Science Weekly - 19082018

This week's line-up includes studies conducted to identify markers in children's fitness and health, how living near a forest would increase their chances to eat healthier, the role protein plays in preventing fatty liver disease after a weight loss project or how resistance training improves our overall motivation to exercise. Have fun!

Wearable devices and mobile health technology: One step towards better health

With increasing efforts being made to address the current global obesity epidemic, wearable devices and mobile health ('mHealth') technology have emerged as promising tools for promoting physical activity. However, current literature seems to indicate that these new technologies may serve best as part of a larger overall health plan, rather than working alone to encourage weight loss.

Source: Boston University School of Medicine 

​Grip strength of children gives clues about their future health

Adolescents with a strong hand grip -- an indicator of overall muscle strength -- have better odds of being healthy over time, according to a two-year study of 368 elementary school children. The findings give insights to identify youngsters at future risk for developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Source: Baylor University

Using mushrooms as a prebiotic may help improve glucose regulation

Eating white button mushrooms can create subtle shifts in the microbial community in the gut, which could improve the regulation of glucose in the liver, according to a team of researchers. They also suggest that better understanding this connection between mushrooms and gut microbes in mice could one day pave the way for new diabetes treatments and prevention strategies for people.

Source: Penn State

​Moderate carbohydrate intake may be best for health, study suggests

A new study has found that diets both low and high in carbohydrates were linked with an increase in mortality, while moderate consumers of carbohydrates had the lowest risk of mortality. The study also found that low-carb diets that replace carbohydrates with proteins and fats from plant sources were associated with lower risk of mortality compared to those that replace carbohydrates with proteins and fat from animal sources.

Source: The Lancet

​More protein after weight loss may reduce fatty liver disease

Increasing the amount of protein in the diet may reduce the liver's fat content and lower the risk of diabetes in people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Source: American Physiological Society

​How forests improve kids' diets

A first-of-its-kind global study shows that children in 27 developing countries have better nutrition -- when they live near forests. The results turn on its head the assumption that improving nutrition in poorer countries requires clearing forests for more farmland -- and, instead, suggest that forest conservation could be an important tool to improve the nutrition of children.

Source: University of Vermont

​Exercise shown to improve symptoms of patients with chronic kidney disease

Just 12 weeks of aerobic and strength-based exercise reduces symptoms and levels of fatigue in patients with chronic kidney disease, a study has found.

Source: University of Leicester

​Resistance training and exercise-motivation go hand-in-hand

​A recent study suggests that resistance training improves exercise motivation and contributes to making exercise planning among older adults. Exercise motivation and exercise self-efficacy are key factors in continuing resistance training.

Source: University of Jyväskylä

​Evening preference, lack of sleep associated with higher BMI in people with prediabetes

People with prediabetes who go to bed later, eat meals later and are more active and alert later in the day -- those who have an 'evening preference' -- have higher body mass indices compared with people with prediabetes who do things earlier in the day, or exhibit morning preference.

Source: University of Illinois at Chicago