Science Weekly - 04112019

​This week's articles cover a variety of topics including how interval walking, high intensity training or vitamin D deficiency can affect the fitness and health of the elderly, the role of gut bacteria in childhood obesity, how nutritious foods have lower environmental impact than unhealthy foods and more. Tune in!

Quality over quantity! Interval walking training improves fitness and health in elderly individuals

Interval Walking Training is a method that is effective in increasing overall fitness and decreasing healthcare costs associated with lifestyle-related diseases of the middle-aged and elderly. High-intensity walking time is the key. Participants who walk longer at 70% or more of their maximum capacity see improvements in health and fitness. 50 minutes a week is what one needs to see peak aerobic capacity improve, as well as other blood work levels.

Source: Shinshu University

High-intensity exercise improves memory in seniors

Researchers who examine the impact of exercise on the brain have found that high-intensity workouts improve memory in older adults.

Source: McMaster University

Gut bacteria is key factor in childhood obesity

Scientists suggest that gut bacteria and its interactions with immune cells and metabolic organs, including fat tissue, play a key role in childhood obesity.

Source: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Nutritious foods have lower environmental impact than unhealthy foods

Widespread adaptation of healthier diets would markedly reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and food production. For the first time, researchers have tied the health impacts of foods to their overall environmental impact.

Source: University of Minnesota

Starvation halts brain development, but hungry cells jump-start growth when food becomes available

In tadpole research that holds potential for prenatal health and brain injury, scientists identify cellular workings that stop and restart early brain development.

Source: Scripps Research Institute

Scientists identify new signposts in blood and urine to reflect what we eat and drink

Researchers have identified several chemical signatures, detectable in blood and urine, that can accurately measure dietary intake, potentially offering a new tool for physicians, dieticians and researchers to assess eating habits, measure the value of fad diets and develop health policies.

Source: McMaster University

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor muscle function in adults aged 60+

New research shows that vitamin D deficiency is an important determinant of poor skeletal muscle function in adults aged 60 years and over. While resistance exercise is known to preserve muscle function, there is growing evidence that adequate vitamin D status may also be protective.

​Source: Trinity College Dublin

A blood factor involved in weight loss and aging

Aging can be delayed through lifestyle changes (physical exercise, restricting calorie intake, etc.). Researchers have elucidated the properties of a molecule in the blood - GDF11 - whose mechanisms were previously unknown. In a mouse model, they showed that this molecule could mimic the benefits of certain calorie restrictions - dietary regimens that have proven their efficacy in reducing cardiovascular disease, preventing cancer and increasing neurogenesis in the brain.

Source: Institut Pasteur

Exercise can reduce artery stiffness associated with heart failure

Generally, exercise is considered good for you. However, physicians and medical doctors previously prescribed bedrest to people with heart failure, fearing exercise could potentially lead to additional health problems.

Source: University of Missouri-Columbia

Real texture for lab-grown meat

Researchers have grown rabbit and cow muscles cells on edible gelatin scaffolds that mimic the texture and consistency of meat, demonstrating that realistic meat products may eventually be produced without the need to raise and slaughter animals.

Source: Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences