Science Weekly
A weekly round up of scientific research for personal trainers. Join for free to get Science Weekly updates delivered straight to your inbox.
 It looks like scientists have been busy publishing this past week too. The range of topics is also astonishing, whether you train people who need to lose weight, are battling with mental health problems, live in polluted cities, children who need to become more active, expecting women or astronauts, you'll find something in this collection. Highlights:
More protein doesn't mean more strength in resistance-trained middle-aged adults A 10-week muscle-building and dietary program involving 50 middle-aged adults found no evidence that eating a high-protein diet increased strength or muscle mass more than consuming a moderate amount of protein while training. The intervention involved a standard strength-training protocol with sessions three times per week. None of the participants had previous weightlifting experience. Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau Non-drug therapies as good as or better than drugs for treating depression in people with dementia Non-drug therapies, such as exercise, appear to be as, or more, effective than drugs for reducing symptoms of depression in people with dementia, suggests new research. Source: BMJ Should you take fish oil? Depends on your genotype Fish oil supplements are a billion-dollar industry built on a foundation of purported, but not proven, health benefits. Now, new research indicates that taking fish oil only provides health benefits if you have the right genetic makeup. Source: University of Georgia Correcting altered brain circuit could tackle coinciding obesity and depression Researchers have identified and characterized a novel neural circuit that mediates the reciprocal control of obesity and depression in mouse models, and a potential therapy. Source: Baylor College of Medicine Air pollution and physical exercise: When to do more or less Physical activity is important in preventing heart and blood vessel disease in young people so long as they don't undertake very strenuous activity on days when air pollution levels are high, according to a nationwide study of nearly 1.5 million people published in the European Heart Journal. Source: European Society of Cardiology Activity is good: Varied activity is better The recommendations are clear: physical activity is good for mental health. But it also depends on how varied it is. That's what a new study shows, pointing to one of the reasons why well-being suffers during the pandemic. Source: University of Basel Long-term space travelers will need high-intensity exercise to protect heart health Sustained low-intensity exercise does not completely counteract the effects of weightlessness on the heart muscle, which will atrophy over time in a gravity-free environment. Short bursts of repeated high-intensity activity during shorter space missions may be more successful in keeping the heart healthy. Source: American Heart Association Kids' metabolic health can be improved with exercise during pregnancy: here's why Many previous studies have linked increased maternal body weight and unhealthy diets to poorer metabolic outcomes in offspring, often many years later. Understanding the mechanisms of how maternal exercise can reverse these effects might lead to interventions that prevent these diseases transmitting across generations. Source: Joslin Diabetes Center Cardiorespiratory fitness improves grades at school Studies indicate a link between children's cardiorespiratory fitness and their school performance: the more athletic they are, the better their marks in the main subjects. Similarly, cardiorespiratory fitness is known to benefit cognitive abilities. But what is the real influence of such fitness on school results? Researchers tested pupils from eight Geneva schools. Their results show that there is an indirect link with cardiorespiratory fitness influencing cognitive abilities, which in turn, influence school results. Source: Université de Genève Fasting can be an effective way to start a diet Those who need to change their eating habits to normalize their blood pressure should start with a fast. Scientists explain why patients can use it as a tool to improve their health in the long term. Source: Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association Can drinking cocoa protect your heart when you're stressed? Increased consumption of flavanols - a group of molecules occurring naturally in fruit and vegetables - could protect people from mental stress-induced cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart disease and thrombosis, according to new research. Source: University of Birmingham Study ratifies link of processed meat to cardiovascular disease and early death The information comes from the diets and health outcomes of 134,297 people from 21 countries spanning five continents, who were tracked by researchers for data on meat consumption and cardiovascular illnesses.
Source: McMaster University |
