Science Weekly - 3rd Sep 2021

Scientists found exciting links between the sense of smell and food intake in one of the papers published in the last week. It looks like walnuts might help with bad cholesterol levels. The European Society for Cardiology released their latest lifestyle guidelines for preventing CVD and stroke. The geeks might also find a pretty intriguing proof of concept about a liquid metal that can turn motion into electricity even underwater. Check out this week's updates from the fields of fitness, nutrition and sports science.

​Highlights:
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• ​Your sense of smell may be the key to a balanced diet
• Common pesticide may contribute to global obesity crisis
• ​Moderate-vigorous physical activity is the most efficient at improving fitness
• ​Reducing sugar in packaged foods can prevent disease in millions
• ​Eating walnuts daily lowered 'bad' cholesterol and may reduce cardiovascular disease risk
• ​How can I avoid heart disease or stroke?
• ​​Using liquid metal to turn motion into electricity, even underwater
• ​Study finds body mass index for children greatest in Midwest, least in West

Your sense of smell may be the key to a balanced diet

We are less likely to perceive smells of food that relate to a recent meal, helping us make choices about what to eat next
When we smell food, we are more likely to eat -- but new findings suggest eating food also impacts our sense of smell, which could bias what we eat next. Imaging shows that brain's response to odors similar to a recent meal is less 'food-like' than its response to a different food odor. Interplay between smell and food intake may have evolutionary benefit in helping humans diversify diet

Source: Northwestern University

Common pesticide may contribute to global obesity crisis

Chlorpyrifos slows down the burning of calories in the brown adipose tissue of mice fos
Researchers discovered that chlorpyrifos, which is banned for use on foods in Canada but widely sprayed on fruits and vegetables in many other parts of the world, slows down the burning of calories in the brown adipose tissue of mice. Reducing this burning of calories, a process known as diet-induced thermogenesis, causes the body to store these extra calories, promoting obesity. Scientists made the discovery after studying 34 commonly used pesticides and herbicides in brown fat cells and testing the effects of chlorpyrifos in mice fed high calorie diets.

Source: McMaster University

Moderate-vigorous physical activity is the most efficient at improving fitness

Physical fitness is a powerful predictor of health outcomes
In the largest study performed to date to understand the relationship between habitual physical activity and physical fitness, researchers have found that higher amount of time spent performing exercise (moderate-vigorous physical activity) and low-moderate level activity (steps) and less time spent sedentary, translated to greater physical fitness.

Source: Boston University School of Medicine

Reducing sugar in packaged foods can prevent disease in millions

Cutting 20 percent of sugar from packaged foods and 40 percent from beverages could prevent 2.48 million cardiovascular disease events (such as strokes, heart attacks, cardiac arrests), 490,000 cardiovascular deaths, and 750,000 diabetes cases in the U.S. over the lifetime of the adult population, according to a new study.

Source: Massachusetts General Hospital

Eating walnuts daily lowered 'bad' cholesterol and may reduce cardiovascular disease risk

Healthy older adults who ate a handful of walnuts (about ½ cup) a day for two years modestly lowered their level of low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol levels. Consuming walnuts daily also reduced the number of LDL particles, a predictor of cardiovascular disease risk. The study explored the effects of a walnut-enriched diet on overall cholesterol in elderly individuals from diverse geographical locations and spanning two years.

Source: American Heart Association

How can I avoid heart disease or stroke?

​As much as 90% of the risk of a heart attack, stroke, or peripheral arterial disease (PAD) can be explained by smoking, poor eating habits, lack of physical activity, abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, raised blood lipid levels, diabetes, psychosocial factors, or alcohol. These guidelines focus on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), which affects the arteries. As the inside of the arteries become clogged up by fatty deposits, they can no longer supply enough blood to the body. This process is the main cause of heart attacks, strokes, PAD and sudden death where arteries become completely blocked. The most important way to prevent these conditions is to adopt a healthy lifestyle throughout life, especially not smoking, and to treat risk factors.

Source: European Society of Cardiology

​Using liquid metal to turn motion into electricity, even underwater

Researchers have created a soft, stretchable device that converts movement into electricity and works in both dry and wet environments.


Source: North Carolina State University

Study finds body mass index for children greatest in Midwest, least in West

A study examining the body mass index (BMI) of over 14,000 children from birth to age 15 shows those in the Midwest have the highest BMI levels while kids in the West have the lowest, suggesting regional influences may play a role in the development of childhood obesity.

Source: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus