TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE
Human and animal studies out of Sweden found that regular bouts of exercise can transform white fat tissue (fat stored from excess calories) into body-benefiting brown fat – the type that creates body heat by burning calories. Researchers found intense exercise had a “browning” effect on fat in men that cycled for 12 weeks, as well as mice that ran on an exercise wheel for 11 days. Researchers said the healthier fat was more metabolically active than the fat stored from sedentary behavior.
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic say interval training reverses age related decline in our cells. High intensity interval training encourages your cells to make more proteins which could slow the aging process of cells. In the study, everybody got a boost from interval training, but older people get the most benefits.
SLIMMING SLEEP
According to a Netherlands study, sleeping may be the easiest strategy to lose fat. Those who ate less calories and slept for eight hours, lost more body fat. The researchers say sleep can facilitate fat burning by regulating metabolic hormones, while the protein in a healthy diet may promote quality sleep.
GLUTEN-FREE AND DIABETES
A study from Harvard shows that a gluten-free diet may not help stave off type two diabetes. Researchers reviewed surveys in which nearly 2,000 people reported what they ate. They found that people who ate more gluten were actually thirteen percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. The reason: This could be happening because people who consumed more gluten ate more fiber, says researchers. Previous research suggests eating more fiber may help lower a person’s risk of diabetes.
HEAD STRONG
According to research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, your training regime not only strengthens your body, it may strengthen your brain too. Researchers at Princeton University found that when mice were allowed to exercise regularly, they experienced less anxiety when suddenly exposed to cold water than their sedentary counterparts. The fitter mice showed an increase in the inhibitory neurons that deactivate excitement in an area of the brain that regulates anxiety (known as the ventral hippocampus).
VITAMIN C KILLS CANCER CELLS
New research shows that vitamin C was 10 times more effective at killing cancer than an experimental drug. It found that vitamin C targeted the cells that grow and spread. Researchers say the results are encouraging because, unlike cancer drugs, vitamin C is non-toxic and it does not cause serious side effects.
CHEAP KICKS
A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests you save your money on the high-tech footwear. Researchers followed 927 healthy novice runners with varying degrees of foot pronation (when the foot rolls inwards on impact) for one year. All runners wore the same neutral running shoes, but risk of injury in runners that over-pronate was no higher than those with normal foot pronation. Bigger risks of injuries include overweight, training volume, and old injuries.
BABY BLUES
Canadian researchers say that blueberries can help mom cope with the baby blues. After giving birth have a surge in brain protein that breaks down three so-called “feel good” chemicals. The loss of those chemicals can result in sadness or postpartum depression. Blueberries contain a chemical that increases blood flow to the brain, giving it more oxygen and powerful antioxidants.