Science Weekly - 18112018

Can mitochondria alter metabolism? Does obesity cause depression? Why you should keep trying even if you have failed multiple times? The 4 category of obesity. 

​Can you strengthen your heart purely via weight training? Should you eat a low-gluten diet? Are dieatary fats healthy? Long-term exposure to road traffic noise causes obesity?

Big change from small player: Mitochondria alter body metabolism and gene expression

Mitochondria have their own DNA, but the 13 genes in human mitochondria -- along with DNA sequences for tRNAs, rRNAs and some small peptides -- are massively overshadowed by the 20,000 genes in the human nucleus. Nevertheless, these diminutive mitochondria may have a strong influence on cellular metabolism and susceptibility to metabolic diseases like heart failure or obesity.

Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham

'Strongest evidence yet' that being obese causes depression

New research has found the strongest evidence yet that obesity causes depression, even in the absence of other health problems.

Source: University of South Australia

If your diet fails, try again; your heart will thank you

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease closely track with changes in eating patterns, even only after a month or so.

Source: Purdue University

Treating obesity: One size does not fit all

Understanding the very different characteristics of subgroups of obese patients may hold the key to devising more effective treatments and interventions, new research found.

Source: Brown University

Weightlifting is good for your heart and it doesn't take much

Lifting weights for less than an hour a week may reduce your risk for a heart attack or stroke by 40 to 70 percent, according to a new study. Spending more than an hour in the weight room did not yield any additional benefit, the researchers found. The results show benefits of strength training are independent of running, walking or other aerobic activity.

Source: Iowa State University

​Should you eat a low-gluten diet?

When healthy people eat a low-gluten and fiber-rich diet compared with a high-gluten diet they experience less intestinal discomfort including less bloating which researchers show are due to changes of the composition and function of gut bacteria. The new study also shows a modest weight loss following low-gluten dieting. The researchers attribute the impact of diet on healthy adults more to change in composition of dietary fibers than gluten itself.

Source: University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Different types of physical activity offer varying protection against heart disease

​While it is well known that physical activity is important for heart health, neither research nor recommendations consistently differentiate between the benefits of different types of physical activity. New research found that while all physical activity is beneficial, static activities -- such as strength training-- were more strongly associated with reducing heart disease risks than dynamic activities like walking and cycling.

Source: American College of Cardiology

Long-term exposure to road traffic noise may increase the risk of obesity

Long term exposure to road traffic noise is associated with increased risk of obesity.

Source: Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)

Dietary fat is good? Dietary fat is bad? Coming to consensus

Which is better, a low-fat/high-carbohydrate diet or a high-fat/low-carbohydrate diet -- or is it the type of fat that matters? In a new paper, researchers with diverse expertise and perspectives on the issues laid out the case for each position and came to a consensus and a future research agenda.

Source: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health