Science Weekly - 12th Sep 2021

It looks like this past week mostly the Finnish and Japanese were active in publishing research. Intriguing ideas on how to figure out a way to prevent or treat obesity, those into Judo might also find the research on the throw of interest and fat consumption was also on the table again.

​Here are the highlights:
​

• Researchers discover connection between brain’s opioid system and eating behavior
• ​Analyzing successful Judo throws
• ​Avocados change belly fat distribution in women, controlled study finds
• ​High fat diets break the body clock in rats, and this might be the underlying cause of obesity
• ​Potential indicator for obesity risk detected during sleep
• ​​Good sleep-time recovery is associated with a healthier diet and lower alcohol consumption

Researchers discover connection between brain’s opioid system and eating behavior

Brain regulation of feeding behavior traits has remained incompletely understood. In a new study, researchers discovered a connection between the function of the opioid system and food craving triggered by appetitive external stimuli.

Source: University of Turku

Analyzing successful Judo throws

Researchers use statistical methods on video data to quantitatively determine the biomechanical techniques correlated with successful judo throws. This work may assist in developing supervised or self-guided training routines.

Source: University of Tsukuba

Avocados change belly fat distribution in women, controlled study finds

An avocado a day could help redistribute belly fat in women toward a healthier profile, according to a new study. One hundred and five adults with overweight and obesity participated in a randomized controlled trial that provided one meal a day for 12 weeks. Women who consumed avocado as part of their daily meal had a reduction in deeper visceral abdominal fat.

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

High fat diets break the body clock in rats, and this might be the underlying cause of obesity

When rats are fed a high fat diet, this disturbs the body clock in their brain that normally controls satiety, leading to over-eating and obesity, according to new research.

Source: The Physiological Society

Potential indicator for obesity risk detected during sleep

Researchers have shown that people with inflexible metabolisms burn less fat at night than those with flexible metabolism. The team measured the respiratory quotient throughout the night and found that despite equal ages, BMIs, and amount of fat, people with inflexible metabolisms burned more carbohydrates and less fat than did people with flexible metabolisms. The higher sleep-time quotient could be a previously unknown indicator for the risk of future metabolic disease.

Source: University of Tsukuba

Good sleep-time recovery is associated with a healthier diet and lower alcohol consumption

Good sleep-time recovery is associated with a health-promoting diet and health-promoting eating habits, as well as with lower consumption of alcohol, according to a new study investigating psychological and physiological well-being among working-age Finnish adults.

Source: University of Eastern Finland