PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  Lab results don't explain the 'obesity paradox,' but bias may Results of standard laboratory tests performed on adult outpatients to provide an overall picture of their health are fairly consistent between those with obesity and their leaner counterparts, investigators report. The finding negates one rationale behind what's called the "obesity paradox," which is that people with obesity are known to be at increased risk for a host of health problems like diabetes and hypertension but tend to do better with these conditions than their leaner peers, including when they get admitted to critical care for reasons like a heart attack or stroke. One thought was that patients with obesity end up in intensive care sooner because their laboratory results were already out of line with their thinner peers. These acute health events push them higher, they report in  The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine . "People who have obesity also have more hypertension, th

  Test your heart health by climbing stairs Climbing four flights of stairs in less than a minute indicates good heart health, according to research presented at EACVI -- Best of Imaging 2020, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). "The stairs test is an easy way to check your heart health," said study author Dr. Jesús Peteiro, a cardiologist at University Hospital A Coruña, Spain. "If it takes you more than one-and-a-half minutes to ascend four flights of stairs, your health is suboptimal, and it would be a good idea to consult a doctor." This study was conducted to examine the relationship between a daily activity -- i.e., climbing stairs -- and the results obtained from exercise testing in a laboratory. "The idea was to find a simple and inexpensive method of assessing heart health," said Dr. Peteiro. "This can help physicians triage patients for more extensive examinations." The study included 165 symptomatic patie

  Obesity impairs immune cell function, accelerates tumor growth A high-fat diet allows cancer cells to outcompete immune cells for fuel Obesity has been linked to increased risk for over a dozen different types of cancer, as well as worse prognosis and survival. Over the years, scientists have identified obesity-related processes that drive tumor growth, such as metabolic changes and chronic inflammation. Still, a detailed understanding of the interplay between obesity and cancer has remained elusive. Now, in a study in mice, Harvard Medical School researchers have uncovered a new piece of this puzzle, with surprising implications for cancer immunotherapy: Obesity allows cancer cells to outcompete tumor-killing immune cells in a battle for fuel. Reporting in  Cell  on Dec. 9, the research team shows that a high-fat diet reduces the numbers and antitumor activity of CD8+ T cells, a critical type of immune cell, inside tumors. This occurs because cancer cells reprogram their metabolism

  Researchers develop a rapid genomics strategy to trace coronavirus. Thanks to cutting-edge 'Nanopore' genome sequencing technology, researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney have developed the most rapid coronavirus genome sequencing strategy in Australia to date. The technological advance can provide critical, timely clues on how cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection are linked. The researchers today published an analytical validation and best practice guidelines for Nanopore sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in  Nature Communications , which they hope will enable greater uptake of the fast sequencing technology for health initiatives in Australia and overseas. "Every time the SARS-CoV-2 virus passes from person to person, it may make copying errors that change a couple of its 30,000 genetic letters. By identifying this genetic variation, we can establish how different cases of coronavirus are linked -- to know where a case was potent

  SARS-CoV-2 mutations do not appear to increase transmissibility. According to a study led by UCL researchers, none of the mutations currently documented in the SARS-CoV-2 virus appear to increase its transmissibility in humans. The analysis of virus genomes from over 46,000 people with COVID-19 from 99 countries is published today in  Nature Communications. First and corresponding author Dr. Lucy van Dorp (UCL Genetics Institute), said: "The number of SARS-CoV-2 genomes being generated for scientific research is staggering. Early on in the pandemic, we realized that we needed new approaches to analyze enormous amounts of data close to real-time to flag new mutations in the virus that could affect its transmission or symptom severity. "Fortunately, we found that none of these mutations are making COVID-19 spread more rapidly, but we need to remain vigilant and continue monitoring new mutations, particularly as vaccines get rolled out." Coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2 are

  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 / Geoinfor

  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 Petropoulou, who was a Postd