PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  Exercise-induced hormone irisin may reduce Alzheimer's disease plaque and tangle pathology in the brain. New findings strongly support developing irisin as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease treatment and prevention.         Researchers who previously developed the first 3D human cell culture models of Alzheimer's disease (A.D.) that display two significant hallmarks of the condition -- the generation of amyloid beta deposits followed by tau tangles -- have now used their model to investigate whether the exercise-induced muscle hormone irisin affects amyloid beta pathology. As reported in the journal  Neuron , the Massachusetts General Hospital (M.G.H.)-led team has uncovered promising results suggesting that irisin-based therapies might help combat A.D. Physical exercise has been shown to reduce amyloid beta deposits in various mouse models of A.D., but the mechanisms involved have remained a mystery. Exercise increases circulating levels of th...

  QUORN MAY BE A HEALTHY PROTEIN REPLACEMENT FOR RED MEAT         People looking to reduce their cholesterol and trim fat from around their waist could try swapping meat for Quorn protein, according to the findings from a new study by Northumbria University, Newcastle, published in the  European Journal of Nutrition , which saw positive effects in both areas in just two weeks. Researchers from the University found that participants who ate Quorn products -- the popular mycoprotein-based meat substitute -- over just two weeks saw a significant 12% drop in 'bad' LDL cholesterol and a 7% fall in total cholesterol, compared to those who ate similar products made from red and processed meat. In addition, they also reduced their waist circumference by close to 1cm (0.95cm) on average over the 14 days. According to medical research, such a drop in total cholesterol levels could reduce a person's risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, such as a stroke or corona...

  EXPERIMENTAL DRUG  MIMICS EXERCISE AND MAY HELP WITH WEIGHT LOSS A new kind of drug, tested in mice, shows promising new results that could lead to the development of a new weight-loss pill that mimics exercise. The new compound, developed and tested by a University of Florida professor of pharmacy and his colleagues, leads obese mice to lose weight by convincing the body's muscles that they are exercising more than they really are, boosting the animals' metabolism. It also increases endurance, helping mice run nearly 50% further than they could before, all without the mice lifting a paw. The drug belongs to a class known as "exercise mimetics," which provides some benefits of exercise without increasing physical activity. The new treatment is in the early stages of development but could one day be tested in people to treat diseases like obesity, diabetes, and age-related muscle loss. The research comes as drugs like Ozempic have provided a breakthrough in reducing ...

   BRAIN-BASED PAIN TREATMENTS         A study published in JAMA Network Open offers fresh insight into helping people manage chronic back pain. Researchers focused on the link between the brain and pain, specifically exploring how a person’s beliefs about the source of their pain—known as pain attributions—can influence how much pain they feel. “Millions of people struggle with chronic pain, and for many, existing treatments just aren’t cutting it,” said Yoni Ashar, PhD, the study’s lead author and an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. “That suggests we’re missing something important in how we approach diagnosis and treatment.” Ashar’s team set out to find whether changing the way people think about their pain—shifting the belief from a purely physical problem to something the brain can generate—could actually help reduce pain. They tested pain reprocessing therapy (PRT), a method that teaches people to interpret pai...

  CUT HEART DISEASE RISK WITH STAIR CLIMBING          According to a new study from Tulane University, taking at least 50 steps climbing stairs each day could significantly slash your risk of heart disease. The study, published in  Atherosclerosis , found that climbing more than five flights of stairs daily could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), coronary artery disease, and stroke are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. "Short bursts of high-intensity stair climbing are a time-efficient way to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and lipid profile, especially among those unable to achieve the current physical activity recommendations," said co-corresponding author Dr. Lu Qi, HCA Regents Distinguished Chair and professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. "These findings highlight the potential advantages of stair climbing as a primary...

  LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE WITH STEPS         An estimated 80% of older adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure. Maintaining healthy blood pressure can protect against severe conditions like heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes . A new study, including Linda Pescatello, distinguished professor of kinesiology in UConn's College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources, found that adding a relatively minimal amount of movement, about 3,000 steps per day, can significantly reduce high blood pressure in older adults. Pescatello worked with Elizabeth Lefferts, the paper's lead author, Duck-Chun Lee, and others in Lee's lab at Iowa State University. They published their findings in a recent  Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease issue. "We'll all get high blood pressure if we live long enough, at least in this country," Pescatello says. "That's how prevalent it is." Pescatello is an expert on hypertension (the clinical term for hi...

CHILDREN'S STRESS LEVELS IMPROVE WITH EXERCISE           According to findings by researchers from the University of Basel, school children cope better with stress if they get plenty of daily exercise. "Get some exercise!" It's one suggestion adults frequently hear when they complain about stress. Exercise helps relieve stress. But does this also apply to children? Does exercise help them manage the pressures to achieve at school? A research team led by Dr. Manuel Hanke and Dr. Sebastian Ludyga from the Department of Sport, Exercise, and Health recently examined the effect of physical activity on children's stress levels. Their findings appear in the  Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. For their study, 110 children between 10 and 13 wore a sensor tracking their daily movement over a week. They then brought the participants into the lab on two separate to complete stressful and non-stressful control tasks (see the box). The researchers tested the chil...