Scoops and Strands

Editors’ Note: Welcome to Week 2! We will be experimenting with length of sections this week.

Stacked Bar Showdown Poll Results
1st: David (50%)
2nd: Barebell (33%)
3rd: Other (17%)

Words in blue will be defined in Today’s Dictionary below!

A few years ago, people had to make the choice of enjoying a sweet treat or sticking to their goals and scarfing down a chalky protein bar. Even if you ate a whole pint of Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked, that would only net you 17g of protein, not to mention 188% and 175% of your daily value for added sugars and saturated fat respectively. Those days are behind us. 

Natty steps onto the stage

Natty Ice Cream is only a year old, founded in July 2024 by brothers Tyrel and Garrett Johnson, but it has carved out its own place in performance-nutrition circles. One 14oz Natty pint delivers 35g of milk-derived protein and 430 calories. The formula leans on organic dairy, milk-protein concentrate and cassava fiber for the body, while relying on a hybrid sweetening strategy of cane sugar, stevia and monk-fruit extract. That last point is important. 

Sweetener science drama

Sugar alcohols (many have names that end in ‘tol’, e.g., Erythritol) have long been the low-calorie ice cream industry’s cheat code. They were thought to slash sugar grams without the aftertaste of early stevia extracts. However, a 2023 Nature Medicine cohort analysis, echoed by subsequent reviews, associated chronic erythritol exposure with heightened platelet reactivity and elevated risk of clot-related events. In other words, a possible link to cardiovascular events.

The findings are far from settled science, yet they have been enough to make endurance athletes and physique competitors think twice. These are groups that already juggle GI stress. Natty’s cane-sugar-plus-stevia compromise increases the carb load slightly but keeps osmotic sugar alcohols and their bloat potential out of the equation.

Why you should care

It turns out that protein ice cream is a viable recovery vehicle that just happens to be frozen and delicious. Natty currently presents the most muscular macro profile and the cleanest label, but legacy brands still offer value. Functional indulgence is one of the hottest CPG categories. Analysts forecast the global protein ice cream segment at roughly $2.3B in 2024, with a projected 7.5% average annual growth rate through 2034. If the freezer aisle has joined the hypertrophy toolkit, we are betting that every category of food will eventually be optimized for performance. The optimization of everything continues, and we plan to explore the unintended consequences as well.

This year the National Health Service in England launched the Generation Study, a research program that offers whole genome sequencing to newborns alongside the standard heel-prick blood test. The project hopes to roll the service out to every baby by 2035 and screen for more than 200 treatable rare conditions, a giant leap from today’s nine condition panel. Supporters point to the 1 of 5 genomes that already yield information doctors can use right away, while critics worry about lifetime privacy risks and parental shock when a result is not yet treatable.

The ACTN3 story gets personal

Much of the public debate now orbits a single gene called ACTN3. ACTN3 gives instructions for making alpha actinin 3, a structural protein packed into fast twitch muscle fibers that power sprints and heavy lifts.

A large 2024 meta analysis covering more than 14,000 athletes showed that the R allele is noticeably over represented in weightlifters and sprinters, while the XX genotype turns up more often in endurance athletes and the general population. In older adults, carrying at least one R copy is linked with a 40% lower chance of falling into the low muscle mass category, hinting that the gene could influence lifelong resistance to sarcopenia. 

Fine print & genetic privacy

Direct to consumer companies controversially highlight ACTN3 on glossy reports that label customers “power” or “endurance” types. Buried in the 23andMe fine print, there is an admission that the variant explains only 2-3% of performance differences, a figure echoed by sports genomics researchers who call single gene predictions simplistic. Training, age, nutrition, and sleep still dominate real world outcomes. The risk is that ACTN3 results become a self fulfilling prophecy that steers kids toward or away from sports long before commitment or coaching can work their magic.

Since 2023, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, have passed genetic privacy laws that stop testing firms from sharing genomic data with insurers or employers and require separate consent for research or marketing use. Texas has gone further, suing 23andMe after the company attempted to sell customer data during bankruptcy proceedings, arguing that residents must be able to delete their genetic files outright.

Why you should care

Muscle health functions like a retirement account. The deposits you make early help you later. Knowing that you carry the XX genotype might motivate you to start progressive strength training sooner and keep doing it longer, but the gene does not predetermine your ceiling. At the same time, there is something dystopian about a permanent digital copy of your genome following you into insurance applications, job screenings, or even dating profiles. Before sending saliva to a lab or enrolling a newborn, ask three questions: Is the result actionable now? Who will protect the data? Will this knowledge motivate me to train rather than surrender? Genomics can be a powerful muscle health tool, but there are ethical weights to be considered.

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