Kinesiology study: High-Intensity Wor...
by healthypages on 03/05/2012 - 02:51 pm |
Tags: Kinesiology, News
High Intensity but brief workouts appear to be able to reduce type 2 diabetics' blood sugar levels. That is the conclusion from a McMaster University study. The researchers discovered that the benefits could be attained in just two weeks and with six high intensity workout sessions. This is good news for diabetics who find it hard to keep to the recommended exercise routines suggested for them.
From the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster, Professor Martin Gibala who was the study's supervising author said: "These findings are intriguing because they suggest that exercising very strenuously for short periods of time, may provide many of the same health benefits as traditional exercise training," adding that "This is the first study to show that intense interval training may be a potent, time-efficient strategy to improve glycemic regulation in people with type 2 diabetes."
The 30 minutes sessions which took up a total of 75 minutes per week had the effect of lowering post meal blood sugar spikes, reducing 24-hour blood sugar concentrations and raising the mitochondrial capacity of skeletal muscle which is a sign of the body's metabolic health condition.
For the workouts the participants had to ride an exercise bike for 60 seconds, ten times and at 90% of their maximal heart rate. In between each flurry of exercise, the participants were allowed one minute recuperation. Including the warm up and cool down sections, the total time of each session was only 25 minutes.
This training schedule is beneficial for diabetics who are finding it hard to keep to the Canadian Diabetes Association's recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week
Commenting on the study as a whole, Gibala said, "The improved glycemic control may be linked to changes in the subjects' muscles, such as an improved ability to clear glucose from the blood after meals", adding that "We need to conduct further research to identify the mechanisms behind these results."
Women Really Are Better at Multi tasking
by healthypages on 29/03/2012 - 02:45 pm |
Tag: News
According to some recent research, women really are better at multitasking than men. Of course this will come as no surprise to women; in fact women may say it is stating the obvious. But still, science has a way of endorsing what people already know.
In particular it was found that women are do much more multitasking at home whereas at work they are on a par with men when it comes to the amount of activities undertaken. The work at home may be taking phone calls, while holding the baby and doing different household tasks. The penalty for all this multitasking is that women tend to experience more stress than men.
The American Sociological Review conducted a study that revealed that over a week working mothers spend 9 more hours than working dads do at multitasking. The study concluded that men spend 38.9 hours per week doing more than one task at once, whereas women spent 48.3 hours per week multitasking.
Professor of sociology at Michigan State University and co-author of the study, Barbara Schneider said, “When you look at men and women in similar kinds of work situations they look very similar. But when they come home it is very clear that women are shouldering much more of the responsibilities of housework and childcare.”
The study used data on 241 fathers and 368 mothers that was obtained during the 500 Family Study which itself was a focus on the balance of family and work life in U.S. families.
Schneider suggested that women should try doping just one thing at a time despite the challenge it may offer, and also acknowledge that more time may be needed for some tasks than what is being allocated to them.
Lung Cancer Halted by Milk Thistle
by healthypages on 18/03/2012 - 03:26 pm |
Tag: News
University of Colorado scientists have found that milk thistle can effectively halt lung cancer development. There is a very low survival rate in lung cancer patients; less than 10% which is why any treatment that helps is important. One of the ways that lung cancer cells are able to grow and spread is when the DNA is damaged, often as a result of tissue damage.
Milk thistle contains an agent called silibinin that is able to heal the damaged cells in lungs that is the result of a long period of cellular breakdown. Metastasis is prevented by stopping the development of the diseased cells in the lungs.
Known about for almost 2,000 years, milk thistle has only recently been subject to scientific investigation. Researchers were already aware that Milk thistle has the effect of rejuvenation on the liver and are now viewing it as an effective means to both prevent and retard lung damage.
One of the chief causes of 'modern' diseases such as cancer is poor choices in lifestyle and diet as it effects the metabolic homeostasis of the body. This influence is on the chain of communication between the body's cells which is essential for proper functioning of the body as a whole. Via a series of signals this communication takes place, usually in order to complete an enzymatic reaction or the production of a protein.
The inflammatory chain that enables lung cancer to take hold is interfered with by milk thistle. Just as drugs are created to break biological chain reactions, so agents within milk thistle work in the same way, only without the sometimes deadly side effects of modern drugs.
Two enzymes called COX2 and iNOS are participants in the chain reaction that leads to inflammation in cases such as wounds or infections. At these times the inflammation effect is needed, but when it occurs without being needed the effect can be harmful and lead to cancer development.
Two factors known as STSAT1 and STAT3 are involved in the production of COX2 and iNOS and milk thistle agents are able to inhibit the production of these factors.
"What we showed is that STAT1 and STAT3 may be promising therapeutic targets in the treatment of lung cancer... and that naturally-derived products like silibinin (from Milk thistle) may be as effective as today's best treatments." said one of the study authors.
Smelly Frogs Possess Antibiotic Subst...
by healthypages on 18/03/2012 - 03:15 pm |
Tag: News
Scientists have discovered that some very smelly frogs have skin that kills a huge range of bacteria. This discovery could lead to the development of a new way to deal with antibiotic-resistant pathogens that are proving to be a big threat today.
The frogs have been labeled as “odorous frogs,” with some of them smelling like rotten fish according to the researchers. For several years scientists have known about the huge antibiotic possibilities that could be derived from analysing all the different anti-bacterial secretions made from frogs' skin.
As frogs tend to live in wet and warm places, they have naturally developed a skin that is able to resist the thriving bacteria that share their environment. Without such protection they would be wiped out by infection.
The frogs' skin secretes peptides which are the foundation for their bacterial resistant properties. By focusing attention on discerning the different types of antimicrobial peptides (AMP), research scientists Yun Zhang, Wen-Hui Lee and Xinwang Yang were able to discover over 700 AMPs all coming from nine types of odorous frogs. That is equivalent to a third of the world's known antimicrobial peptides making it the biggest concentration in the world of disease killing agents.
Not only do the AMPs kill bacteria directly but some of them also work to activate the frog's immune system to further enhance protection.
The National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Basic Research Program of China funded the project.
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