Offsetting Health Harms Linked to Prolonged Sitting

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exceeding weekly recommended physical activity levels to offset the health harms that are associated with prolonged sitting. This is the 1st recommendation of this kind following additional research showing that an increase in physical activity can reduce the risk of early death which has been linked to being sedentary for a long period of time.

The new guidelines note that all physical activity counts and is great for long term health. The recommendation reflects a large and growing body of evidence that links extensive sedentary time to serious ill health and also a heightened risk of early death. New data recently released has shown that adults who clock up long hours of sedentary time each day can counter these risks through increasing the amount of activity they engage in.

This research which involved more than 44,000 participants from 4 countries who wore activity trackers, has revealed that a high amount per day of sedentary lifestyle as defined in the study as in excess of 10 hrs, is linked to significantly increased risk of death and this is particularly true of people who are not physically active.

However, 30-40 minutes daily of physical activity that is moderate to vigorous in intensity will substantially weaken the risks. This brings the risks down to levels associated with very low amounts of sedentary time.

The guidelines do state that there isn’t enough evidence to recommend specific maximum thresholds for sedentary behavior. However, everyone irrespective of their abilities or age should try to limit their daily sedentary time and replace it with physical activity at any intensity.

The research shows that all physical activity counts. This could be a variety of activities such as a walk around the block, climbing stairs instead of taking elevators, going for a bike ride or run, gardening, a team sport, or a high intensity interval training workout.

The WHO guidance recommends adding up to a weekly amount of 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity or at least 75 to 100 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity. However, any amount of physical activity is better than none at all.

Boosting levels of physical activity doesn’t only benefit physical and mental health, but will help to stave off the risk of early death. It is also likely the benefit the global economy through higher productivity, lower rates of attendance, and lower rates of working age sickness and death.

The new guidelines consisted of more than 40 scientists from 6 continents. They provided a consensus on the latest science in regards to the health impacts of sedentary behavior and physical activity from early childhood to older age. Key guidelines for adults which include those with disabilities or long term conditions at any age are:

Aim to engage in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity or an equivalent combination of both and muscle strengthening activities such as core conditioning and weights at moderate or greater intensity on 2 or more days per week.

Reduce sedentary behavior

People 65 and over should engage in physical activity that stresses functional balance and strength training at a moderate or greater level of intensity 3 or more times per week.

Women should engage in regular physical activity while pregnant and also after birth to include activities that include aerobic and muscle strengthening Mild stretching may also be beneficial.

Physical activity that is of light intensity won’t cause a substantial increase in breathing or the heart rate and includes activities such as strolling.

Physical activities that are of moderate intensity increase heart rate and invokes to some degree breathlessness but it is still possible to talk. This includes dancing, brisk walking and raking leaves.

Physical activity that is of vigorous intensity may substantially increase the heart and breathing rate and includes running/jogging, cycling, carrying heavy objects, swimming, digging in the garden, walking up stairs and playing tennis.

There still are gaps in the knowledge such as where exactly the bar is set for “too much sitting” is. However, research is continuing to answer some of the unknowns. The current guidelines are timely given the global pandemic which has people confined inside for lengthy periods and has created an increase in sedentary lifestyle.

A person can still protect their health and offset the harmful health effects of not being physically active. As emphasized, any activity counts. There are a variety of indoor options that require minimal amounts of space and/or equipment such as active play with pets and children, climbing stairs, dancing, and online yoga and Pilates classes.

To view the original scientific study click below

World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour.

Clear Association Between Fitness and Mental Health

A new study has reported a clear association between low cardio-respiratory fitness and muscle strength and the risks of developing symptoms of anxiety, depression or both. The study which included over 150,000 participants, may help with clinical guidance on physical fitness and mental health.

Mental health problems just like issues involving physical health, can profoundly effect a person’s everyday life. Some common mental health problems are depression and anxiety. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America indicates that 18.1% of adults in America develop an anxiety disorder sometime in the past year. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that 7.1% of American adults have experienced a significant episode of depression.

There is a large body of evidence showing that being active physically can help treat or prevent conditions related to mental health. However, there are still many questions that need to be answered. As an example, what types of measures should be used to quantify physical activity? And how can it help prevent issues with mental health or help with improving someone’s mental health? Also, is it possible to show a causal association between mental health getting better and physical activity?

The importance of having detailed evidence of the link between mental health and physical activity in addition to the mechanisms that could underlie it, is vitally important to clinicians who can suggest targeted guidance to individuals who suffer from mental health conditions.

As part of the study, the researchers analyzed an existing data set that enabled them to add onto their understanding of the link between mental health and physical activity. The data was drawn from the U.K. Biobank which is a data repository which included information from over half a million volunteers age 40 to 69 from Scotland, Wales and England. From August 2009 to December 2010, a subset from the Biobank consisting of 152,978 people participated in a variety of tests to measure their fitness.

The team assessed the cardio-respiratory fitness of the participants through monitoring their heart rate before, during and following a six minute sub-maximal exercise test conducted on stationary bicycles. The volunteer’s grip strengths were also measured which was used as a proxy for muscle strength.

The participants also completed two standard clinical questionnaires which were related to depression and anxiety. This information gave the team an overview of each participant’s mental health. After seven years, the research team assessed each participant’s depression and anxiety again by using the same two questionnaires.

The team accounted for potential confounding factors such as natal sex, age, smoking status, physical activity, previous mental issues, parental depression, educational experience, and diet.

The team discovered a significant association between the participants mental health and their initial physical fitness seven years later. Individuals who were classified as having low combined muscle strength and cardio-respiratory fitness had 60% higher odds of experiencing anxiety and 98% higher odds of experiencing depression.

They also studied the separate correlations between cardio-respiratory fitness and mental health, and muscle strength and mental health. They discovered that each fitness measure was individually linked with a change in risk but less significantly so with the combination of measures.

This further evidence indicated there is a relationship between mental health and fitness and that structured exercise which is aimed at improving different types of fitness is good for both physical health and mental health.

Although the study is a robust one with a long follow-up period and objective measures of the risk factor and the outcome, it does not necessarily mean there is a casual relationship between physical and mental health. It might be that people who have better mental health tend to stay physically active.

Nonetheless, the team deployed a variety of statistical techniques that does suggest that it is likely there is a causal relationship between physical fitness and improved mental health. In addition to the adjustments for confounding factors, the team also conducted a variety of sensitivity analyses.

They looked for reverse causation which is when the outcome is actually the cause through excluding participants who were anxious or depressed at the beginning of the study. They also changed the cut-off values which would determine whether participants had depression and neither of these two analyses changed any of the team’s findings.

There is the need now to demonstrate what the mechanisms are that account for the relationship between fitness and mental health. However, the current findings are still important. The team notes that people can make a meaningful improvement in their physical fitness in just 3 weeks. And based on that period, a person may be able to reduce their risk of developing common mental health conditions by op to 32.5%.

To view the original scientific study click below

Individual and combined associations between cardiorespiratory fitness and grip strength with common mental disorders: a prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank

Cold Conditions Boost Fat Burning and increase Vitamin A

A new study conducted by a research team at MedUni Vienna’s Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, has shown that cold ambient temperatures increase levels of Vitamin A in both mice and humans. This can help convert bad white adipose tissue into good brown adipose tissue which can then in turn stimulate heat generation and fat burning. Vitamin A is important for a variety of human processes – vision, cell growth, reproduction and the immune system.

Normally this fat transformation is accompanied by enhanced energy consumption therefore is considered a promising direction for developing novel obesity therapeutics.

In mammals and humans at least two types of fatty deposits are recognized – white and brown adipose tissue. When obesity develops, excess calories are mostly stored in white fat. In contrast to white fat, brown fat burns energy and thus generates heat. Over 90% of body fat deposits in humans are white which are mostly located at the bottom, abdomen and upper thighs. Converting white fat into brown fat might be a new therapeutic option for combating weight gain and obesity.

The research team demonstrated that moderate application of cold will increase levels of Vitamin A and its blood transporter retinol-binding protein in mice and humans. Most Vitamin A reserves are stored in the liver and exposure to cold seems to stimulate the redistribution of the vitamin towards the adipose tissue. This cold-induced increase in Vitamin A led to a conversion of white fat into brown fat or browning with a higher rate of fat burning.

When the team blocked the Vitamin A transporter in mice through genetic manipulation, both the cold mediated rise in Vitamin A and browning of the white fat were blunted. As a result, heat production and fat oxidation were disturbed so that the mice could no loner protect themselves against cold. In contrast, adding Vitamin A to white fat cells led to an expression of brown fat cell characteristics. This increased energy consumption and metabolic activity.

The team also examined humans although the study process was different. The team exposed 30 participants to cold temperatures and found increased levels of Vitamin A. They also extracted human cells from the belly fat of four of the participants. When they stimulated the cells with Vitamin A, the cells displayed browning behavior.

The results indicate that Vitamin A plays a vital role in the function of adipose tissue and also affects global energy consumption. This is not an argument for humans to begin consuming large amounts of Vitamin A supplements if they are not prescribed. It is critical that Vitamin A is transported at the right time to the right cells.

To view the original scientific study click below

Intact vitamin A transport is critical for cold-mediated adipose tissue browning and thermogenesis.

Sauna for Anti-Aging

Living a healthier and longer life is inherently linked with delaying or preventing the onset of aging. The aging process has far reaching effects on a variety of systems within the body even at the molecular and cellular levels. Sauna use which is also referred to as “sauna bathing” is an ancient practice that shows profound implications for slowing aging.

Sauna bathing exposes the body to extreme heat which is a form of stress. The effects of this heat stress on longevity has been shown in worms and flies, increasing their lifespans by as much as 15%. Furthermore, large observational studies conducted in humans have identified strong links between a lower risk of age-related conditions and sauna use.

Participants in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD) which is an ongoing prospective population based cohort study of health outcomes in over 2,300 middle-aged men from eastern Finland who used saunas two to three times per week, were 27% less likely to die from a variety of age-related disorders.

The studies findings also showed that the benefits received were dose-dependent in that men who engaged in sauna bathing roughly twice as often, about 4 to 7 times per week, were 50% less likely to die from cardiovascular-related causes.

The KIHD study also revealed that frequent sauna bathing reduced the risk of developing age-related cognitive decline disorders in a dose-dependent manner. Men who used a sauna two to three times per week had a 66% lower risk of developing dementia and a 65% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease.

The findings also showed that frequent sauna bathing users were 40% less likely to die from all causes of premature death. And these findings remained true even when considering activity levels, age, and lifestyle factors that may have influenced the men’s health.

Sauna bathing exposes the body to extreme heat which elicits a robust and rapid response:

-Skin and core body temperatures will increase markedly and sweating begins

-Cardiac output which is a measure of the amount of work the heart performs in response to the body’s need for oxygen, increases by 60% to 70% and the heart rate also increases

-Blood flow is redirected from the body’s core to the skin to facilitate sweating.

-Plasma volume increases to compensate for the decrease in core blood volume, provides a reserve source of fluid for sweating and prevents rapid increases in core body temperature which promotes hyper-thermic conditioning which is a form of heat tolerance.

-During moderate temperature sauna bathing, the heart rate may increase up to 100 beats per minute and up to 150 beats per minute when the heat is turned up

These are just some of the visible signs of heat stress. Invisible responses to heat stress will occur at the molecular and cellular levels from a physiological phenomenon known as hormesis. Hormesis is a response that is defensive and that will occur after exposure to a mild stressor. This is a trigger to a vast array of protective responses to the body that repair cell damage, elicit long term adaptations, and provides protection from consistent exposures to more harmful stressors.

The WHO estimates that almost 18 million people die every year from cardiovascular diseases and is one-third of all deaths globally. People who engage in long term sauna bathing usually experience improvements in several kinds of cardiovascular health such as reduced blood pressure, improved left ventricular function, improved endothelial function, and reduced markers of inflammation.

Different forms of heat therapy including sauna use have been proposed as changes to exercise for people who are not able to exert physical activity due to physical limitations or chronic disease.

The brain is primarily vulnerable to the effects of aging. Heat-induced responses will help protect the brain from the cumulative effects of unhealthy dietary patterns, oxidative stress and daily energy metabolism which all detour long term cognitive function.

Research has also identified an amount of heat stress promoted molecular mechanisms that modulate cognitive decline and aging such as those that mitigate protein damage and aggregation or activate endogenous antioxidant repair, and degradation processes.

A growing body of evidence from clinical, observational, and mechanistic studies all suggest that sauna bathing is associated with a variety of health benefits and may offer a way to forestall the effects of aging. For maximum benefits, healthy adults should follow the following guidelines for safe and effective sauna bathing:

-4 to 7 sessions per week

-Approximately 20 minutes per session

-Temperature is dependent upon the type of sauna. Far infrared saunas are typically used at 130 – 135 degrees

To view the original scientific study click below

Benefits and risks of sauna bathing.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Reverses Two Markers of Aging in Human Cells

A new study from the Univeristy at Tel Aviv and the Shamir Medical Center in Israel indicates that hyperbaric oxygen treatments (HBOT) in adults that are healthy can stop blood cell aging and also partially reverse the process of aging. From a biologic sense, the blood cells appeared to get younger as treatments progressed.

The team discovered that a certain process of treatments in a pressure chamber using high pressure oxygen can actually reverse two important processes that are related to aging and the illnesses that go along with it. These are telomere shortening which are the protective areas that are at each end of all chromosomes, and accumulating of malfunctioning old cells in the body.

Through attention on immune cells which contained DNA that had been obtained from the participant’s blood, the research showed telomeres lengthening up to 38% and also a decrease of up to 37% of senescent cells being present.

For several years the research team had been involved in hyperbaric therapy and research through treatments in adherence of the process of being exposed to high pressure oxygen at a variety of concentrations inside pressure chambers. Their achievements throughout the years have been improvements of brain functions that are typically damaged by stroke, brain injury or aging.

Currently the study involves studying the impact of HBOT on independent, healthy aging adults and to find if such treatments can ease or even stop and may reverse the process of normal aging at the cellular level.

The teams process composed of 35 healthy people who were older than 64 to a series of 60 hyperbaric sessions over a 90 day period. Each individual provided samples of their blood at the beginning, during and after the end of the treatments in addition to some time following the end of the treatments. The research team then analyzed different immune cells in the participant’s blood samples and the results were compared.

Their findings have shown treatments received actually did reverse the process of aging in two major aspects – telomeres growing longer opposed to shortening at a rate of 20% to 38% for the different types of cells, and the amount of senescent cells in the overall population of cells was reduced quite significantly by 11% to 37% depending on the type of cell.

Telomere shortening is currently thought of as the Holy Grail of the process of aging. Researchers throughout the globe are aspiring to develop environmental and pharmacological interventions that would result in telomere elongation. The HBOT protocol in the current study has been able to achieve this which proved that the process of aging really can be reversed at the basic molecular/cellular level.

In the past interventions such as intense exercise and lifestyle modifications have been shown to have some limiting effect on shortening of telomeres. In the new study, just three months of HBOT was able to elongate the telomeres at rates much more than any current interventions and lifestyle changes. This pioneering study has opened up the door for more research on the cellular impact of HBOT and its possibilities for turning back the process of aging.

To view the original scientific study click below

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases telomere length and decreases immunosenescence in isolated blood cells: a prospective trial.

Early Morning Exercise Can Decrease Health Risks

A new study has revealed that people who exercise in the morning between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. as opposed to later in the day may be less likely to develop certain types of cancer. This new research may help future research into the timing of exercising as a possible way to reduce the risk of cancer.

Previous research has shown that recreational exercise can reduce the risk of developing many types of cancers. This is important because of the high incidence of people developing cancer and the significant number of people who die from their disease. In the United States, it is estimated that by the end of 2020 1,806.590 people will be diagnosed with cancer while 606,520 people will die from cancer.

With the large number of people developing cancer, any small changes even as small as changing the time of day for exercising could make a significant contribution to the reduction of cancer across an entire population.

The recent study by researchers from the Barcelona Institute of Global Health and the Department of Epidemiology at the Medical University of Vienna studied the exercise habits of 2,795 participants. The participants were a subset of the Spanish multi-case control study that set out to understand factors that cause common cancers in Spain and additionally how to prevent them.

From 2008 to 2013 the team interviewed the participants to learn about their household physical activity and their lifetime recreational activity. At about 3 years later, the team assessed the timing of when the participants exercised. They looked in particular at 781 women with breast cancer and who had responded to the questionnaire about their physical activity and 504 men with prostate cancer who had provided data about the timing of their exercise.

The controls in the study were chosen randomly from general practice records. The team matched them to people in the study with cancer who were of similar age and the same sex. The controls also responded to the follow-up questions in regards to their physical activity and their timing.

The team discovered that people who exercised between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. had the strongest possible beneficial effect at reducing prostate and breast cancer. About 7% of the women with breast cancer and 9% of people in the control group engaged in their exercise in early morning. About 12.7% of the men with prostate cancer and 14% of that control group also engaged in early morning exercise.

The team developed a model that showed that early morning exercise was associated with a 25% lower risk of breast cancer and a 27% lower risk of prostate cancer. Similarly, people who exercised in the evening between 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m had a 25% reduced risk for developing prostate cancer.

The research suggests that any benefits to early morning exercise for the risk of breast cancer may have links to estrogen. High levels of estrogen have links to an increased risk of breast cancer and exercise can lower levels of estrogen. Estrogen production is most active around 7:00 a.m.

Melatonin might also be a factor. Research has shown that melatonin may protect against cancer risk and exercise later in the day or at night can delay the production of melatonin.

The team does note that the study has limitations, and they could not detect the small effect the timing of exercise may have with certainty. However, this does not mean it is not important. Cancer is a prolific disease and even small effects when amplified throughout a population can be important.

Regardless, the study clarifies the value of further exploration into the association between the timing of exercise and the risk of cancer. What is clear is that anyone can help reduce their risk of developing cancer by simply engaging in moderate physical activity for at least 150 minutes a week. Exercise is critically important for a variety of reasons. It helps people have more energy, helps them feel better and at affects a variety of biological processes that may themselves reduce the risk of cancer.

To view the original scientific study click below

Effect of time of day of recreational and household physical activity on prostate and breast cancer risk (MCC?Spain study)

Blue Light Filtering Glasses Improve Workday Productivity and Sleep

New research has shown that by wearing blue-light glasses right before sleeping a person can get a better night’s sleep and also contribute to better workday productivity. This is especially important since people are learning and working from home as well as binge watching TV more than ever before due to the pandemic.

The team discovered that if a person wears blue-light filtering glasses, it can be an effective way to not only improve sleep but also task performance, work engagement and organizational citizenship behaviors. It also reduced work behavior that was counterproductive. These glasses create a form of physiologic darkness which leads to improved sleep quality and quantity.

Most of the technology people use such as smartphones, computer screens, and tablets all emit blue light. Past research has shown that these devices through the blue light they emit can disrupt sleep. As we currently navigate school and work, people have become more dependent on these devices.

The new research has helped extend the understanding of the circadian rhythm which is a natural, internal process that regulates our sleep/wake cycle and repeats approximately every 24 hours. Before modern times people were not exposed to blue light after the sunset. Wearing blue light filtering glasses produces a similar effect. To get the best results the glasses should be worn starting about two hours before going to bed and until the lights in the bedroom are turned off. Some people put them on right after it gets dark.

Generally speaking, the effects of wearing blue-light filtering glasses are stronger for night owls as opposed to morning larks. Night owls tend to sleep during later times in the day while larks tend to sleep earlier in the day.

Although most anyone can benefit from reducing their exposure to blue light, night owl employees benefit more as they have greater changes between their internal clock and their work time which is externally controlled. The team’s research shows just how and when a person wears the blue-light filtering glasses can help employees to work and live better.

The team’s research discovered that daily engagement of task performance may be related to underlying processes such as the circadian process. The research pushes the chronotype literature to think about the relationship between employees’ performance and the timing of circadian processes. A good night’s sleep will not only benefit workers, it will also help their employer’s bottom lines.

Through two studies, the team collected data from 63 company managers and 67 call center reps at Brazil based offices for a United States multinational financial firm and measured task performance from clients. The participants were randomly chosen to test blue-light filtered glasses or those that were placebo glasses.

Employees can often be asked to work early in the morning which can lead to a change between the externally controlled work time and their internal clock. The team found that their analyses showed a general pattern that blue-light filtration can have a cumulative effects on key performance variables at least in the short term.

They note that blue-light exposure should be a concern to organizations. The ubiquity of this phenomenon suggests that blue-light exposure control might be a viable first step to protect the circadian cycles of their employees from disruption.

To view the original scientific study click below

The effects of blue-light filtration on sleep and work outcomes.

Why Average Body Temperature has Dropped in Healthy Adults

Almost two centuries ago the current “normal” body temperature in humans was established at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit and has been used as the measure for assessing fevers. However, over time lowering of body temperature has been widely substantiated in healthy adults.

A study conducted in 2017 among 35,000 adults in the U. K. found average body temperatures to be lower at 97.9F and a study in 2019 in the U. S. found normal body temperatures at about 97.5F.

Interestingly, recent studies in both the U. S. and the U. K. have found a decrease similar in the Tsimane which is an indigenous population of forager horticulturists located in the Bolivian Amazon. A team that has been observing this population have observed a rapid decline in body temperature of 0.09 degrees Fahrenheit such that today this population’s body temperatures are about 97.7F.

In less than twenty years researchers are seeing the same levels of decline as that which has been observed in the U. S. over about two centuries. The analysis is based on a large sample of 18,000 observations of about 5,500 adults with adjustments for factors that can affect body temperature such as body mass and ambient temperature.

It is clear that something about human physiology has changed. The researchers leading hypothesis is that we have recorded fewer infections due to clean water, improved hygiene, medical treatment and vaccinations. In the recent study, they were able to test these ideas directly. They have information on clinical diagnosis and also biomarkers of inflammation and infection at the time each participant had been seen.

Although some infections were associated with high body temperatures, adjusting for those did not account for the steep decline in temperatures over time. The same kind of thermometer was used for most of the study so the changes were not due to changes in instruments.

No matter how they did the analysis, the declines were still there. Even when they restricted analysis to under 10% of adults who were diagnosed as completely healthy, they still observed the same decline in body temperatures over time.

A key question became then is why are body temperatures declining in both Americans and the Tsimane population. Data available from the team’s long-term research in Bolivia addressed some of the possibilities. Declines could be due to an increase of modern health care and less incidence of lingering mild infections compared to the past. However, while health has improved over the past two decades, infections are still widespread in rural areas of Bolivia. This then suggests that reduced infection alone isn’t why the decline in body temperatures.

It may be that people are in general in better condition which means their bodies could be working less to fight infection. Greater access to antibiotics and other medical treatments means that the duration of infections is shorter now than was in the past. The team did find that respiratory infection in the early period of the study led to having a high body temperature than having the same infection more recently.

Another possible explanation is that a person’s body doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain the internal temperature due to air conditioning in the warmer temperatures and heating in the colder temperatures. Although Tsimane body temperatures will change with time of year and patterns of the weather, these people do not use any advanced technology for helping to regulate their body temperature. They do however, have more access to blankets and clothes.

The research team was initially surprised to find no single magic bullet that would explain the decline in body temperature. They believe it is likely due to a combination of factors which all point to improved conditions.

Temperature as a vital sign is an indicator of what is occurring physiologically inside the body. One thing that has been known for a while is that there is not universal body temperature for everyone at all times. Despite the fixation on 98.6F, most clinicians know that normal temperatures have a range and throughout the day, temperatures can vary by as much as 1 degree Fahrenheit from lowest in the morning to its highest in the afternoon. It will also vary following physical activity, across the menstrual cycle, and tends to decrease with age.

Through linking improvements in the broader epidemiological and socioeconomic landscape to body temperature changes, the study does suggest that information in regards to body temperature may provide clues to a population’s overall health along with other normal expectations such as life expectancy. Since body temperature is easy to measure, it can easily be added to routine large-scale surveys that monitor the health of populations.

To view the original scientific study click below

Rapidly declining body temperature in a tropical human population.

Positive Outlook and Less Memory Decline

A new study has shown that people who are cheerful and feel enthusiastic or what is known as the “positive effect”, are not likely to experience decline in memory with aging. This study adds to a increasing body of research that shows the role a positive outlook has on aging.

Many of wish some of our memories could last a lifetime. However, emotional and physical factors can impact negatively our ability to remember information throughout a person’s life.

The research team analyzed data from 991 older and middle aged adults in the United States who had participated in a study that was conducted nationally at three different time periods – 1995 and 1996, 2004 and 2006, and 2013 and 2014.

With each assessment the study participants identified a range of positive emotions they experienced during the previous 30 days. In the last two assessments, they also completed tests of memory performance. These tests involved participants recalling words immediately following their presentation and again 15 minutes later.

The team then examined the association between positive effect and memory decline. They accounted for gender, age, education, negative effect, depression and extroversion.

The findings indicated that memory did decline with age. However, participants with higher levels of positive effect declined less with their memory over the period of almost a decade.

Future research will look at addressing the pathways that could connect memory and positive effect such as social relationships and physical health.

To view the original scientific study click below

Positive Affect Is Associated With Less Memory Decline: Evidence From a 9-Year Longitudinal Study

Hair Loss and Regulating Stem Cell Metabolism

New research has identified a mechanism that appears to be able to prevent hair loss. A group of researchers in Helsinki and Cologne Germany have demonstrated that a protein known as Rictor holds a important role in the process.

Hair follicle stem cells promote hair growth and can also retain their life by changing their metabolic state. Environmental factors such as ultraviolet radiation damage skin and different tissues daily. The body continues to remove and renew the damaged tissues. Human sheds about 500,000,000 cells daily and an amount of hair weighing an amount of 1.5 grams.

Material that is dead is replaced through specialized stem cells that further growth of tissue. The function of tissues is reliant on the health and activity of these stem cells. Impaired activity will result in the aging of the tissues.

The part of stem cells and aging that is critical has been established, however not very much information is available about mechanisms that administer maintenance on a long term basis of these vital cells. The follicle of the hair which is well understood and has known identifiable stem cells is the prefect model system for researchers to study this question.

At the final stages of a hair follicle’s regenerative cycle and when a new hair is established, stem cells go back to their ideal location and maintain a quiescent state. The most important finding in the research team’s study is that the return to the stem cell state must have a change in the cell’s metabolic state. The cells switch from cellular respiration and glutamine based metabolism to glycolysis. This is a shift brought on by a signal that is induced by the Rictor protein in return to the concentration of low oxygen in the tissue. The study demonstrates that the absence of this protein influenced the stem cells reversal ability. This initiated a limited stem cell exhaustion and loss of hair due to aging.

The team’s creation of a genetic mouse model for the purpose of studying the Rictor protein. They observed that regeneration and cycle of the hair follicle were delayed quite significantly in mice who lacked the protein. Older mice suffering from a deficiency of this protein showed a limited decrease in their stem cell which resulted in hair loss.

Additional research will be conducted to investigate how the pre-clinical findings might be utilized in human stem cell biology and also lead to therapies with drugs that may protect the aging of hair follicles. The mechanisms found in the recent study might possibly be utilized in preventing loss of hair.

The team was most excited about their realization that the intent of a glutaminase inhibitor was able to bring back the function of the stem cells in the Rictor deficient mice. This proved the principle that by changing metabolic pathways, an important way to increase the regenerative amount of our tissues occurred.

To view the original scientific study click below

Glutamine Metabolism Controls Stem Cell Fate Reversibility and Long-Term Maintenance in the Hair Follicle

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