Science Weekly - 23rd April 2021

This week's papers show us why it isn't enough to read one scientific publication and judge any topic. You'll see two studies; one that found a correlation between red meat and heart disease, whilst the other claims that red meat could improve an already healthy Mediterranean diet.

Other intriguing topics include diet designs with computer analysis, the connection between mushroom consumption and cancer risks, and how 40+ clients may need to do more than what the health authority recommendations say.

Highlights:

• How we can reduce food waste and promote healthy eating
• Long-term weight retention and associated health risks identified in obese adults
• Study strengthens links between red meat and heart disease
• Mediterranean diet with lean beef may lower risk factors for heart disease
• New study explains why you should look at your food before casting judgment
• Keeping fit with HIIT really does work
• Want to be robust at 40-plus? Meeting minimum exercise guidelines won't cut it
• Designing healthy diets with computer analysis
• Multivitamins, omega-3, probiotics, vitamin D may lessen risk of positive COVID-19 test
• More belly weight increases danger of heart disease even if BMI does not indicate obesity
• Higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer

How we can reduce food waste and promote healthy eating

Food waste and obesity are major problems in developed countries. They are both caused by an overabundance of food, but strategies to reduce one can inadvertently increase the other. A broader perspective can help identify ways to limit food waste while also promoting healthy nutrition, researchers suggest.

Source: University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

Long-term weight retention and associated health risks identified in obese adults

UK adults who are overweight or obese retain their weight over time, which is associated with an increased risk of health complications and death, according to a new study.

Source: BMC (BioMed Central)

Study strengthens links between red meat and heart disease

An observational study in nearly 20,000 individuals has found that greater intake of red and processed meat is associated with worse heart function.

Source: European Society of Cardiology

Mediterranean diet with lean beef may lower risk factors for heart disease

In a randomized controlled study, researchers found that a Mediterranean diet combined with small portions of lean beef helped lower risk factors for developing heart disease, such as LDL cholesterol.

Source: Penn State

New study explains why you should look at your food before casting judgment

The order in which your senses interact with food has a tremendous impact on how much you like it. That's the premise of a new study. Food tastes better if you see it before smelling it.

Source: University of South Florida (USF Innovation)

Keeping fit with HIIT really does work

Short bursts of activity you can easily do at home keep your fitness up
Recently, researchers have been studying whether shorter variations of HIIT, involving as little as 4-min of high intensity exercise per session (excluding a warm up and cool down), also improve health. A new review paper collates a decade's worth of research on the topic of this so-called low-volume high HIIT for health.

Source: The Physiological Society

Want to be robust at 40-plus? Meeting minimum exercise guidelines won't cut it

5 hours of moderate activity a week may be required to avoid midlife hypertension
Young adults must step up their exercise routines to reduce their chances of developing high blood pressure or hypertension - a condition that may lead to heart attack and stroke, as well as dementia in later life.

Source: University of California - San Francisco

Designing healthy diets with computer analysis

A new mathematical model for the interaction of bacteria in the gut could help design new probiotics and specially tailored diets to prevent diseases.

Source: Chalmers University of Technology

Multivitamins, omega-3, probiotics, vitamin D may lessen risk of positive COVID-19 test

But protective effects seen only among women, study finds
Taking multivitamins, omega-3, probiotics or vitamin D supplements may lessen the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 infection -- at least among women, indicates a large population study.

Source: BMJ

More belly weight increases danger of heart disease even if BMI does not indicate obesity

Research on how obesity impacts the diagnosis, management and outcomes of heart and blood vessel disease, heart failure and arrhythmias is summarized in a new statement. Waist circumference, an indicator of abdominal obesity, should be regularly measured as it is a potential warning sign of increased cardiovascular disease risk. Interventions that lead to weight loss improve risk factors yet may not always lead to improvement in coronary artery disease outcomes.

Source: American Heart Association

Higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer

Higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer, according to a new study. The systematic review and meta-analysis examined 17 cancer studies published from 1966 to 2020. Analyzing data from more than 19,500 cancer patients, researchers explored the relationship between mushroom consumption and cancer risk.

Source: Penn State