Science Weekly - 220718

Nutrition, weight loss and fitness science provided an overwhelming amount of research results in the past week and the topics are also varied as you'll see from the selection. Hormones, genetics, supplements and a range of diseases got a little bit of spotlight this week. Everybody can find something that will help their clients.

Wearable device measures cortisol in sweat

By drawing in a bit of sweat, a patch can reveal how much cortisol a person is producing. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone but is involved in many important physiological functions.

Source: https://news.stanford.edu/press/view/22139

Effect of genetic factors on nutrition: The genes are not to blame

Individualized dietary recommendations based on genetic information are currently a popular trend. A team has systematically analyzed scientific articles and reached the following conclusion: There is no clear evidence for the effect of genetic factors on the consumption of total calories, carbohydrates, and fat. According to the current state of knowledge, the expedience of gene-based dietary recommendations has yet to be proven.

Source: https://www.tum.de/nc/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/detail/article/34824/

High fruit and vegetable consumption may reduce risk of breast cancer

Women who eat a high amount of fruits and vegetables each day may have a lower risk of breast cancer, especially of aggressive tumors, than those who eat fewer fruits and vegetables, according to a new study.

Source: ​https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/fruit-vegetables-breast-cancer/

Omega 3 supplements have little or no heart or vascular health benefit

Omega 3 supplements have little or no effect on the risk of heart disease, stroke or death -- according to new research. Increased consumption of omega 3 fats is widely promoted globally because of a common belief that that it will protect against heart disease. But a new Cochrane review finds that omega 3 supplements offer little, if any, benefit.

Source: ​http://www.uea.ac.uk/about/-/omega-3-supplements-have-little-or-no-heart-or-vascular-health-benefit

Poor air quality does not offset exercise's heart benefits

Even in areas with moderate to high levels of traffic pollution, regular physical activity reduced the risk of first and recurrent heart attack.

Source: ​https://newsroom.heart.org/news/poor-air-quality-does-not-offset-exercises-heart-benefits?preview=08b1

Mindset during meal planning changes food choices and brain responses to food

A simple instruction to change your thinking as mealtime approaches can help cut calories, according to new research. By encouraging study participants to concentrate on different types of information when planning their meal, the experimenters saw portion sizes shift. Adopting a health-focused mindset produced better outcomes than focusing on pleasure or the desire to fill up.

Source: http://www.ssib.org/web/press2018.php

Testosterone research brings new hope for cancer patients

Approximately 20 percent of cancer related deaths are attributed to the syndrome of cachexia. Medical researchers now show that the hormone testosterone is effective at combating cachexia in cancer patients and improving quality of life.

Source: ​http://transform.tamu.edu/news/testosterone-research-brings-new-hope-cancer-patients