Science Weekly 12082018

​Scientists are still busy at work and keep releasing intriguing results. This week you can learn more about how alcohol may affect people's food choices or how binge drinking poses higher risk of CVD or stroke, the difference in weight loss success between men and women when on a low calorie diet, how soy may help women's bones, how exercise can help to beat cocaine addcition and improve mental health.

​Probably the most interesting and significant finding is the fat-blocking effect of nanofibers on lab animals. Humanity soon may find a way to eat fatty foods without absorbing them.

Got the 'drunchies'? New study shows how heavy drinking affects diet

After seeing an ad in a campus newspaper promoting unhealthy late-night foods, researchers decided to look at a sample of college students to better understand how drinking affects what they eat.

Source: ​http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2018/08/005.html

Soy diets might increase women's bone strength

Researchers now have discovered through a new animal study that soy protein found in food might counter the negative effects of menopause on bone and metabolic health. Moreover, the researchers believe that soy protein might also have positive impacts on bone strength for women who have not yet reached menopause.

Source: ​https://munews.missouri.edu/news-releases/2018/0807-soy-diets-might-increase-womens-bone-strength-according-to-new-university-of-missouri-research/

US teens: Higher prevalence of obesity than Grenada youth

Medical researchers have found a lower prevalence of overweight and obesity among youth in Grenada compared to US adolescents. The differences may reflect the impact of the westernized diet and lifestyle. The research may lead to a change in worldwide obesity prevention strategy.

Source: ​https://www.lsuhsc.edu/newsroom/LSU%20Health%20Research%20Reveals%20New%20Obesity%20Prevention%20Target.html

Better sleep linked with family tree strength

The question of why we sleep has been a longstanding subject of debate, with some theories suggesting that slumber provides respite for the brain, which allows it to filter out insignificant neural connections, build new ones, strengthen memories and even repair itself. However, new research has used mathematical approaches to tackle the adaptive significance of sleep, and the findings suggest that sleep has another purpose -- boosting our 'fitness' and future family line reproductive success.

Source: ​http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2018-08-06-better-sleep-linked-family-tree-strength

​Women and men experience different benefits from low-calorie diets

A low-calorie diet causes different metabolic effects in women than in men, a new study suggests.

Source: ​https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/dom.13466

Young drinkers beware: Binge drinking may cause stroke, heart risks

New research has found that young adults who frequently binge drink were more likely to have specific cardiovascular risk factors such as higher blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar at a younger age than non-binge drinkers.

Source: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.118.008733

​Fat-blocking effect of nanofibers discovered

Tiny balls of nano-sized cellulose fibers added to food reduced fat absorption by up to half in laboratory and animal experiments, scientists report.

Source: ​http://media.ntu.edu.sg/NewsReleases/Pages/newsdetail.aspx?news=620e5f00-8a03-4b00-b699-7a460690b50e

Exercise can help beat cocaine addiction, study finds

Exercise can help prevent relapses into cocaine addiction, according to new research.

Source: http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2018/08/008.html

​Exercise linked to improved mental health, but more may not always be better

A study of 1.2 million people in the USA has found that people who exercise report having 1.5 fewer days of poor mental health a month, compared to people who do not exercise. The study found that team sports, cycling, aerobics and going to the gym are associated with the biggest reductions, according to the largest observational study of its kind.

Source: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(18)30227-X/fulltext