Science Weekly - 01032020

​Here's March's first round-up of science news on everything fitness, exercise and nutrition.

​Highlights:

• Seems like people make their healthy choices against sugar
• Kids post-game snacks are more calorific than they need to be
• The heart seems to prefer gradual, slow and steady increase of intensity in physical activity
• Soon you will be able to buy a wearable health tracker for your pets!
• Ping-pong (table-tennis) may be the answer to slow down Parkinsons'
• Researchers say electrolyte supplements may not be the answer for endurance athletes
• Different strokes seem to be linked to different foods
• The aging population may benefit greatly from being on the Mediterranean diet
• Need our children to eat more greens? Finnish scientists say both mum and dad need to set an example.

Sugar gets the red light from consumers in new study

Researchers have found that sugar content is the most important factor for people when making healthy food choices -- overriding fat and salt.

Source: University of Nottingham

Kids eat more calories in post-game snacks than they burn during the game

Researchers: Interventions help cut-down on unhealthy game treats
​A new study by public health researchers finds the number of calories kids consume from post-game snacks far exceeds the number of calories they actually burn playing in the game.

Source: Brigham Young Universitynews.byu.edu/intellect/study-kids-eat-more-calories-in-post-game-snacks-than-they-burn-during-the-game

Slow, steady increase in exercise intensity is best for heart health

For the vast majority of people, the benefits of physical exercise outweigh the risks. However, for those who have inadequate training or who have underlying heart problems that may not have been detected, the risks of heart issues from extreme exercise, such as participation in marathons and triathlons, are increased.

Source: American Heart Association

Fur-friendly 'wearable for pets' and their humans

Researchers have invented a new health tracking sensor for pets and people that monitors vital signs through fur or clothing.

Source: Imperial College London

Picking up a pingpong paddle may benefit people with Parkinson's

Pingpong may hold promise as a possible form of physical therapy for Parkinson's disease. People with Parkinson's who participated in a pingpong exercise program once a week for six months showed improvement in their Parkinson's symptoms, according to a preliminary study.

Source: American Academy of Neurology

Electrolyte supplements don't prevent illness in athletes

Electrolyte supplements popular with endurance runners can't be relied on to keep essential sodium levels in balance, according to researchers.

Source: Stanford Medicine

Study of 418,000 Europeans finds different foods linked to different types of stroke

Different types of food are linked to risks of different types of stroke, according to the largest study to investigate this. The study of more than 418,000 people in nine European countries investigated ischaemic stroke and haemorrhagic stroke separately.

Source: European Society of Cardiology

Mediterranean diet for one year promotes gut bacteria linked to 'healthy aging'

It may help curb advance of frailty and cognitive decline, suggest researchers
​Eating a Mediterranean diet for a year boosts the types of gut bacteria linked to 'healthy' ageing, while reducing those associated with harmful inflammation in older people, indicates a five-country study.

Source: BMJ

​Getting children to eat their greens? Both parents need to set an example

A positive example set by both the mother and the father promotes the consumption of vegetables, fruit and berries among 3-5-year-old children, according to a new study. The study explored the association of the home food environment and parental influence with the consumption of vegetables among kindergarten-aged children.

Source: University of Eastern Finland (original article in Finnish HERE)