Science Weekly - 11th July

This week we have a range of issues the published papers discuss: nutrition vs lifestyle diseases, nutrition vs depression and anxiety, activity levels of particular populations during the COVID-19 crisis, the potential injury risks of lowered activity during COVID-19 lockdown on contact sport athletes and more.

Here are the highlights:

• ​​People with high cholesterol should eliminate carbs, not saturated fat, study suggests
• ​Probiotics alone or combined with prebiotics may help ease depression
• ​Men and younger adults less active in lockdown
• ​Increased risk of injury in contact sports after prolonged training restrictions due to COVID-19
• ​Nutrients in microalgae: An environmentally friendly alternative to fish
• ​Brain benefits of exercise can be gained with a single protein
• ​Aquaculture's role in nutrition in the COVID-19 era
• ​Antioxidants in corn line could aid human IBD protection, therapy
• ​Physical activity of older people requires tailored monitoring
• Healthier school food and physical activity environments matter for childhood obesity

People with high cholesterol should eliminate carbs, not saturated fat, study suggests

An international team of experts on heart disease and diet say there's no evidence that a low-saturated fat diet reduces cholesterol in people with familial hypercholesterolemia.

Source: University of South Florida (USF Innovation)

Probiotics alone or combined with prebiotics may help ease depression

But possible contribution to lessening anxiety not yet clear, evidence review suggests
​Probiotics either taken by themselves or when combined with prebiotics, may help to ease depression, suggests a review of the available evidence.

Source: BMJ

Men and younger adults less active in lockdown

Study finds women and older adults are most likely to meet exercise targets
New research indicates that men and younger adults have been less physically active during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Source: Anglia Ruskin University

Increased risk of injury in contact sports after prolonged training restrictions due to COVID-19

Athletes who play contact sports are being particularly hard-hit by the prolonged restrictions imposed on games and training, according to a new study.

Source: University of Bath

Nutrients in microalgae: An environmentally friendly alternative to fish

Microalgae could provide an alternative source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids for humans while also being more environmentally friendly to produce than popular fish species. The study offers an initial indication of the environmental effects of producing microalgae in Germany.

Source: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

Brain benefits of exercise can be gained with a single protein

Findings open door to drugs that could help protect the aging brain
A little-studied liver protein may be responsible for the well-known benefits of exercise on the aging brain, according to a new study in mice. The findings could lead to new therapies to confer the neuroprotective effects of physical activity on people who are unable to exercise due to physical limitations.

Source: University of California - San Francisco

Aquaculture's role in nutrition in the COVID-19 era

A new paper examines the economics of an aquaculture industry of the future that is simultaneously environmentally sustainable and nutritious for the nearly 1 billion people worldwide who depend on it.

Source: American University

Antioxidants in corn line could aid human IBD protection, therapy

Flavonoids from a specific line of corn act as anti-inflammatory agents in the guts of mice with an inflammatory-bowel-disease-like condition, according to a team of researchers who said flavonoid-rich corn should be studied to determine its potential to provide a protective effect on human health.

Source: Penn State

Physical activity of older people requires tailored monitoring

Commercial activity monitors may underestimate the exertion level of older adults' activity
The ability to move about may deteriorate when aging, a phenomenon which needs to be considered when assessing physical activity in older people.

Source: University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto

Healthier school food and physical activity environments matter for childhood obesity

School food choices and number of physical activity facilities are associated with students' BMI
Students at elementary and secondary schools that offer healthier food offerings and more opportunities for physical activities have a healthier body mass index, according to researchers. The study, published in Preventive Medicine Reports, uses professional measures of students' height and weight -- the gold standard for studying childhood obesity -- in a study on the effects of a school's food offerings and physical activity environment.

Source: Rutgers University