PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  HIGH-FAT DIETS MAY INCREASE RISK OF COLORECTAL CANCER Scientists pinpointed specific microbes and bile acids that become more prevalent in the guts of mice fed high-fat diets.         The prevalence of colorectal cancer in people under the age of 50 has risen in recent decades. One suspected reason is the increasing rate of obesity and high-fat diets. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute and UC San Diego have discovered how high-fat diets can change gut bacteria and alter digestive molecules called bile acids modified by those bacteria, predisposing mice to colorectal cancer. In the study published in  Cell Reports , the team found increased levels of specific gut bacteria in mice fed high-fat diets. Those gut bacteria, they showed, alter the composition of the bile acid pool in ways that cause inflammation and affect how quickly intestinal stem cells replenish. Bile acids are molecules produced by the liver and used by the gut to help digest food and a...

  A FOCUS ON FITNESS MAY BE A BETTER APPROACH TO BETTER HEALTH THAN WEIGHT LOSS, ACCORDING TO RESEARCHERS The prevalence of obesity around the world has tripled over the past 40 years, and, along with that rise, dieting and attempts to lose weight also have soared. But, according to a review article published in the journal  iScience , when it comes to getting healthy and reducing mortality risk, increasing physical activity and improving fitness appears superior to weight loss. The authors say that a weight-neutral approach to treating obesity-related health conditions minimizes the health risks associated with yo-yo dieting. "We would like people to know that fat can be fit, and that fit and healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes," says co-author Glenn Gaesser of the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. "We realize that in a weight-obsessed culture, it may be challenging for programs that are not focused on weight loss to gain traction. We'...

  WORK STRESS: CYCLING HELPS .         A study from Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business suggests that cycling to work doesn’t just get your blood pumping—it helps you start the workday with less stress. The research, led by Stéphane Brutus along with Roshan Javadian and Alexandra Panaccio, compared how cycling, driving, and taking public transit affected how people felt when they got to work. Their findings, published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management, show that those who cycled in had much lower stress levels during the first 45 minutes on the job than coworkers who drove. Interestingly, the study didn’t find that the mode of commute had much effect on overall mood. The researchers made a point of distinguishing stress—your body’s response to demands—from mood, which can swing based on everything from your personality to how well you slept. To get their data, the team used a web-based survey filled out by 123 employee...

  POTASSIUM-RICH FOODS RECOMMENDED FOR WOMEN TO SUPPORT HEART HEALTH         According to a study published in the  European Heart Journal,  a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), women who eat bananas, avocados, and salmon could reduce the adverse effects of salt in their diet. 1  The study found that potassium-rich diets were associated with lower blood pressure, particularly in women with high salt intake. "It is well known that high salt consumption is associated with elevated blood pressure and a raised risk of heart attacks and strokes," said study author Professor Liffert Vogt of Amsterdam University Medical Centers, the Netherlands. "Health advice has focused on limiting salt intake but this is difficult to achieve when our diets include processed foods. Potassium helps the body excrete more sodium in the urine. In our study, dietary potassium was linked with the greatest health gains in women." The study included 24,9...

 DATA ON BACK PAIN NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENTS :         It's a pain. About 80 percent of adults in the United States will experience lower back pain at some point. Back pain typically involves medication, including opioids, surgery, therapy, and self-care options. Efforts to reduce opioid use and increase physically based therapies to reduce pain and increase physical function and safety are crucial. Patients are often advised to use non-pharmacological treatments such as exercise and mind-body interventions to manage lower back pain. But do they really help? In a review published in the journal  Holistic Nursing Practice , researchers from Florida Atlantic University's College for Design and Social Inquiry and Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing evaluated the evidence of the effects of three movement-based mind-body interventions on chronic low back pain. They examined yoga, tai chi, which combines gentle physical exercise and stretching with mindfuln...

  EXTREME HEAT MAY NEGATIVELY IMPACT COGNITIVE HEALTH          July 2023 was the hottest month, with cities like Phoenix experiencing record-breaking heat waves for weeks. A new study finds that ongoing extreme heat can worsen cognitive decline among vulnerable groups -- particularly Black older adults and those living in poor neighborhoods. "Our research finds that cumulative exposure to extreme heat can undermine cognitive health, but it does so unequally across the population," said Eunyoung Choi, a postdoctoral associate at the NYU School of Global Public Health and the first author of the study, published in the  Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health . Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S., claiming more lives each year than hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning combined. Young children and older adults are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Recent stud...

   LYME DISEASE TREATMENT         A medical therapy that inhibits the growth of cancer cells may one day be effective at treating Lyme disease, according to new research by a University of Massachusetts Amherst team at the New England Regional Center of Vector-borne Diseases (NEWVEC). "It's a long way from something you're going to pick up at CVS, but these early findings are very encouraging," says vector-borne disease expert Stephen Rich, professor of microbiology, executive director of NEWVEC, and senior author of the study published in the journal  Pathogens . Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S., spread by infected deer ticks. The potentially debilitating illness diagnosed in about 476,000 people yearly in the U.S. doesn't always respond to antibiotics. "There are people who have cases of Lyme disease that go on and on," Rich says. "So there's always interest in finding new therapies or new ways to inhibit the gr...