Science Weekly - 11th March 2022

This week we can learn more about how exercise benefits the ageing population, understand how the Nordic diet might improve health markers even if there is no weight loss or about a potential obesity treatment that works for women only.

The highlights:

• Seeing is believing when it comes to health risk and behavior change
• Nordic diet lowers cholesterol and blood sugar – even if you don't lose weight
• Golfing regularly could be a hole-in-one for older adults' health
• Physical activity may protect your brain as you age
• Discovery of new immune process that regulates inflammation in human fat may help manage obesity
• An obesity treatment for women only?
• Eating protein from a greater variety of sources may lower risk of high blood pressure

Seeing is believing when it comes to health risk and behavior change

Personalized imaging to visualize health may be effective in discouraging risky behaviors
Using medical imaging technologies that can visualize health may discourage risk-related behaviors more than non-visual information. A new meta-analysis finds that when individuals undergo an imaging procedure and are shown visual personalized information about their own risk of disease, they may be more likely to reduce risky behaviors.

Source: PLOS

Nordic diet lowers cholesterol and blood sugar – even if you don't lose weight

A healthy Nordic diet can prevent a range of diseases. Until now, the health benefits attributed to a Nordic diet by researchers primarily focused on weight loss. But in a new study, researchers found clear evidence that a Nordic diet can lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels even without weight loss. In particular, they point to the composition of dietary fats as a possible explanation for the diet's positive effects.

Source: University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science

Golfing regularly could be a hole-in-one for older adults' health

Regularly golfing, at least once per month, was found to lower the risk of death among older adults. While the protective effects of playing golf have not been linked to reduction of heart attack and stroke risk, researchers note the positive effects of exercise and social interaction for older adults unable to participate in more strenuous exercise.

Source: American Heart Association

Physical activity may protect your brain as you age

Even just a few more steps a day benefits cognitive function
We all know we should exercise and eat healthy foods. But doing that isn't just good for maintaining your figure as you age. New research shows that physical activity could help protect your cognitive abilities as you age. And it doesn't have to be intense exercise to make an impact.

Source: University of Georgia

Discovery of new immune process that regulates inflammation in human fat may help manage obesity

Scientists have just identified how specific immune cells can work together in fat to cause inflammation that leads to weight gain and obesity. Their work pinpoints new avenues to exploit the regulation of that inflammation in fat tissue, thereby suggesting new ways to manage obesity.

Source: Trinity College Dublin

An obesity treatment for women only?

Researchers have identified a potential way to battle the health effects of obesity and type 2 diabetes in women after discovering an important factor that could determine how their bodies use and store fat.

Source: University of Virginia Health System

Eating protein from a greater variety of sources may lower risk of high blood pressure

In a study of nearly 12,200 adults in China, eating protein from a greater variety of sources was associated with a lower risk of developing high blood pressure. This suggests that consuming a balanced diet with a moderate amount of protein from diverse food sources may help prevent new-onset hypertension.

Source: American Heart Association