PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  EXERCISE HELPS YOU EAT LESS         A study from Murdoch University's Health Futures Institute shows that moderate exercise can do more than just burn calories—it can actually tweak the hormones that control your appetite, especially in men with obesity (Murdoch University, 2024). Here's something that might surprise you: working out doesn't always make you ravenous. In fact, the opposite might be true. Researchers at Murdoch University tracked how exercise changes hunger in men with obesity, and their results challenge the old belief that you won't want to raid the fridge after every workout (Fairchild et al., 2024). “Most people assume that exercise just leaves you starving,” says Associate Professor Timothy Fairchild, the study's author. “Bu" thathat'st what we found at all.” E" en moderate-intensity exercise—think a brisk walk or a bike ride, nothing extreme—was enough to activate the hormones that help keep appetite in check. These are the same ...

  CDC Ordered to End WHO Collaboration By India Edwards  TUESDAY, Jan. 28, 2025 -- Staff at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been told to stop communicating with the World Health Organization (WHO) after President Donald Trump's order withdrawing from the health agency. The memo was sent late Sunday from the CDC's deputy director of global health,  Dr. John Nkengasong . "Effective immediately all CDC staff engaging with WHO through technical working groups, coordinating centers, advisory boards, cooperative agreements or other means – in person or virtual – must cease their activity and await further guidance," the memo states. The decision stems from Trump's Jan. 20 executive order, which states that the U.S. provided notice of withdrawal during his first term in 2020 and can now cut ties immediately. According to CNN, federal law typically requires one year of notice before such withdrawal can take effect. CNN did not receive commen...

  CHRONIC PAIN: NUTRITION MATTERS Chronic pain is an acute and debilitating condition that affects millions of people worldwide. And while pain interventions are available, many people struggle without treatment at all. No, new research from the University of South Australia shows that adopting a healthy diet can reduce the severity of chronic pain, presenting an easy and accessible way for sufferers to better manage their condition. Exploring associations between body fat, diet, and pain, researchers found that greater consumption of foods within the Australian Dietary Guidelines was directly associated with lower body pain levels, particularly among women. Importantly, these findings were independent of a person's weight, meaning that a healthy diet can help reduce chronic pain regardless of body composition. Globally, about 30% of the population suffers from chronic pain. In Australia, almost one in five (or 1.6 million) people struggle with chronic pain. Women have higher rates...

  EXERCISE: BRAIN OPTIMIZATION .       A study led by scientists at Rutgers University-New Brunswick has shown that specialized cells involved in the body's response to insulin are activated in the brain after exercise. This suggests that physical activity has a direct impact on brain function. Exercise might be the key to keeping one's brain sharp as one ages; scientists think they've figured out why. It all comes down to insulin, that clever little hormone that does way more than control blood sugar. A groundbreaking study published in Aging Cell reveals that when we exercise, our brains become more efficient at utilizing insulin, potentially protecting us from dementia. "Think of insulin as your brain's secret weapon," explains Steven Malin, who led the research at Rutgers University. "When it works right, it helps your brain cells talk to each other — like having a good cell phone signal. But when that signal gets fuzzy, memory and thinking can slip....

  VACATIONS HAVE LONG-TERM POSITIVE IMPACTS ON HEALTH Take longer holidays and incorporate physical activity to maximize health benefits.         If you're like many Americans, you probably didn't take all your vacation time this past year. Even if you did, likely, you didn't fully unplug while off the clock. However, according to a new review article from the University of Georgia, you should change that to improve your health and well-being. A review of 32 studies from nine countries suggests that vacations are more beneficial for boosting employee well-being than previously thought. The positive effects of annual leave last much longer than the ride home from the airport. "The theme of the paper is that vacations create longer-lasting benefits than previously thought," said Ryan Grant, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in psychology at UGA's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. "Job demands and job stress are on the rise. But people thi...

  HEALTHY HABITS DEVELOPMENT         We're nearly one month into 2025, but if you're struggling to hold onto your New Year's resolution, stay strong, as University of South Australia research shows that forming a healthy habit can take longer than you expect. . Have you ever tried to form a new habit? If you fail after three weeks, don't beat yourself up—science says the old "21 days to form a habit" claim is a pure myth. New research from the University of South Australia just revealed a shocking truth: forming habits takes between two months and—brace yourself—nearly a year. It takes up to 335 days of sticking with something before it becomes truly automatic. "People love to throw around this three-week rule," says Dr. Ben Singh, who led the study. "But there's zero evidence backing that up." Instead, his team found that habits start taking shape around the 60-day mark, though this varies wildly from person to person. Some lucky folks...

  PROTEIN PROTECTS AGAINST MUSCLE LOSS WHILE ON WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS Millions of Americans are jumping on the GLP-1 bandwagon, hoping those weekly injections will finally help them shed those stubborn pounds. For many, it's working - but there's a catch that doctors are just starting to wrap their heads around. When the weight comes off, it's not just fat that's disappearing. Up to 40% of that loss could actually be muscle, and that's not exactly what most of us are hoping for. But here's some good news from the labs of the Salk Institute. Scientists there have discovered what might be the key to keeping our muscles strong while we slim down. It all comes down to a protein called BCL6, and it's pretty fascinating stuff. Think of BCL6 as your muscles' guardian angel. In a series of experiments that would make any gym enthusiast lean in closer, researchers found that mice without enough BCL6 lost significant muscle mass and strength. But here's the exciti...

   BREAST CANCER DRUG WITH LESS SIDE EFFECTS Despite significant therapeutic advances, breast cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Treatment typically involves surgery and follow-up hormone therapy, but late effects of these treatments include osteoporosis, sexual dysfunction, and blood clots. Researchers reporting in  ACS Central Science  have created a novel treatment that eliminated small breast tumors and significantly shrank large tumors in mice in a single dose without problematic side effects. Most breast cancers are estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), and treatment typically involves several years of hormone therapy. Although these drugs are better tolerated than chemotherapy, they still have side effects that diminish quality of life and can leave people at risk for cancer recurrence and treatment resistance. Thus, there is a need for cancer drugs that kill tumor cells selectively and aggressively while limiting side effects. To add...

  MENTAL HEALTH: ADMISSIONS ON THE RISE There was a 65% increase in the number of children and young people being admitted to general acute medical wards in hospitals in England because of a mental health concern between 2012 and 2022, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in  The   Lancet Child and Adolescent Health  journal and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR GOSH BRC), analyzed data on all admissions of five-—to 18-year-olds to medical wards in England from April 1st, 2012, to March 31 st,  2022. General acute medical wards are specialized hospitals that provide rapid assessment, treatment, and care for patients. They serve as a bridge between the emergency department, general practitioners, and other hospital wards and are separate from specialized mental health wards, such as eating disorder units. Children and young peopl...