Science Weekly - 17th July

It's clear that COVID-19 is dictating direction for medical research and it's hit nutrition now too. It seems they are trying to find out if diet changes towards a ketogenic diet can make a difference in the recovery of COVID patients. Seems that nutrition and fitness science revolves around weight loss and lifestyle disease prevention from all angles, including brain science, genetic variations and diet.

​Here are the highlights:

• ​Soy and wheat proteins helpful for building aging muscles, but not as potent as animal protein
• ​Study pinpoints brain cells that trigger sugar cravings and consumption
• ​Pickled capers activate proteins important for human brain and heart health
• ​Genetic variation shapes individual perception of fatty foods
• ​New, remote weight-loss method helped slash pounds
• ​Does eating fish protect our brains from air pollution?
• ​High-fat diet with antibiotic use linked to gut inflammation
• ​Researchers outline strategy for testing ketone bodies against COVID-19
• ​How long should you fast for weight loss?

Soy and wheat proteins helpful for building aging muscles, but not as potent as animal protein

On a gram for gram basis, animal proteins are more effective than plant proteins in supporting the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass with advancing age, shows new research.

Source: The Physiological Society

Study pinpoints brain cells that trigger sugar cravings and consumption

New research has identified for the first time the specific brain cells that control how much sugar you eat and how much you crave sweet tasting food. The study specifically identifies the brain cells that respond to the hormone FGF21 to regulate sugar intake and sweet taste preference.

Source: University of Iowa Health Care

Pickled capers activate proteins important for human brain and heart health

New study reveals how a compound found in capers regulates proteins that control important bodily processes
​A compound commonly found in pickled capers has been shown to activate proteins required for normal human brain and heart activity, and may even lead to future therapies for the treatment of epilepsy and abnormal heart rhythms.

Source: University of California - Irvine

Genetic variation shapes individual perception of fatty foods

Most people would agree that the pleasure of some foods stems in part from its fat content. New research has now found that liking of fatty food is more complex than its fat content alone -- it could also be related to inborn genetic traits of the consumer related to fat perception.

Source: Monell Chemical Senses Center

New, remote weight-loss method helped slash pounds

Losing weight during COVID-19 pandemic is urgent as obesity increases risk of severe disease and death
A new remote weight-loss program, called Opt-IN, provides maximum weight loss for the lowest cost and with much less hassle than the gold-standard National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), the most successful behavioral non-drug treatment currently available.

Source: Northwestern University

Does eating fish protect our brains from air pollution?

Older women who eat more than one to two servings a week of baked or broiled fish or shellfish may consume enough omega-3 fatty acids to counteract the effects of air pollution on the brain, according to a new study.

Source: American Academy of Neurology

High-fat diet with antibiotic use linked to gut inflammation

Combining Western diet and antibiotic use is a pre- IBD risk factor
Researchers have found that combining a Western-style high-fat diet with antibiotic use significantly increases the risk of developing pre- inflammatory bowel disease. This combination shuts down the mitochondria in cells of the colon lining, leading to gut inflammation. Mesalazine can help restart the mitochondria and treat pre-IBD condition.

Source: University of California - Davis Health

Researchers outline strategy for testing ketone bodies against COVID-19

Review highlights the role of geroscience in the fight against this and future pandemics
A new review encourages researchers studying metabolism and immunity to turn their attention to ketone bodies, which are being widely studied for their role in aging, as a possible therapeutic against COVID-19, seasonal flu and other respiratory infections.

Source: Buck Institute for Research on Aging

How long should you fast for weight loss?

Two daily fasting diets, also known as time-restricted feeding diets, are effective for weight loss, according to a new study. The study reported results from a clinical trial that compared a 4-hour time-restricted feeding diet and a 6-hour time-restricted feeding diet to a control group.

Source: University of Illinois at Chicago