Science Weekly - 06012020

Check out 2020's first round-up of fitness, nutrition and exercise science news.

The highlights:

• A meta analyzis of 28 studies shows that whole milk may not be so bad as we were made to believe.
• Male fertility may also be affected by diet?
• Exercise is once again proven to be good for your brain and has links to ageing.
• When you eat might be just as important as what you eat.
• Want to make your kids ask for healthy food? Watch healthy cooking shows with them!
• Bile acid turns out to be significant in managing your gut microbiome.

Children who drank whole milk had lower risk of being overweight or obese

Review analyzing almost 21,000 children suggests children who drank whole milk were less likely to be overweight or obese
​Researchers analyzed 28 studies from seven countries that explored the relationship between children drinking cow's milk and the risk of being overweight or obese.

Source: St. Michael's Hospital

Diet has rapid effects on sperm quality

Sperm are influenced by diet, and the effects arise rapidly. This is the conclusion of a new study in which healthy young men were fed a diet rich in sugar. The study gives new insight into the function of sperm, and may in the long term contribute to new diagnostic methods to measure sperm quality.

Source: Linköping University

Keep exercising: New study finds it's good for your brain's gray matter

A study provides new evidence of an association between cardiorespiratory fitness and brain health, particularly in gray matter and total brain volume -- regions of the brain involved with cognitive decline and aging.

Source: Mayo Clinic

Study finds dopamine, biological clock link to snacking, overeating and obesity

A new study finds that the pleasure center of the brain and the brain's biological clock are linked, and that high-calorie foods -- which bring pleasure -- disrupt normal feeding schedules, resulting in overconsumption.

Source: University of Virginia

Kids twice as likely to eat healthy after watching cooking shows with healthy food

Television programs featuring healthy foods can be a key ingredient in leading children to make healthier food choices now and into adulthood. A new study found kids who watched a child-oriented cooking show featuring healthy food were 2.7 times more likely to make a healthy food choice than those who watched a different episode of the same show featuring unhealthy food.

Source: Elsevier

Bile acids may help regulate gut immunity and inflammation

Could bile acids -- the fat-dissolving juices churned out by the liver and gallbladder -- also play a role in immunity and inflammation? The answer appears to be yes, according to two separate studies.

Source: Harvard Medical School