Increasing workout intensity can stimulate muscle cells to build and improve their mitochondria, but exercise scientists are also looking for ways to strengthen that adaptation without making workouts harder. A new study tested whether blood flow restriction (BFR), a technique that temporarily reduces blood flow to the limbs, could amplify the muscle's adaptation to sprint training. The study included 20 healthy, physically active men with at least one year of cycling experience, who were divided into two groups with similar starting fitness levels. Both groups completed the same six-week tra... exercise mitochondria
Read moreFor decades, nutrition debates have often centered on whether people should cut carbohydrates or cut fat. A new study examined how low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets were associated with heart disease risk when the quality and sources of the foods people ate were taken into account. The researchers analyzed data from 198,473 men and women in three long-running health studies in the United States. Participants were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at the start, and completed detailed diet questionnaires about every four years over periods spanning more than 30 years. Rather... cardiovascular diet heart disease carbohydrates fat
Read moreOrthopedic implants need to bond firmly with surrounding bone while resisting microbes that can grow on their surfaces. Implants used after bone-cancer surgery face another challenge: limiting how many bone cancer cells remain alive on the implant surface. Researchers tested whether an implant coating could address these problems by locally delivering curcumin, a compound from turmeric, and ginger extract. This preclinical study used a titanium alloy commonly studied for load-bearing implants, coated with hydroxyapatite, a bone-like calcium phosphate. Some coatings also contained zinc oxide an... bone cancer curcumin
Read moreHow muscles respond to exercise largely depends on intensity, and researchers are testing whether targeted nutrients can influence that process. A new study examined whether an olive leaf extract rich in the polyphenol oleuropein could alter muscle responses to moderate cycling or sprint interval exercise. The crossover trial included 22 healthy, physically active young men who were not following a structured training program. Participants were assigned to either moderate-intensity continuous exercise (1 hour of cycling at 50% maximal aerobic power) or sprint interval exercise (six 30-second ... exercise mitochondria muscle polyphenol supplements
Read moreKnee osteoarthritis pain is often only treated as a problem of joint degeneration, but growing evidence suggests the gut may also play a role in how that pain is perceived. Researchers tested whether inulin, a prebiotic fiber, could reduce symptoms on its own or when paired with a digital physiotherapy program. The trial randomly assigned 136 adults with knee osteoarthritis to four groups: 20 grams of inulin per day, an app-based physiotherapy exercise program, both treatments together, or maltodextrin as a placebo. The researchers measured average knee pain, lower-body function using chair-s... arthritis gut microbiome prebiotics
Read moreScreen use has become common, even in infancy, yet little is known about how it might influence brain development years later. To address this gap, researchers conducted a longitudinal study to explore how early screen exposure shapes later aspects of mental health. The study followed 168 children in Singapore from infancy into their teenage years. Parents reported how much time their children typically spent using screens at ages 1 and 2. As the children grew, researchers tracked their brain development using diffusion MRI, a type of brain scan that estimates structural connections between b... anxiety cognition development mental health
Read moreAge-related declines in muscle strength occur alongside rising burdens of heart disease and premature death, yet clinicians lack simple physical tests that identify the highest-risk patients. In a new study, a research team asked whether a quick measure that combines handgrip strength with body weight could help close this gap. The investigators analyzed data from more than 10,000 U.S. adults and over 11,000 Chinese adults. They calculated a grip strength-to-weight ratio by adding the strongest reading from each hand and dividing it by the participant's body weight. Participants were grouped ... cardiovascular exercise mortality strength
Read moreMitochondria are often called the "powerhouses" of cells, and their proper function is essential for sustaining energy balance and health. In a new study, researchers at the University of Cologne investigated whether the amino acid leucine can directly influence their activity. Using the roundworm C. elegans and cultured human cells, the scientists tested whether adding leucine could stabilize proteins on the outer mitochondrial membrane—the boundary that interacts with the rest of the cell—and how this affects mitochondrial metabolism. In some experiments, leucine was compared with the relat... mitochondria protein
Read moreIn this clip, Dr. Rhonda Patrick discusses the active area of investigation surrounding the immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. ... covid-19 immune system virus
Watch nowRoughly two-thirds of all adults living in the United States are overweight or obese. Losing weight presents many challenges, however, and popular weight-loss diets and dietary patterns are not always successful or sustainable. A recent study found that people who followed an intermittent fasting, Mediterranean, or Paleo diet lost weight and showed improvements in health, but adherence to the diets varied. Intermittent fasting is a broad term that describes periods of fasting between meals that can last several hours to days. Intermittent fasting increases the production of ketones due to the... diet blood pressure protein dairy blood sugar weight loss
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