PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

 SUGARY DRINKS AND AFIB A  study published in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, a journal from the American Heart Association, finds that adults who drink two liters (about 67 ounces) or more of sugar-sweetened or artificially sweetened beverages each week are at a higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heart rhythm, compared to those who consume less. In contrast, those who drank up to one liter (about 34 ounces) per week of pure, unsweetened juice—like orange or vegetable juice—were less likely to develop AFib. While the study couldn’t prove that sweetened drinks directly cause AFib, the association remained even after accounting for genetic risk factors. Previous research has already linked sweetened drinks to conditions like Type 2 diabetes and obesity, but this is one of the first large-scale studies to explore a possible link with AFib. AFib raises the risk of stroke fivefold, and by 2030, more than 12 million Americans are expect...

  LIRAGLUTIDE RESTORES BRAIN Obesity changes the way the body handles energy and makes cells less responsive to insulin. Medications known as "anti-obesity drugs" are being used more frequently to address obesity, drawing significant attention in the United States.  Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne, Germany, have demonstrated that, in people with obesity, reduced insulin sensitivity impairs the brain's ability to learn sensory associations. Remarkably, a single dose of the anti-obesity medication liraglutide was able to reverse these effects and restore normal brain circuit function. For us to regulate our actions, the brain needs to form associations, such as connecting a neutral stimulus with its outcome—think of recognizing that a glowing red hotplate can burn your hand. This process, called associative learning, is critical for building neural connections and motivating behavior. It's controlled mainly by the dopaminergic ...

VASCULAR HEALTH AND BRAIN FUNCTION   Researchers at the Karolinska Institute have used an AI-based tool to analyze brain scans from healthy 70-year-olds, estimating the biological age of their brains. Their findings suggest that factors that harm vascular health—like inflammation and high blood sugar—are linked to brains that look older than their actual age. Conversely, people with healthier lifestyles tended to have brains that appeared younger. The study was published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association . Every year, more than 20,000 people in Sweden are diagnosed with dementia, and about two-thirds of those cases are Alzheimer's disease. The rate at which the brain ages appears to be influenced by a mix of health and lifestyle factors. "Even though we've seen new drugs for Alzheimer's, they're not suitable for everyone," said Anna Marseglia, the study's lead author and a researcher at the Department of Neur...

  WEIGHT MAY NOT DETERMINE HEALTH For years, weight has been treated as a quick snapshot of someone’s health. But more doctors are pushing back against that idea, arguing that judging a person’s well-being by the number on the scale misses the bigger picture. Recent research suggests that most people with higher body weight struggle to keep weight off long-term through diet and exercise alone, and that the pressure to do so can backfire. Not only does it rarely work, but it can also trigger harmful effects—think disordered eating or reinforcing stigma against larger bodies (BMJ Group, 2025). Dr. Juan Franco and his colleagues, writing in The BMJ, point out that while living a healthy lifestyle—eating well, staying active—matters, it’s not the same thing as losing weight. They say the standard advice to eat less and move more has failed to deliver lasting results for most people with obesity. Even more concerning, the relentless push for weight loss can cause real harm by fueling ne...

  WOMEN'S HEART HEALTH: SLEEP MATTERS A new study is shaking up what we know about women’s heart health during midlife, highlighting sleep as a surprisingly decisive factor. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Baylor University have found that poor sleep in women going through Menopause can sharply raise the risk of heart disease and even early death. The study, published July 8 in the journal Menopause , followed nearly 3,000 women and tracked their health over time. The research team used the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) score—a tool that looks at eight health habits and risk factors, including sleep, blood pressure, and nicotine use. Only about 1 in 5 women in the study hit the mark for overall heart health. Four of the eight LE8 factors stood out as the biggest drivers of future heart issues: blood sugar, blood pressure, sleep quality, and nicotine use. Among these, sleep quality was essential for pred...

  CREATINE: ENHANCES MIND AND BODY For years, creatine was primarily associated with weightlifters chasing personal records. But research is quickly broadening our understanding of what this supplement can do, well beyond building muscle in the gym. Dr. Richard Kreider, who leads the Exercise & Sport Nutrition Lab at Texas A&M University, has spent decades studying creatine’s effects. According to Kreider, creatine is fundamental for cellular energy. It combines with phosphate in our muscles to form creatine phosphate, which acts as a quick-access energy reserve, especially when our bodies are under stress, whether from intense exercise or certain health conditions. “Creatine phosphate is needed to maintain energy in the cell,” Kreider explains, “and therefore has a lot of protective and health benefits, in addition to the exercise performance effects that have been seen” (Texas A&M University, 2025). How Much Creatine Do We  Need? Your body naturally produces abou...

HATE EXERCISE?: MATCH TO PERSONALITY A new study from University College London (UCL) suggests that how much you enjoy exercise — and whether you stick with it — could have more to do with your personality than sheer willpower. The research, published in Frontiers in Psychology, found that matching your workout style to your personality type not only boosts your fitness but can also seriously lower your stress levels. Why Enjoyment Matters If you want to build a lasting fitness habit, it may be as simple as choosing activities you actually like. The UCL team set out to understand what makes some people love exercise while others dread it, looking beyond generic advice to explore how individual personality traits influence their approach. The Study in a Nutshell Researchers recruited 132 people with a mix of fitness backgrounds. Some participants joined an eight-week program that combined cycling and bodyweight strength training, while others acted as a control group with no new exercis...