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems.
High HRV: Suggests dominant parasympathetic activity → better recovery, relaxation, and adaptability.
Most wearables use a time-domain metric called RMSSD
(Root Mean Square of Successive Differences).
Sometimes you'll see LnRMSSD,a logarithmic version.
Typical RMSSD values (in trained populations):
30–50 ms → Common in athletes
50–100+ ms → Seen in well-recovered, parasympathetic-dominant states
( Values vary widely , focus on personal trends, not absolute numbers.)
HRV is highly individual and contextual Your normal might be someone else's low.
It's only meaningful relative to your personal baseline. Acute HRV drops don’t always mean you are unrecovered.
A single day of low HRV can occur due to poor sleep, psychological stress, hydration issues, alcohol Menstrual cycle phase (in females),even excitement or anticipation.
It doesn't always mean your body can't handle a workout.
HRV decreasing trend- what it could mean?
During overload training, HRV often decreases as a natural stress response. This reflects increased sympathetic activity,elevated resting heart rate and suppressed HRV.
If recovery is insufficient, HRV may not return to baseline, leading to a downward trend over time. Intense training can suppress HRV for up to 72 hours, especially with high training volume and frequency.
Notably, HRV usually declines before any drop in performance appears, making it a useful early indicator of accumulating fatigue
You can still perform well with low HRV
Some elite athletes train and perform at high levels even during low HRV days.
HRV fluctuations don’t always correlate with performance decrements.
Acute decreases in HRV have been reported to occur following intense endurance training, resistance training,and competition.
Therefore, low HRV is commonly thought to provide a reflection of acute fatigue from training or competing.
Where these interpretations can be misleading Decreased HRV has been observed in a variety of athletes preceding competition as a result of heightened levels of excitement or anxiety.
Further, lower vagal-HRV has been reported to be favorable in sprinters on the day of a race.
So incresed HRV = always good?
One study found that after 3 weeks of overload training, elite endurance athletes had lower performance but higher average HRV,unlike the control group, who showed no changes
A decreasing HRV trend does not necessarily reflect fatigue.
HRV alone isn’t enough to assess training status.
It must be interpreted alongside training load, type, sleep, nutrition, stress, and performance. These factors together offer a clearer picture.
Track your HRV trend,
Consider it in the context of training and lifestyle,
Understand what the change means,
then adjust training or recovery based on your goals.
Why you should focus on HRV trends, not single-day values
One day of data is a snapshot; it doesn’t tell the full story.
HRV trends over weeks are more reflective of your:
Chronic stress load
Recovery habits
Training periodization
Sleep hygiene
General resilience
A downward trend over multiple days or weeks? That’s more informative and might indicate overreaching or illness.
Compare with individual values over few weeks or month.
A single-day dip? Often noise.
What about HRV and long term health
Few analyses have found that Low HRV increases risk of all cause death and mortality.
PMID 36243195
PMID 31558032
Studies in the analysis did not control for all confounding variables, the studies show significant variability/heterogeneity in results.
Still there is a relationship between HRV and mortality risk or good health but it may not be as linear as popularly propagated on social media.
Practical points:
HRV measures based on RMSDD method less than 20ms HRV is considered very low and may increase risk of health issues
If you have measured your HRV and it is low or consistently near that 20ms reading, consider making nutrition and exercise decisions
A good exercise,sleep and nutrition program can help improve HRV outcomes.
Consider measuring HRV multiple times
HRV should not be used in isolation for assessing health status or disease risk.
Generally speaking a higher HRV is considered better as it reflects the adaptability and balance of your autonomic nervous system (ANS), specifically the parasympathetic branch, unless there is a medical condition present.
Hope you liked this post!
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For every 1 kg whey protein (for most brands in India), the total import duties and taxes typically account for approximately 44–50% of the product cost.
India is one of the largest milk producer in the world, yet almost 90-95% whey protein in india is imported from Europe and USA.
Here is a detailed thread on this topic ⬇️
Whey for consumers is available at similar price in India and Europe but D2C whey protein brands in Europe are often up to 3 times more profitable than Indian brands.
European companies get whey directly from local dairy producers (like in the Netherlands and Germany), which keeps their raw material costs low. They also benefit from larger production scale and spend less on marketing since the market is already well established.
In contrast, Indian D2C brands usually import whey from Europe and pay about 44% in import duties, which increases their costs by 40–50%. This reduces their gross profit margins to 20-30%, compared to 60% to 70% (more for some ) for European brands.
On top of that, Indian brands face high marketing costs, taxes, and intense competition, which further reduce their net profits.
(Note: This is an estimate and may vary depending on the specific import conditions and regulatory changes.)
According to this source: for whey protein import in india
HS Code 21061000 (Protein concentrates and textured protein substances):
India produces apporx. 239 million metric tons of milk annually.
More milk than the EU and U.S. combined.
And yet India produces just 1.15 thousand metric tons of whey powder.
Compare that to:
UK: 76.75 thousand metric tons
France, Germany, Poland all far ahead.
India produces far less whey than Europe because we focus on milk, yogurt, and paneer ,not cheese.
Globally, 95% of whey comes from cheese-making, but in India, most whey is a byproduct of paneer , limiting total production to just ~5 million tonnes/year, far below potential levels with more cheese output.
Protein powder demand in India is surging—used by athletes, teens, and even doctors.
In 2023, we imported $36.9M worth of whey protein, mainly from France, Poland, Turkey, Germany, and the U.S.
By 2024: 19,000 metric tons imported
By 2025: Projected to hit 23,000 MT — a 20% jump
India is now the world’s largest importer of whey protein by shipment volume.
Why India doesn’t make Whey protein at scale:
The Fragmented Dairy Sector
Only about 35% of Indian dairy is organised.
The rest is small-scale, hyper-local, and not equipped for industrial protein extraction.
But here’s the thing your bones aren’t passive. They’re living tissue, constantly remodeling in response to stress, hormones, nutrition, and age.
Osteoporosis = low bone mass + weak bone structure = high fracture risk.
Diagnosed when bone mineral density (BMD) T-score ≤ -2.5 at the hip or spine.
Here is a detailed thread on osteoporosis ⬇️
Your bones remodel constantly via 5 stages:
Activation → Resorption → Reversal → Formation → Termination
Osteoclasts break bone down. Osteoblasts build it up.
Osteoporosis =more resorption, less formation.
Osteocytes (your bone’s command center) are mechanosensors. When loading decreases (aging, inactivity, menopause), they release:
RANKL → boosts osteoclasts
Sclerostin → suppresses osteoblasts
less building, more breakdown.
Bones - Cortical (outer shell) + Trabecular (inner mesh).
Trabecular bone has high turnover and is more vulnerable.
With age and inactivity, trabecular loss is faster → spine, hip, and wrist become fracture-prone zones.
People at risk
• Women > Men ( higher post-menopause due to estrogen drop)
• Age >50
• Low BMI
• Smoking, alcohol, sedentary life
• Family history
• Certain meds (steroids, SSRIs, PPIs)
• Hormone disorders (thyroid, testosterone, diabetes)
1 in 2 postmenopausal women will have an osteoporosis-related fracture.
Osteoporotic fractures kill more women than breast cancer.
Men are underdiagnosed but have worse outcomes when fractures occur.
Estrogen protects bone by reducing RANKL and sclerostin. After menopause, its decline accelerates bone loss by 2–5% per year.
In men, testosterone plays a similar protective role especially in muscle maintenance, which reduces falls.
When to screen?
• All women ≥65
• Men ≥70
• Or earlier if:
– Fragility fracture after 40
– Long-term steroid use
– RA or inflammatory disease
– Low BMI or rapid weight loss
– Alcohol/smoking history
Use the FRAX tool to assess 10-year fracture risk.
Whey isolate vs Whey concentrate
what is the difference?
Both are whey proteins derived from milk,
The difference between them is the amount of filtration.
Whey Concentrate
Uses Ultrafiltration (UF), which preserves protein while retaining some lactose and fat, making it creamier and richer in texture.
Whey Isolate
Undergoes additional ultrafiltration, removing almost all lactose and fat, making it leaner and faster-digesting, can suit lactose-intolerant individuals.
Differences in protein content:
Whey isolate will provide more protein per scoop than whey concentrate.
Whey concentrate will be more economical compared to whey isolate due to the additional filtration process required to make whey isolate
Both whey isolate and concentrate can work equally well for muscle building goals or to complete your protein requirement.
Whey isolate contains little to no lactose so will suit lactose intolerant individuals
Whey concentrate contains lactose ( the lactose content will vary ) so might cause few issues If you are lactose intolerant.
Air fryers cook by rapidly circulating hot air, not oil around food. This initiates the Maillard reaction, which browns food and creates flavour.
Air frying uses significantly less oil than deep-frying, which reduces fat content.
Great so air fryers can help you make french fries with less oil and less calories still maintain crisp texture then
what is the concern?
The concern around airfryers is due to acrylamide formation.
Acrylamide is a Maillard byproduct formed during high heat cooking
· EFSA reports: Some air fryers may produce 30–40% more acrylamide than deep fryers under certain conditions (very high temperatures)
But other studies show:
Up to 90% acrylamide reduction in air-fried foods vs. deep-fried
Lower polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air-fried chicken
No significant difference in acrylamide across cooking methods in some studies
Why do the results vary?
Due to factors affecting acrylamide formation
1. Temperature & Time: Higher = more acrylamide 2. Moisture Content: Drier food → more acrylamide 3. Water Activity: higher water activity and moisture content in food generally results in lower acrylamide formation.
Peak formation occurs when water activity is 0.4–0.8 and moisture <5%. 4. Cooking Method:
Air Frying: Less oil = lower acrylamide in some cases
Deep Frying: More oil absorption = potentially more acrylamide
Vacuum frying shows the lowest acrylamide levels
Exercise creates a natural heart bypass?.
This is extremely cool
Your heart has an adaptive mechanism, coronary collateralization, where pre-existing but underutilized blood vessels expand and develop in response to reduced coronary blood flow. These collateral arteries act as natural bypasses, delivering oxygen when main arteries narrow.
The role of exercise in enhancing coronary collateralization:
Exercise triggers shear stress on endothelial cells, stimulating arteriogenesis, the remodeling and enlargement of collateral vessels into fully functional conduits. This boosts blood flow, reducing ischemia and improving heart function.
Exercise increases Collateral Flow Index (CFI), a crucial measure of collateral circulation. Higher CFI means better heart circulation and less ischemia.
Eight weeks of exercise promoted collateral growth, enhancing heart function and blood flow.
Exercise-driven arteriogenesis improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to ischemic areas.
A CFI of ≥0.20-0.25 has been linked to the absence of ischemic symptoms on ECG, even in cases of significant vascular occlusion.
Creatine monohydrate one of the most popular supplement out there.
Here is a detailed post on Creatine.
detailed post on Creatine:
What is Creatine?
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine in the kidneys and liver. It was first discovered in 1832 by Michel Eugène Chevreul, who named it after the Greek word kreas (meat), as it was found in muscle tissue.
It is primarily obtained from meat and as a dietary supplement. Creatine monohydrate is widely accepted as safe and GRAS-certified in multiple countries. Researchers are working to classify it as a conditionally essential nutrient due to its vital role in energy production and cellular metabolism.
Key Functions of Creatine:
Supports ATP production, fueling muscle, brain, heart, and bone cells
95% is stored in muscles, with the rest in the brain, heart, and bones
Body produces ~1g/day, but dietary intake is necessary for optimal benefits
ISSN stated in an article (2018) Creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available to athletes with the intent of increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.
Creatine Benefits (Backed by Research)
Over 680+ studies confirm creatine is safe and beneficial across all age groups. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) highlights creatine’s role in:
Energy & Brain Function: The body needs 2-4g/day from diet or supplements
Growth & Bone Strength: Higher intake (>1.5g/day) linked to greater height, lean mass, and bone health in youth
Cognitive Health: Low intake (<0.95g/day) linked to cognitive decline and depression risk
Muscle Recovery & Performance: Aids in strength, endurance, and recovery for athletes
Essential for Vegetarians & Vegans: Since plant-based diets lack creatine, supplementation is crucial
Creatine Enhances Strength, Muscle Mass & Recovery