PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  Everyday activities enhance personal well-being. Physical activity makes happy and is important to maintain psychic health. Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim studied the brain regions which play a central role in this process. Their findings reveal that even everyday activities, such as climbing stairs, significantly enhance well-being, particularly for persons susceptible to psychiatric disorders. The study is published in  Science Advances . Exercise enhances physical well-being and mental health. However, the impacts of everyday activities, such as climbing stairs, walking, or going to the tram station instead of driving, on a person's mental health have hardly been studied so far. For example, it is not yet clear which brain structures are involved. A team of the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim, KIT's Institute of Sports and Sports Science, and the GIScience / Geoinfo...

  A hormone found to switch off hunger could help tackle obesity. New findings suggest a hormone called Lipocalin-2 could be used as a potential treatment for obesity.         A hormone that can suppress food intake and increase the feeling of fullness in mice has shown similar results in humans, and non-human primates, say a new study published today in  eLife . The hormone, called Lipocalin-2 (LCN2), could be used as a potential treatment in people with obesity whose natural signals for feeling full no longer work. LCN2 is mainly produced by bone cells and is found naturally in mice and humans. Studies in mice have shown that giving LCN2 to the animals long term reduces their food intake and prevents weight gain, leading to a slowdown in their metabolism. "LCN2 acts as a signal for satiety after a meal, leading mice to limit their food intake, and it does this by acting on the hypothalamus within the brain," explains lead author Peristera-Ioanna Petropoul...

  Age is no barrier to successful weight loss. Obese patients over the age of 60 can lose an equivalent amount of weight as younger people using only lifestyle changes, according to a new study from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust that demonstrates that age is no barrier to losing weight. The researchers hope that their findings will help correct prevailing societal misconceptions about the effectiveness of weight loss programs in older people and dispel myths about the potential benefits of older people trying to reduce their weight. The findings are based on an analysis of patient records from a hospital-based obesity service reported in the journal  Clinical Endocrinology . This retrospective study was conducted at the Warwickshire Institute for the Study of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism (WISDEM) at UHCW. The researchers randomly selected 242 patients who attended the WISDEM-based obesity service betwee...

  Therapeutic PD-1 cancer vaccine shown to be safe and effective in an animal study The first-in-human clinical trial will test the vaccine in select cancer patients. A study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center -- Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC -- James) described a potential therapeutic anticancer vaccine that frees suppressed cancer-killing immune cells, enabling them to attack and destroy a tumor. Published in the journal  Oncoimmunology  on October 1, 2020, the findings showed that the peptide called PD1-Vaxx, a first checkpoint inhibitor vaccine, was safe and effective in a colon cancer syngeneic animal model. The vaccine produced polyclonal antibodies that inhibit the programmed cell death receptor, PD-1, on cancer cells. The vaccine mimics the action of the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab (pronounced nih-VOL-yoo-mab, marketed as Opdivo). Still, it avoids triggering the innate and acq...

  Are high-protein total diet replacements the key to maintaining a healthy weight? According to the World Health Organization, obesity has nearly tripled worldwide since 1975. In 2016, for example, more than 1.9 billion adults were categorized as overweight. Of these, more than 650 million had obesity. Because obesity is associated with a higher incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers, the rise in its incidence has led to a global public health emergency. Total diet replacements, nutritionally complete formula foods designed to replace the whole diet for a set period of time, have become increasingly popular strategies to combat obesity. Another popular weight management strategy is high-protein diets, which have been shown to promote weight loss and weight maintenance by increasing our sense of fullness, energy expenditure, and ability to maintain or increase fat-free mass. Taken together, the combination of a total diet replacement with a high-protein die...

  Bursts of exercise can lead to significant improvements in indicators of metabolic health. Short bursts of physical exercise induce changes in the body's levels of metabolites that correlate to and may help gauge an individual's cardiometabolic, cardiovascular and long-term health, a study by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has found. In a paper published in  Circulation , the research team describes how approximately 12 minutes of acute cardiopulmonary exercise impacted more than 80% of circulating metabolites, including pathways linked to a wide range of favorable health outcomes, thus identifying potential mechanisms that could contribute to a better understanding of cardiometabolic benefits of exercise. "Much is known about the effects of exercise on cardiac, vascular and inflammatory systems of the body, but our study provides a comprehensive look at the metabolic impact of exercise by linking specific metabolic pathways to exercise response variables and long-...

  Killing cancer naturally: New process to produce compounds with anti-cancer properties Scientists have uncovered a method of combining natural organic compounds to create anticancer drugs with minimal side effects. In the past decades, cancer has surpassed many other diseases to become the current second leading cause of death globally, with one in six people dying. This concerning position has given it a unique and ubiquitous position in global culture, so much so that finding a cure for cancer is considered one of the noblest things any person can do. Sadly, humanity hasn't arrived at this cure yet; tons of research is being conducted to explore every cancer angle, trying to find a weakness. A group of scientists from the Tokyo University of Science, led by Prof Kouji Kuramochi, has also been dedicated to this mission. Their search for a weapon against cancer turned to a specific set of organic compounds called "phenazines." Phenazines are a large group of nitrogen-co...

  A few kilograms of weight loss nearly halves the risk of diabetes. Losing a few kilograms in weight almost halves people's risk of developing Type 2 diabetes -- according to a large scale research study led by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the University of East Anglia . A new study published in the international journal  JAMA Internal Medicine  shows how providing support to help people with prediabetes make small changes to their lifestyle, diet, and physical activity can almost halve the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The findings come from the Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study (NDPS) -- the largest diabetes prevention research study in the world in the last 30 years. The NDPS clinical trial ran over eight years and involved more than 1,000 people with prediabetes at a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The study found that support to make modest lifestyle changes, including losing two to three kilograms of weight and increased physical a...

  Veganism: Vitamin B12 is well supplemented, iodine is a matter of concern There was no significant difference in vitamin B12, which was present in approximately the same amount in both groups' blood. Since vitamin B12 is taken up almost exclusively by animal food, the supply of participants following a vegan diet could be due to dietary supplements. "This study makes it possible to compare a vegan diet with a mixed diet about various vitamins and trace elements," says BfR President Professor Dr. Andreas Hensel. "Both diets investigated revealed a lack of iodine. However, the shortage is clearly more distinct in the vegan variant." In the RBVD study, the BfR research team analyzed blood and urine samples and evaluated lifestyle questionnaires and dietary protocols. Of those participating (18 women and men respectively per group aged 30-60 years), almost all those following a vegan diet and one third following a mixed diet took different food supplements. The st...

  Peppers may help you to live longer. Individuals who consume chili pepper may live longer and may have a significantly reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020. The meeting will be held virtually, Friday, November 13-Tuesday, November 17, 2020. Previous studies have found eating chili pepper has an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and blood-glucose regulating effect due to capsaicin, which gives chili pepper its characteristic mild to intense spice when eaten. To analyze the effects of chili pepper on all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality, researchers screened 4,729 studies from five leading global health databases (Ovid, Cochrane, Medline, Embase, and Scopus). Their final analysis includes four large studies that included health outcomes for participants with data on chili pepper consumption. The health and dietary records of more...

  Saliva testing may help doctors diagnose concussions. According to Penn State College of Medicine researchers, doctors may soon be able to more accurately diagnose concussions by measuring the number of certain molecules in a person's saliva. The results of a recent clinical study confirmed that a patient's spit may be used to aid concussion diagnosis in a non-invasive, non-biased fashion. Researchers analyzed the saliva of more than 500 study participants for tiny strands of genetic material called micro ribonucleic acid (microRNA). These molecules play an important role in cellular processes and exist in high amounts in the brain. The investigators hypothesized that due to cranial nerves in the mouth, altered microRNA levels could indicate whether a patient is experiencing a concussion. Concussions occur as a result of physical injury to the head. They may result in short-lived symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, and confusion. Physicians currently use symptom scales ...