aging

Grip Strength - indicator of strength and fitness

Grip strength is inversely associated with DNA methylation age acceleration

January 29, 2023 VA Worker Comments Off

A new research study[2] shows that those with relatively weak handgrip strength showed signs of accelerated aging of their DNA. Grip strength is a reliable marker of general muscle quality and strength. Those with weak handgrip have genes that appear to be growing old faster than those with greater strength. What was the Goal of the Research Study? The goal of this study was to resolve whether grip strength was associated with measures of DNA methylation (DNAm) age acceleration. There is huge evidence linking muscular weakness, as defined by low grip strength, to a host of negative aging-related health results. Given these links, grip strength has been labeled a ‘biomarker of aging’, but the pathways connecting grip strength to negative [Read more …]

Most vegetables are a low GI (Glycemic Index) food.

Study: Five Servings of Fruits and Vegetables Per Day Reduces Risk of Death

March 4, 2021 Tim Comments Off

A new research study released by the American Heart Association (AHA)[1] shows that five servings of fruits and vegetables are the number of servings you need to eat everyday to live the longest. According to the study, two of those five servings should be fruits, and the other three should be vegetables. “This amount likely offers the most benefit in terms of prevention of major chronic disease and is a relatively achievable intake for the general public,” said lead author Dr. Dong Wang, a nutritionist and epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. What was the Goal of the Research Study? However, there are variations in benefits depending on the fruits and vegetables you are [Read more …]

Can we couter the effect of sitting with exercise? Yes

Research Study: Counter the Effects of Sitting with 11 Minutes of Exercise a Day?

December 18, 2020 VA Worker Comments Off

A new research study[1] shows that a mere 11 minutes a day of exercise could decrease the unwanted health consequences of sitting for several hours. Low levels of physical activity and high amounts of sedentary time are associated with higher morbidity and mortality risks. In contrast, other large-scale meta-analyses and cohort studies examining the joint associations between physical activity and sedentary behaviors suggest that high levels of physical activity attenuate or even eliminate the associations between sitting time all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality. What was the Goal of the Research Study? Some older studies in 2016 suggested that if you do about 30 minutes of exercise most days but sit for eight hours at work a day, it is still [Read more …]

If you are wanting to lose weight, maintain your weight or simply want to improve your overall health, you might want to try intermittent fasting. This approach to eating uses an intermittent schedule so that you might enjoy several research-backed health benefits. There are several different types of IF, allowing you to choose the method that fits you and your lifestyle the best.

Research Study: Intermittent Fasting and Aging

January 19, 2020 Tim Comments Off

The new year is settling in, which means most people are heading to pack the gym as they take on their New Year’s resolution of getting fit and practicing regular exercise. With all the new fads and methods popping up year after year about how to get trim and toned, it can be hard to determine what is best for you and your lifestyle, let alone which of these fads and methods actually work. One of the most popular methods out there today is intermittent fasting, and today we’re going to dive into the actual research study[1] conducted on this method to test its effectiveness, practicality, and overall results. What Did the Research Study Attempt to Prove? Intermittent fasting is [Read more …]

Does weight training have healthy effects on the human brain - as it seems to do for lab mice?

Weight Training – Good for the Brain Too?

July 25, 2019 Tim Comments Off

A new study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology seems to show that weight training has beneficial effects on the brain (in lab mice.)[1] Resistance exercise training (also called strength training, or weight training) is believed to have beneficial effects on the cognitive impairment that can precede neuroinflammatory disease. But, what has not been discovered is why weight training helps. This study attempted to do just that. Lab rats with an artificially induced form of cognition impairment were monitored after having performed resistance training exercise. How do you make a rat do weight training? The researchers had the rats perform ladder climbs (for treats) with additional weight resistance. The rats gained muscle mass and strength – but that was [Read more …]

Research: Intense Exercise Helps Your Body Clean Up “Junk Proteins”

March 17, 2019 Tim Comments Off

Exercise has a lot of benefits such as: helping you maintain a healthy weight, improving your mental state, building strong muscles and tendons, and more. The latest research shows another potential benefit. It seems that intense exercise can help accelerate the body’s internal processes for cleaning up misfolded proteins – also known as “junk proteins”.[1] Every cell within your body is made from proteins, and there is a complete protein lifecycle that is used by the body to manage the creation and elimination of these proteins. This essential function is known as proteostatis. It includes protein synthesis, folding, assembly, translocation, and clearance.[2] Environmental and physiological stress can cause cellular dysfunction – and this can result in the creation defective proteins. [Read more …]

The Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Fit At Midlife

September 30, 2018 Tim Comments Off

Are you Fit At Midlife? Here’s the top 5 reasons you should strive to be. Reason #1 – Diabetes is at an all time high A recent Gallup report shows that in the US diabetes is at an all time high. Despite the greatest awareness of Type 2 Diabetes in recent times, the rates are still rising? Why? Reason #2 – Being Fit At Midlife Seems To Reduce Cancer Risk Later A recent study shows that being fit at midlife reduces the risk of developing certain types of cancer. What’s more, it also appears to reduce the risk of dying from other types of cancer. Reason #3 – Fitness – The Fountain of Youth? According to this recent study High [Read more …]