Science Weekly - 28th Aug 2020

Plenty of research papers to look at this week too! From the causes of leaky gut syndrome through studying water polo players to learn more abut their kick power to the benefits of the EatWell Guide Diet on mortality.

​Here are the highlights:

• ​​Excessive fructose consumption may cause a leaky gut, leading to fatty liver disease
• Studying water polo for kicks
• ​Compared to placebo, vitamin D has no benefit for severe asthma attacks, study finds
• ​No safe level of caffeine consumption for pregnant women and would-be mothers
• ​Who could benefit from exercise and behavioral treatment?
• ​Transplanted brown-fat-like cells hold promise for obesity and diabetes
• ​Depressed or anxious teens risk heart attacks in middle age
• ​Japanese sake: the new pick-me-up? Yeast strain makes fatigue-fighting ornithine
• ​Spouses shed more pounds together than alone
• ​Are all vegetarian diets healthy?
• ​How vitamin C could help over 50s retain muscle mass
• ​​Following 'Eatwell Guide' diet could reduce your risk of dying early and lower your environmental footprint

Excessive fructose consumption may cause a leaky gut, leading to fatty liver disease

Excessive consumption of fructose -- a sweetener ubiquitous in the American diet -- can result in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is comparably abundant in the United States. But contrary to previous understanding, researchers report that fructose only adversely affects the liver after it reaches the intestines, where the sugar disrupts the epithelial barrier protecting internal organs from bacterial toxins in the gut.

Source: University of California - San Diego

Studying water polo for kicks

Scientists measure the propulsive force of water polo players executing highly efficient 'eggbeater' kicks, paving the way to improved sports performance and new undersea transportation methods.

Source: ​University of Tsukuba

Compared to placebo, vitamin D has no benefit for severe asthma attacks, study finds

Contrary to earlier observational results, vitamin D supplements do not prevent severe asthma attacks in at-risk children, according to the first placebo-controlled clinical trial to test this relationship.

Source: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

No safe level of caffeine consumption for pregnant women and would-be mothers

Women who are pregnant or trying for a baby should consider avoiding caffeine, researchers say
Women who are pregnant or trying to conceive should be advised to avoid caffeine because the evidence suggests that maternal caffeine consumption is associated with negative pregnancy outcomes and that there is no safe level of consumption, finds an analysis of observational studies.

Source: BMJ 

Who could benefit from exercise and behavioral treatment?

Depression study suggests it may be possible to predict who would benefit
​Aerobic exercise clearly benefits young adults with major depression, and a study suggests it may be possible to predict those who would benefit from behavioral therapy with exercise. Unique to this precision medicine study is an assessment of cognitive control and reward-related brain activity, two facets of brain function that are impaired in people with depression.

Source: Rutgers University

Transplanted brown-fat-like cells hold promise for obesity and diabetes

A potential therapy for obesity would transplant HUMBLE (human brown-like) fat cells, human white fat cells that have been genetically modified using CRISPR to become similar to heat-generating brown fat cells.

Source: Joslin Diabetes Center

Depressed or anxious teens risk heart attacks in middle age

Depression or anxiety in adolescence is linked with a 20% greater likelihood of having a heart attack mid-life, according to new research.

Source: European Society of Cardiology

Japanese sake: the new pick-me-up? Yeast strain makes fatigue-fighting ornithine

Researchers have found that that a mutant strain of sake yeast produces high levels of the amino acid ornithine. Ornithine has been found to reduce fatigue and improve sleep quality, and the non-genetically modified mutant yeast strain discovered in this study could be easily applied to brewing sake, a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage, as well as wine and beer.

Source: Nara Institute of Science and Technology

Spouses shed more pounds together than alone

Weight loss is most successful in heart attack survivors when partners join in the effort to diet, according to new research.

Source: European Society of Cardiology

Are all vegetarian diets healthy?

Vegetarian foods are not equally healthy, according to new research.

Source: European Society of Cardiology

How vitamin C could help over 50s retain muscle mass

New research shows that vitamin C could help over 50s retain muscle mass in later life. The study shows that older people who eat plenty of vitamin C -- commonly found in citrus fruits, berries and vegetables -- have the best skeletal muscle mass.

Source: University of East Anglia

Following 'Eatwell Guide' diet could reduce your risk of dying early and lower your environmental footprint

Adhering to Public Health England's 'Eatwell Guide' of a balanced diet could reduce your chance of dying prematurely and lower your environmental footprint, according to a new study.

Source: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine