Science Weekly - 11112018

Interested in genetic factors of different conditions or diseases? Want to know how a diet in fish can affect asthma or weight loss? Can age-related leaky gut be prevented? Evidence validates sugar tax. ​Find out more what happened in fitness and nutrition science this week.

Genetic factors tied to obesity may protect against diabetes

Some genetic variations associated with obesity actually protect against Type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke, new findings suggest.

Source: University of Exeter

Trial finds diet rich in fish helps fight asthma

A clinical trial has shown eating fish such as salmon, trout and sardines as part of a healthy diet can reduce asthma symptoms in children.

Source: La Trobe University

Gene that regulates fat accumulation and obesity

A new study showed that regardless of diet, a protein called Pannexin 1 significantly regulates the accumulation of fat in mice. The study suggests that a deletion of the Panx1 gene in the early stages of development of mouse fat cells increases the amount of fat accumulated, leading to a higher risk for obesity later in life.

Source: University of Western Ontario

A hypocaloric Mediterranean diet and daily exercise maintain weight loss

Following a Mediterranean diet low in calories and engaging daily physical activity have been demonstrated to result in reduce body weight and cardiovascular risk in overweight patients and patients with metabolic syndrome, and to maintain these benefits after one year.

Source: Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Nuts for nuts? Daily serving may help control weight and benefit health

Eating Brazil nuts and other varieties of nuts daily may prevent weight gain and provide other cardiovascular benefits, according to two separate preliminary studies.

Source: American Heart Association

Does dietary restriction protect against age-related leaky gut?

Flies on dietary restriction are protected from leaky gut and systemic inflammation as they age. Conversely, flies on a rich diet are more prone to intestinal permeability, developing gaps in the intestinal barrier which are caused by an age-related increase in the death of intestinal epithelial cells. Researchers also looked at dysbiosis as a contributor to leaky gut and concluded that diet may ultimately be the primary driver in cellular changes leading to intestinal permeability.

Source: Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Eat your vegetables (and fish): Another reason why they may promote heart health

Elevated levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) -- a compound linked with the consumption of fish, seafood and a primarily vegetarian diet -- may reduce hypertension-related heart disease symptoms. New research in rats finds that low-dose treatment with TMAO reduced heart thickening (cardiac fibrosis) and markers of heart failure in an animal model of hypertension.

​Source: ​American Physiological Society

Risk factors of type 2 diabetes and CVD accumulate in children with poor aerobic fitness

Risk factors of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease accumulate in children who have poor aerobic fitness, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. The study also found that the traditional way of expressing aerobic fitness in proportion to total body mass overestimates the role of aerobic fitness in identifying children at an increased risk of these diseases.

​Source: University of Finland (Overview in English)

How many calories do you burn? It depends on time of day

Researchers have made the surprising discovery that the number of calories people burn while at rest changes with the time of day. When at rest, people burn 10 percent more calories in the late afternoon and early evening than in the early morning hours.

Source: Cell Press

Study calls for sugar tax

People who drink sugary beverages are more likely to eat fast food and confectionery and less likely to make healthy dietary choices, new research has found.

Source: University of Otago