Science Weekly -01092019

This week's collection of papers discuss a variety of topics and keep us all intrigued where fitness, nutrition and sports science is headed. Check out the highlights below:

• The Paleozoic diet: Why animals eat what they eat​ - a look into the evolution of diets of all species, including humans
• ​​Wearable sensors detect what's in your sweat - so you could know exactly when to replenish with electrolytes and which ones
• ​Football scores a health hat-trick for 55- to 70-year-old women with prediabetes - certainly a consideration for professionals helping post-menopausal women
• Why brown fat is good for people's health - brown fat is a hot topic lately
• ​​Certain metabolites linked to stem cell function in the intestine - the study investigates ketones and their effect on our body
• ​Junk food intake in children reduced by health education that addresses emotional issues - it doesn't only help kids but teachers too
• Remodeling unhealthful gut microbiomes to fight disease - a mice study with the potential of opening new avenues for research
• Exercise is good for the aging brain - another confirmational study that exercise won't only keep our body fit as we grow old, but our brain too

The Paleozoic diet: Why animals eat what they eat

In what likely is the first study on the evolution of dietary preferences across the animal kingdom, researchers report several unexpected discoveries, including that the first animal likely was a carnivore and that humans, along with other omnivores, belong to a rare breed.

Source: University of Arizona

​Wearable sensors detect what's in your sweat

New easy-to-make sensors can provide real-time measurements of sweat rate and electrolytes and metabolites in perspiration
A team of scientists is developing wearable skin sensors that can detect what's in your sweat. In a new article, the team describes a sensor design that can be rapidly manufactured using a 'roll-to-roll' processing technique that essentially prints the sensors onto a sheet of plastic like words on a newspaper. The sensors can provide real-time measurements of sweat rate, and electrolytes and metabolites in sweat.

Source: University of California - Berkeley

Football scores a health hat-trick for 55- to 70-year-old women with prediabetes

A new study shows that football is a surprisingly efficient type of physical training for female prediabetes patients, with impressive effects on cardiovascular health after 16 weeks of training for 55- to 70-year old women with no prior football experience.

Source: University of Southern Denmark Faculty of Health Sciences

Why brown fat is good for people's health

Study may help lead to drugs aimed at diabetes and obesity
​Scientists have discovered how brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue, may help protect against obesity and diabetes. Their study adds to our knowledge about the role of brown fat in human health and could lead to new medications for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Source: Rutgers University

Certain metabolites linked to stem cell function in the intestine

Molecules called ketone bodies may improve stem cells' ability to regenerate new intestinal tissue
Researchers have found that high levels of ketone bodies, molecules produced by the breakdown of fat, help the intestine to maintain a functional stem cell pool, which are crucial for intestinal regeneration.

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Junk food intake in children reduced by health education that addresses emotional issues

Teacher training followed by classroom education with information, activities, and emotional support improves lifestyles in teachers and students, according to new research. The study suggests that knowledge alone is insufficient to change behavior.

Source: European Society of Cardiology

Remodeling unhealthful gut microbiomes to fight disease

You are what you eat -- right down to the microbiome living in your gut. Today, scientists will report the development of molecules that can change, or remodel, unhealthful gut microbiomes in mice into more healthful ones. The research could also someday be applied to other conditions related to diet.

Source: American Chemical Society

Exercise is good for the aging brain

Researchers find a single bout of exercise boosts cognition, memory performance in some older people
​Researchers have found that a single bout of exercise benefits some older people's brains. In experiments in which participants aged 60 to 80 exercised once and multiple times, the researchers found some individuals showed improved cognitive functions and working memory.

Source: University of Iowa