Science Weekly - 30122019

Science Weekly is coming back to its weekly schedule in 2020 so we compiled a selection of research papers from December 2019 to warm-up your scientific curiosity.

Here are the highlights:

• IF (Intermittent Fasting) seems to actually work
• Restricted eaters may feel left out of the social aspect of sitting down for a meal
• Another study on caffeine, this time pro
• HIIT timing matters for optimum effect
• News of a self-healing sweat sensor for geeks
• Walking or cycling to work has shown to decrease heart attack risks in a research by University of Leeds
• Our body fat % affects our thinking - Who would have thought?
• Weight loss in women over 50 decreases the risk of breast cancer
• Yoga is good for the brain - we have evidence now
• It seems that heel-toe or toe-heel doesn't matter in preventing running injuries.
• Avoiding sweets can help to prevent holiday blues

Intermittent fasting: Live 'fast,' live longer?

For many people, the New Year is a time to adopt new habits as a renewed commitment to personal health. Newly enthusiastic fitness buffs pack into gyms and grocery stores are filled with shoppers eager to try out new diets.

But, does scientific evidence support the claims made for these diets? In a review article published in the Dec. 26 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine neuroscientist Mark Mattson, Ph.D., concludes that intermittent fasting does.

Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine

For restricted eaters, a place at the table but not the meal

People with restricted diets -- due to allergies, health issues or religious or cultural norms -- are more likely to feel lonely when they can't share in what others are eating, new research shows.

Source: Cornell University

Caffeine may offset some health risks of diets high in fat, sugar

In a study of rats, scientists found that caffeine limited weight gain and cholesterol production, despite a diet that was high in fat and sugar.

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau

HIIT timing matters for increasing fitness

60-second intervals with 60-second breaks are effective whereas 30-second ones and 120-second rests aren't.
High intensity interval training (HIIT) is only effective for improving fitness when performed at 60-second intervals, according to new research.

Source: The Physiological Society

A self-healing sweat sensor

Wearable sensors that track heart rate or steps are popular fitness products. But in the future, working up a good sweat could provide useful information about a person's health. Now, researchers have developed a headband that measures electrolyte levels in sweat. And unlike many previous sweat sensors, the device can heal itself when cut or scratched during exercise.

Source: American Chemical Society

Walking and cycling to work linked with fewer heart attacks

Walking and cycling to work were associated with fewer heart attacks across 43 million adults in England, according to a new national study.

Source: University of Leeds

Changes in the immune system explain why belly fat is bad for thinking

Researchers have found for the first time that less muscle and more body fat may affect how flexible our thinking gets as we become older, and changes in parts of the immune system could be responsible.

Source: Iowa State University

Large study links sustained weight loss to reduced breast cancer risk

Results show that higher breast cancer risk from excess body weight can be reversed with weight loss
A large new study finds that women who lost weight after age 50 and kept it off had a lower risk of breast cancer than women whose weight remained stable, helping answer a vexing question in cancer prevention.

Source: American Cancer Society

Experts review evidence yoga is good for the brain

Scientists have known for decades that aerobic exercise strengthens the brain and contributes to the growth of new neurons, but few studies have examined how yoga affects the brain. A review of the science finds evidence that yoga enhances many of the same brain structures and functions that benefit from aerobic exercise.

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau

Running research: Heel-toe or toe-heel?

New research suggests there is no evidence that changing a runner's strike pattern will help prevent injuries or give them a speed boost.

Source: La Trobe University

Want to avoid the holiday blues? New report suggests skipping the sweet treats

A new study from a team of clinical psychologists suggests eating added sugars -- common in so many holiday foods -- can trigger metabolic, inflammatory and neurobiological processes tied to depressive illness.

Source: University of Kansas