PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

CHILDREN'S STRESS LEVELS IMPROVE WITH EXERCISE           According to findings by researchers from the University of Basel, school children cope better with stress if they get plenty of daily exercise. "Get some exercise!" It's one suggestion adults frequently hear when they complain about stress. Exercise helps relieve stress. But does this also apply to children? Does exercise help them manage the pressures to achieve at school? A research team led by Dr. Manuel Hanke and Dr. Sebastian Ludyga from the Department of Sport, Exercise, and Health recently examined the effect of physical activity on children's stress levels. Their findings appear in the  Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. For their study, 110 children between 10 and 13 wore a sensor tracking their daily movement over a week. They then brought the participants into the lab on two separate to complete stressful and non-stressful control tasks (see the box). The researchers tested the children

  ALMONDS ASSOCIATED WITH HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS AND CARDIOMETABOLIC HEALTH         Nuts are not generally recommended for dieters -- while they're high in protein, they're also high in fats, which often deters those looking to shed a few pounds. But new research from the University of South Australia shows you can eat almonds and lose weight. In the most extensive study of its kind, researchers found that including almonds in an energy-restricted diet helped people lose weight and improved their cardiometabolic health. Examining the effects of energy-restricted diets supplemented with Californian almonds or carbohydrate-rich snacks, researchers found that both diets successfully reduced body weight by about 7kg. Globally, more than 1.9 billion adults are overweight (650 million with obesity). In Australia, two in three people (approximately 12.5 million adults) are overweight or have obesity. UniSA researcher Dr Sharayah Carter says the study demonstrates how nuts can support a h

  UNUSUAL FIBER SOURCES ARE POTENTIALLY EXCEPTIONALLY EFFECTIVE AT IMPROVING HEALTH Findings in mice suggest engaging the immune system with such fiber to counteract obesity.         Digesting a crunchy critter starts with the audible grinding of its rigid protective covering -- the exoskeleton. Unpalatable as it may sound, the hardcover might be good for the metabolism, according to a new study in mice from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The researchers, led by Steven Van Dyken, Ph., an assistant professor of pathology & immunology, found in mice that digesting chitin, an abundant dietary fiber in insect exoskeletons and mushrooms and crustacean shells, engages the immune system. An active immune response was linked to less weight gain, reduced body fat, and resistance to obesity. "Obesity is an epidemic," Van Dyken said. "What we put into our bodies has a profound effect on our physiology and on how we metabolize food. We're investigatin

  DEPRESSION COMBATED WITH A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE         A healthy lifestyle that involves moderate alcohol consumption, a nutritious diet, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, and frequent social connection while avoiding smoking and too much sedentary behavior reduces the risk of depression, new research has found. In research published today in  Nature Mental Health , an international team of researchers, including from the University of Cambridge and Fudan University, looked at a combination of factors, including lifestyle factors, genetics, brain structure, and our immune and metabolic systems to identify the underlying mechanisms that might explain this link. According to the World Health Organization, around one in 20 adults experiences depression, which significantly burdens public health worldwide. The factors that influence the onset of depression are complicated and include biological and lifestyle factors. To better understand the relationship between these factors a

  NEW DRUG TREATMENT FOR RESISTANT FORM OF CHOLESTEROL         A new drug offers a breakthrough world-first treatment for Lipoprotein(a), a largely genetic form of cholesterol that increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, announced today by study lead Professor Stephen Nicholls, Director of the Monash University's Victorian Heart Institute and Victorian Heart Hospital. High levels of Lipoprotein(a), known as Lp(a) or spoken as 'LP little a', impact one in five people globally with no approved treatment currently on the market. The trial demonstrated the success of Muvalaplin -- the first oral drug ever developed to target Lp(a) -- effectively lowering levels by up to 65%. It works by disrupting the ability of Lp(a) to form in the body. Professor Stephen Nicholls, cardiologist and Director of Monash University's Victorian Heart Institute and the Victorian Heart Hospital at Monash Health, led the landmark research and trial, presented at the European Society of Card

  BICYCLIST SAFETY REQUIRES VISIBILITY AND MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATOR EDUCATION High-visibility clothing only part of the solution, researchers say         Researchers from UBC Okanagan have determined motorists tended to give cyclists wearing high-visibility vests more room on the road than cyclists without high-visibility clothing. The vests, with arrows directing traffic away from pedestrians and cyclists, have been shown to reduce the number of traffic accidents involving these groups. Gordon Lovegrove, a UBC Okanagan associate professor in the School of Engineering, suggests a bit of visual reinforcement, combined with driver education ingrained into safety apparel, may curb unnecessary accidents and fatalities. According to the World Health Organization, almost half of the traffic fatalities are pedestrians and cyclists. And while improved vehicle designs and technologies can protect drivers, he explains that vulnerable road users (VRUs) -- mostly cyclists and walkers -- rely primari