PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE TREATMENT: CANCER DRUGS SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE Researchers at UC San Francisco and Gladstone Institutes may have found a way to reverse Alzheimer's—using two drugs that were initially developed to fight cancer. By analyzing gene expression data, the team found that certain FDA-approved cancer drugs can counteract the changes Alzheimer's disease makes in the brain. Their approach began with a big question: Which genes go awry in Alzheimer's, and are there any existing drugs that reverse those gene changes to normal? The researchers compared the altered gene patterns in brain cells from Alzheimer's patients to the effects of more than 1,300 medications. Their goal was to find drugs that could reverse the damage, especially in neurons and glia, the two cell types most severely affected by the disease. They didn't stop at the lab. The team also combed through millions of anonymous medical records and noticed that people who had been treated with c...

  PAIN RELIEF WITH VIRTUAL REALITY Imagine finding pain relief without ever reaching for a pill. That's the premise behind new research out of the University of Exeter, where scientists discovered that immersive virtual reality (VR) nature scenes can significantly reduce pain sensitivity—sometimes as effectively as medication. The study, published in the journal Pain, involved healthy volunteers who were simulated to experience chronic pain using mild electric shocks on the forearm. Participants were then immersed in 360-degree VR films of forests and waterfalls, or shown the same scenes on a regular flat screen. The difference was striking: those who experienced the scenes through VR reported almost twice the pain relief compared to those who viewed the same scenes in 2D video, and the benefits lasted at least five minutes after the virtual experience ended. The team, led by Dr. Sam Hughes, sought to determine if the well-known pain-reducing effects of being in nature could be rep...

WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS: HIDDEN DANGERS GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic, are frequently featured in the news for their potential to induce rapid weight loss. Still, new research from the University of Virginia is sounding the alarm: while you might be dropping pounds, you could also be losing valuable muscle—and that could have long-term consequences for your health. The UVA team acknowledges these drugs can be life-changing for people with obesity, type 2 diabetes, or heart failure. Patients often experience improved blood sugar levels, enhanced heart and kidney function, and, in some cases, even longer lives. But there’s a significant downside: the weight lost isn’t all fat. A considerable portion is muscle, which is essential for strength, movement, and heart health. “Some of my patients have told me they can actually feel their muscles wasting away,” says Dr. Zhenqi Liu, a professor at UVA’s School of Medicine. “That’s concerning. Muscle isn’t just for athletes—it’s critical for postu...

 INSOMNIA TREATMENTS: NATURAL APPROACHES If you’re struggling with sleepless nights, you might not need to reach for a prescription. New research suggests that yoga, Tai Chi, walking, and jogging may be just as effective as traditional insomnia treatments—and with far fewer side effects. A systematic review published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine examined dozens of studies that compared various methods for improving sleep. The verdict? Exercise-based interventions, especially Tai Chi, delivered significant benefits: longer overall sleep, improved sleep efficiency, and reduced time spent staring at the ceiling after waking up in the middle of the night. Yoga, in particular, helped people feel more rested, and jogging significantly reduced insomnia symptoms. Insomnia isn’t just frustrating; it’s linked to higher risks for mental and physical health problems, including dementia and heart disease. While cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the gold standard for treatment, it isn’t al...

SLEEP HABITS: REGULARITY IS KEY A new international study has found that irregular sleep schedules—like going to bed at different times every night or having a disrupted internal clock—could put you at higher risk for dozens of diseases, from liver problems to circulatory disorders. The research looked at sleep data from over 88,000 adults tracked for almost seven years, and the results are pretty eye-opening: poor sleep habits were tied to increased risk for 172 different diseases. What stood out was that sleep regularity matters just as much—if not more—than how long you sleep. People who went to bed after 12:30 a.m. had more than double the risk of developing liver cirrhosis compared to those with steadier routines. Another finding: those with unstable daily rhythms were much more likely to develop gangrene. The study also challenges the idea that sleeping more than nine hours is bad for you. When researchers used wearable devices to measure sleep objectively, they found that “long ...

   DIABETICS BOOST HEALTH WITH BIWEEKLY WORKOUTS Living with diabetes doesn’t mean you have to spend hours at the gym every day to protect your heart. New research involving more than 50,000 adults with diabetes shows that being active just a couple of times a week can make a real difference. Whether you’re a “weekend warrior” who packs all your exercise into one or two days, or you prefer to spread your workouts evenly throughout the week, the benefits are comparable—as long as you hit the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per week. This study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, analyzed data from over 20 years of the National Health Interview Survey. Participants were divided into four groups: inactive, insufficiently active, weekend warriors, and regularly active. The findings were striking: people who exercised—whether all at once or spread out—reduced their risk of dying from heart disease by 33%, and from any cause by 21%, compared to th...

    PISTACHIOS: SUPPORTS GUT HEALTH  A recent study from Penn State brings fresh insight into how what you eat before bed can shift the balance of bacteria in your gut—and why that matters, especially if you’re managing prediabetes. The research found that swapping your usual nighttime carbs for pistachios did more than add variety to the routine; it actually encouraged the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. In the study, 51 adults with prediabetes replaced their typical bedtime carb snack—such as a slice or two of whole-grain bread—with approximately two ounces of pistachios every night for 12 weeks. The results stood out: the pistachio group experienced a boost in beneficial bacteria, such as Roseburia and other members of the Lachnospiraceae family. These microbes produce butyrate, a compound that supports the gut lining and helps reduce inflammation. At the same time, bacteria linked to adverse health impacts, such as Blautia hydrogenotrophica and Eubacterium flavonif...

 SUGAR SUBSTITUTE MAY HARM THE BRAIN A new study from the University of Colorado Boulder is raising concerns about erythritol, a sugar substitute found in products ranging from low-carb ice cream to “sugar-free” sodas. Once marketed as a safe choice for people with obesity and diabetes, erythritol may pose unexpected dangers to brain health—even in small amounts. Researchers discovered that exposing brain blood vessel cells to levels of erythritol similar to those found in a typical sugar-free beverage resulted in several harmful changes. The treated cells produced less nitric oxide, a compound that helps keep blood vessels relaxed and open. At the same time, they made more endothelin-1, a protein that tightens blood vessels. When researchers introduced a substance that would usually trigger a clot, cells exposed to erythritol were less able to produce t-PA, a natural enzyme that helps break down clots. The cells also generated more reactive oxygen species—free radicals that can da...

  SHARK ENCOUNTERS:  A SURVIVAL GUIDE Swimming in the ocean carries a slight chance of running into a shark, but you can make that risk even smaller—and boost your odds of getting out safely if you ever do see one. Most shark attacks happen close to shore, and they’re almost always unprovoked. People swimming alone, far from the beach, or in areas where sharks are known to feed or travel are more at risk. The same goes for anyone swimming at dawn or dusk, when sharks are more active, or those with open wounds—sharks can smell blood from a surprisingly long distance (apps.dtic.mil). To stack the odds in your favor, stay close to shore—less than 82 feet is a good rule. Avoid swimming at dawn, dusk, or night, as these are prime shark feeding times. Leave the shiny jewelry and neon swimsuits at home; flashy colors and glinting metal can look like fish scales to a shark. Avoid areas where people are fishing, as bait and fish scraps can attract sharks. And if you’re bleeding, get ou...

 RIP CURRENTS: STAYING SAFE IN THE OCEAN Rip currents—sometimes called riptides—are among the most dangerous threats at the beach. But knowing how to spot them, avoid them, and survive if you’re caught can make all the difference. Here’s what the science says, and what you need to know before you hit the water. How to Avoid Rip Currents Your best defense is to swim at a beach with lifeguards and stick between the safety flags. These flagged zones are checked for hazards, and lifeguards are on hand in case of an emergency (Bradstreet & Brander, 2014). Keep an eye out for signs of rip currents: water that looks darker or deeper than the surrounding areas, spots where waves aren’t breaking, or any visible stream of water heading away from the shore. These are classic signals of a rip current (Leatherman, 2012). A lot of drowning incidents happen simply because people don’t realize the danger or can’t spot a rip current. That’s why paying attention to posted warnings and learning w...

 MUSCLE LOSS AND AGING: CAUSES, IMPACT, AND SOLUTIONS Muscle loss, or sarcopenia, doesn’t just show up in your eighties—it starts quietly as early as your thirties and tends to speed up after sixty. It’s a combination of factors that cause this decline. As we age, our bodies naturally produce less growth hormone and testosterone, and low-level inflammation begins to take hold. Additionally, our muscles become less efficient at building new protein, our mitochondria—the powerhouses of our cells—don’t function as well, and we lose some of the motor neurons that instruct our muscles to move. All these factors combine to make it more challenging to maintain or rebuild muscle (Physiological Reviews; Revista Ciencias de la Salud; The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). Losing muscle isn’t just about feeling weaker. Sarcopenia makes everyday tasks, such as walking or standing up from a chair, significantly more challenging. It raises the risk of falls and fractures, which can threate...

  EMOTIONAL EATING: CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS Emotional eating occurs when people use food to cope with stress or challenging emotions, rather than eating because they're hungry. It's complex, involving psychology, biology, and sometimes patterns learned in childhood. Maybe you grew up in a house where sweets were used as a fix for a bad day, or you notice cravings spike when your hormones are out of whack. For some, genetics may also play a role. If you want to break the cycle of emotional eating, you have to get to the heart of what's driving it. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective tools available. It helps you identify the thoughts and triggers that lead you to eat for comfort, and then teaches you ways to respond differently. Studies show that CBT can help people manage their emotional connection—it's more effective at improving emotional control than at delivering significant, fast weight changes. Mappss is another app that's gaining trac...

  WALNUTS HELP LOWER LDL         Eating about ½ cup of walnuts every day for two years modestly lowered levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, commonly referred to as "bad cholesterol." It reduced the  total number of LDL particles and small LDL particles in healthy, older adults, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal, Circulation. Healthy older adults who consumed a handful of walnuts (approximately ½ cup) daily for two years modestly reduced their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. Consuming walnuts daily also reduced the number of LDL particles, a predictor of cardiovascular disease risk. Walnuts are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid), which have been shown to benefit cardiovascular health. "Prior studies have shown that nuts in general, and walnuts in particular, are associated with lower rates of heart disease and stroke. One of the reasons is...

  CHRONIC PAIN: UTRASOUND MAY BE A  TREATMENT :         Pain is a necessary biological signal, but various conditions can cause these signals to become distorted. For people with chronic pain, the root is often faulty signals emerging deep within the brain, giving false alarms about a wound that has since healed, a limb that has since been amputated, or other intricate, hard-to-explain scenarios. Patients with this kind of life-altering pain are constantly looking for new treatment options; now, a new device from the University of Utah may represent a practical, long-sought solution. Researchers at the university's John and Marcia Price College of Engineering and Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine have published promising findings about an experimental therapy that has relieved many participants after a single treatment session. They are now recruiting participants for a final round of trials. Diadem, a new biomedical device at the core of this research,...

  GLUTATHIONE: SUPPLEMENTING MAY BE UNNECESSARY Glutathione is a naturally occurring antioxidant that plays a crucial role in reducing oxidative stress, supporting immune function, facilitating detoxification, and maintaining cell health. As we age—or if we develop certain health conditions—our glutathione levels can decline, sparking interest in whether supplementing with glutathione can help fill the gap. What Does the Research Say? Immune Function and Antioxidant Effects: Animal research suggests that dietary glutathione can help counteract the decline in immune responses associated with aging (Furukawa et al.; see Taylor & Francis overview ). But when it comes to humans, the evidence is less clear. Raising Glutathione Levels: In one randomized controlled trial, supplementing with glutathione (250–1,000 mg/day) for several months increased glutathione levels in the blood and tissues of healthy adults, particularly in those who started with lower levels. Some immune system ...

 TAURINE: USE AND EFFECTIVENESS Taurine is a naturally occurring compound found in the body, particularly in tissues such as the heart, brain, and muscles. Over the past few years, it has garnered considerable attention as a supplement, typically used for heart health, exercise performance, and metabolic support. Here’s what the latest peer-reviewed research actually shows, and what you should keep in mind if you’re considering taking it. Cardiovascular Health Several meta-analyses and reviews suggest that taurine supplementation may help regulate blood pressure, support healthy blood vessels, and possibly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. For example, a systematic review published in the Nutrition Journal (2024) found associations between taurine intake and improvements in cardiovascular markers. However, it also notes that there is no consensus yet on the optimal dose or duration  of supplementation. Most experts agree that more rigorous studies are needed ...