Episódios
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Understanding a person’s metabolism – the process in which the body converts food consumed into fuel to expend during all of its functions – is a key component to any successful weight/fat loss program. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) represents roughly 65% of all the calories a person expends during a day - keeping the heart beating, temperature control, breathing, and circulation activities.
Some people have a fast metabolism – one that effectively processes and converts the food you eat into energy, versus a slow metabolism that stores more of the energy from daily food intake.
RMR, also referred to as basal metabolic rate (BMR) - is the total amount of calories that a human body requires to maintain itself.
Other metabolic components include the thermal effect of eating – the energy cost of chewing, digesting, and absorbing nutrients, which increases the RMR by 5 to 15%; physical activity expenditure – daily exercise - that adds another 15 to 30% to RMR; and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), that represents walking, sitting down, getting up, and any restless-type activity.
During my thirty years of multiple hospital-affiliated sports performance, fitness, and wellness programs, we measured a person’s RMR using a metabolic cart, which was also used to determine their ventilatory threshold and maximum endurance capacity – all factored into a client’s macro-nutrient intake and exercise guidelines to reduce excess weight and body fat, while preserving or increasing lean muscle.
There are equations that have been used to compare against the RMR measurements.
Harris-Benedict (HB):
Men: (13.75 x W) + (5 x H) – (6.76 x A) + 66Women: (9.56 x W) + (1.85 x H) – (4.68 x A) + 655Weight (W) is in kilograms Take your weight in pounds / 2.2 = weight in kilogramsHeight (H) is in centimetersTake your height in inches x 2.54 = height in centimetersA = ageThe main issue with the HB calculation is that it does not take into consideration your increase or decrease in lean body mass (muscle).
A more accurate formula is the Cunningham equation:
RMR = 500 + (22 x LBM in kilograms).This formula requires obtaining a body composition from a DXA scan or the use of body composition devices, like bio-impedance, and skin calipers (less accurate with obese individuals). You divide your LMB in pounds by 2.2 to get kilograms.
If you would like to learn more about metabolic rate, check out maxwellnutrition.com. You can also find information on other RMR formulas at
https://www.lizino.net/facts-about-resting-metabolic-rate/
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The Journal of the American College of Cardiology reported on the results of a modeling study in August 2022 that concluded, “the association of CRF (cardiorespiratory fitness) and mortality risk across the age spectrum (including septuagenarians and octogenarians), men, women, and all races was inverse, independent, and graded. No increased risk was observed with extreme fitness.”
The study – "Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Mortality Risk Across the Spectra of Age, Race, and Sex" – further concluded that, “being unfit carried a greater risk than any of the cardiac risk factors examined.”
The study group included a diverse group – age, gender, and race – of 750,302 U.S. veterans aged 30 to 95, who were followed for a median of 10.2 years. Age and gender-specific CFR categories were created based on peak MET (metabolic equivalent) achieved on a standardized treadmill test – one MET equal to 3.5 ml/kg/min.
According to the study investigators, “the lowest mortality risk was observed at approximately 14.0 METs for men and women, with no evidence of an increase in risk with extremely high CRF. The risk for least fit individuals (20th percentile) was 4-fold higher compared with extremely fit individuals.”
In a related editorial, my friend, Cardiologist, Carl (Chip) J. Lavie, MD, whom I worked closely with during my tenure as Director of Health and Fitness for the Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, commented, “indeed, "improving CRF should be considered a target in CVD prevention, similar to improving lipids, blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight.”
If you would like to read the abstract from this study, here’s the link.
https://www.jacc.org/doi/abs/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.05.031
For more detailed information on similar studies, go to maxwellnutrition.com.
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Sarcopenia is the aging loss of lean muscle, resulting from a loss of strength – dynapenia – and a related anabolic resistance – the inability to regenerate lean muscle at the same rate, as a younger individual. This degenerative process can begin without interventions, such as increased protein intake and resistance training, in the fourth decade and accelerate after the age of sixty.
New research – Dietary Protein Intake Is Positively Associated with Appendicular Lean Mass (ALM) and Handgrip Strength Among Middle-Aged US Adults - published in the December issue of the Journal of Nutrition, comments that, “protein intake predicts skeletal muscle mass and strength among older adults, but knowledge of similar associations among middle-aged adults is lacking.”
In order to determine the effect of protein intake on lean mass maintenance in middle-aged adults, researchers from Purdue University in Indiana, assessed appendicular lean mass, adjusted for BMI (body mass index), and handgrip strength data from 1209 men and women from 2011 to 2014 aged 40 to 59 years of age. ALM is the sum of lean tissue in the arms and legs.
Daily protein intake per kilogram of body weight was determined by two- 24-hour recalls. The participants protein intake was broken into three categories: less than the recommended daily allotment of 0.8 grams per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight; moderate protein intake of between 0.8 to 1.2 g/kg/; and high at greater than 1.2 g/kg.
The ALM - the sum of lean tissue in the arms and legs - was assessed by DXA Scans and handgrip strength. The investigators used the National Institutes of Health criteria for the ALM to define the categories of “low lean mass and “weakness.”
The results reflected, “among middle-aged adults, 15.6% of men and 13.4% of women had low lean mass and 3.5% of men and 2.3% of women exhibited weakness.”
It was further determined that, compared with the moderate protein group, the high protein group had a higher handgrip strength and the low protein group had lower grip strength among men and women.
The researchers concluded that higher protein intakes were associated with greater ALM and handgrip strength relative to BMI. The take-away is that a protein intake above the recommended daily intake of 0.8 g/kg/day, may need to be increased after the age of 40.
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Dementia, which globally effected over 50 million people in 2019, is characterized by a progressive and unrelenting deterioration of mental capacity – compromising everyday activities.
Dementia is a symptom of underlying brain degeneration caused by vascular disease or traumatic brain injury, such as from accidents or contact sports like American football, brain tumors, and the list goes on.
Dementia is classified into two distinct areas: Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia. Since a stroke doubles the risk of developing dementia, it’s estimated that more than a third of the dementia cases could be prevented by reducing the risk to a stroke.
According to research – Consumption of Coffee and Tea and the Risk of developing Stroke, Dementia, and Post-Stroke Dementia: A Cohort Study, which appeared in December 2021, in the open access, peer-reviewed journal Plos Medicine, “epidemiological and clinical studies have shown the benefits of coffee and tea separately in preventing dementia. However, little is known about the association between the combination of coffee and tea and the risk of dementia.”
Chinese researchers sought to investigate the associations of coffee and tea separately and in combination with the risk of developing stroke, dementia, and poststroke dementia, based on data from a large population-based cohort – the UK, a population-based cohort study that recruited more than 500,000 participants (39 to 74 years old), who attended 1 of the 22 assessment centers across the UK between 2006 and 2010.
365, 682 participants reported their coffee and tea consumption. The researchers determined that, “coffee intake of 2 to 3 cups/day or tea intake of 3 to 5 cups/day, or their combination intake of 4 to 6 cups/day were linked with the lowest hazard ratio (HR) of incident stroke and dementia.”
It was also determined that consuming 2 to 3 cups of coffee with 2 to 3 cups of tea daily were associated with a 32% lower risk of stroke and a 28% lower risk of dementia – with the intake of coffee alone or in combination with tea being associated with lower risk of poststroke dementia.
The Chinese investigators concluded that, “our findings support an association between moderate coffee and tea consumption and risk of stroke and dementia. However, whether the provision of such information can improve stroke and dementia outcomes remains to be determined.”
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In August of 1985, I designed and implemented the performance nutrition and conditioning plan that transformed the former undisputed World Light Heavyweight Champion Michael Spinks from his light heavyweight weigh-in weight of 175 pounds to 200 pounds.
On September 21st, Spinks won a 15-round historic victory over the reining, undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes. Previously, no light heavyweight boxer had ever successfully moved up and beaten the world heavyweight champion. Both Spinks and I made history on that night.
Losing scale weight, while preserving or increasing fat free mass (FFM), can be quite challenging, as any bodybuilder can attest to.
Researchers from the University of Alicante in Spain and California State University in Northridge, California published research – Achieving an Optimal Fat Loss Phase in Resistance-Trained Athletes: A Narrative Review – in the September 2021 issue of the journal Nutrients.
The researchers used a literature review to develop an evidence-based overview of dietary-nutritional strategies for the loss of fat mass (FM) and maintenance of FFM in resistance-trained athletes.
The first area of concern is caloric intake, which for resistance athletes, “should be set based on a target BW (body weight) loss of 0.5–1.0%/week, in order to maximize retention of FFM.” The researchers point out that athletes with an initial lower percentage of body fat should take a more conservative approach to caloric restriction (CR).
As for protein intake, 2.2–3.0 grams/kilogram of body weight per day (g/kg BW/day) should be distributed throughout the day in three–six meals and ensuring in each of them an adequate amount of protein (0.40–0.55 g/kg BW/intake), note the investigators.
Relative to integrating protein intake around resistance training, “an intake 2-3 hours before training and another 2-3 hours post-training is preferable.”
Carbohydrate consumptions needs to be adapted to the athlete’s activity level, in order to support the energy demands of the training (2–5 g/kg BW/day). “Individuals, who wish to engage in more severe CHO restriction (e.g., ketogenic conditions),” comment the researchers, “may increase the risk of FFM loss, despite a similar capacity to preserve strength.”
The fat macro-nutrient intake should ensure a minimum of greater than or equal to 0.5 grams per kilogram of BW per day.
From a micronutrient standpoint, the researchers point out that there is a need to overcome any potential deficiencies in vitamin B1, B3, B6, vitamin D, and the minerals magnesium, calcium, zinc, and iron.
A good starting point is to use a multivitamin/mineral formula containing, note the researchers, 10 or more vitamins and minerals at recommended daily intake levels in healthy people.
Creatine - produced naturally in the body from the amino acids glycine, methionine and arginine - is used in the phosphocreatine energy system in explosive activities lasting 0–10 seconds.
The researchers comment that, “athletes may benefit from creatine supplementation indirectly, since it has been observed that creatine supplementation in combination with strength training could increase the training-induced proliferation of satellite cells and myonuclei in skeletal muscle, resulting in increased muscle fiber growth.”
For more information about developing a creatine muscle gain protocol in conjunction with your physician, I refer you to my book, Lean & Hard, the body you’ve always wanted in 24 workouts (John Wiley & Sons).
Read the rest at maxwellnutrition.com ...
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Researchers from multiple departments of Boston University report in October 2021 in JAMA Network Open that a higher midlife estimated cardiorespiratory fitness level was associated with a lower burden of subclinical atherosclerosis and vascular stiffness, along with a lower risk of hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and mortality.
Vascular stiffness refers to left ventricular afterload and the resulting coronary perfusion – leading to cardiovascular disease (CVD). It’s measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV), which can slow with aging – leading to systolic (top blood pressure number) hypertension.
Prior research has shown that a higher CRF level lowers the risk to CVD and all-cause mortality by itself and/or in conjunction with other CVD risk-reduction measures, such as with the Mediterranean eating strategy and weight control.
The American Heart Association recommends that primary care physicians assess CRF in their clinical practices.
As referenced in the Boston University research – Association of Estimated Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Midlife with Cardiometabolic Outcomes and Mortality – “CRF is measured via cardiopulmonary exercise testing; however, this method requires in-person assessment with specialized equipment and trained personnel, rendering it expensive and less accessible.”
Luckily, non-exercise estimated CRF (eCRF) algorithms have been developed using readily available clinical information, such as age, sex, waist circumference, resting heart rate, and physical activity.
In my former hospital-affiliated sports performance, fitness, and wellness programs, we used 12-lead EKG cardiopulmonary VO2 max testing – with a cardiologist interpretation of the data to determine the appropriate heart rate training intensity zones for both athlete and non-athlete.
As for the eCRF, I have successfully used the Polar algorithms and heart rate monitoring devices (polar.com) to provide guidance to members of the US Army Special Operations Command.
Read the rest on MaxWellNutrition.com -
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still the leading cause of death worldwide. The good news is that modifying CVD risk factors, such as an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, not smoking, and limiting alcohol intake, can reduce the risk to complications, an early demise, or unnecessary risk to Covid-19 and its pervasive variants.
A recent study – "Using an Erythrocyte Fatty Acid Fingerprint to Predict Risk of All-Cause Mortality: The Framingham Offspring Cohort "– appearing in the June 2021 online issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), sought to compare a combination of RBC (red blood count) FA (fatty acid) levels in predicting all-cause mortality.
Those biomarkers included the FA’s measured in blood plasma and RBC membranes, specifically looking at the omega-3’s EPA, and DHA - which are most notably associated with reduced risk to CVD. Those referenced FA’s are found in fish oil and walnuts, among other dietary sources.
The study also references a 2018 report, which included 2500 participants in the Framingham Offspring Cohort, who were followed for a median of 7.3 years (i.e., between ages ∼66 and 73 y) – with a baseline RBC EPA + DHA content [the omega-3 index]. A higher omega-3 index was significantly and inversely associated with risk for death from all causes.
Those, “individuals in the highest quintile were 33% less likely to succumb during the follow-up years compared with those in the lowest quintile,” comments the AJCN.
There have been similar associations seen in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study, the Heart and Soul Study, and the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health Study. However, these prior investigations evaluated only one FA metric, as an exposure variable.
The Framingham Offspring Cohort participants (2240 eligible), who had RBC fatty acid measurements and relevant baseline clinical covariates, were without prevalent cardiovascular disease. The participants were evaluated during eleven years of follow-up looking specifically at the association with eight standard risk factors (age, sex, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, hypertension treatment, systolic blood pressure, smoking status, and prevalent diabetes) and 28 FA metrics with all-cause mortality.
The bottom line is that a physician can now assess the patient’s FA levels - along with their medical history and other appropriate lab values - to prescribe or recommend the appropriate intake level of supplementary omega-3’s – prescription or over the counter preparations.
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New research – "Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Reported by Former Professional Football Players over 50 Years of Age, An NFL-Long Study", which appeared in the March 2022 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, reports on the increased risk that former NFL players over the age of 50 have for mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
A diverse group of researchers from the Department of Exercise and Sports Science and Center for the Study of Retired Athletes, University of North Carolina and the Department of Neurosurgery/Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, among others, concluded that, “Self-reported MCI prevalence and dementia prevalence were higher in former NFL players than national estimates and were associated with numerous personal factors, including mood-related disorders and a high number of self-reported concussions.”
The estimates of MCI risk in Americans is 24 to 32%. While not completely understood, the risk seems to be related to be age, race, social, educational, health status (osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease) and mood (depression).
The investigators comment that, “Traumatic brain injury (TBI) may also increase risk for developing MCI and dementia-related disorders. With respect to sport-related TBI, the prevalence of MCI may be higher in former National Football League (NFL) players with three or more self-reported concussions compared with those with fewer, but not necessarily for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).”
The overall incidence of AD in former NFL players is higher than for the average American man – with the greatest disparity tied to males under 70 years old.
Based on the need to clarify a retired NFL players risk to MCI, after the age of 50, the investigators contacted 15,025 former NFL players of all ages. Former players were eligible for the study, if they had at least one full season and were 50 years or older. They were asked to complete an online questionnaire or paper hard copy.
The justification by the researchers for a 50-year old cutoff age was that, “It represents the lower-bound age in which neurodegenerative diseases with typical earlier onset first occur (e.g., early onset/autosomal AD, behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia).”
The questionnaire used was expanded from a prior questionnaire in an ongoing study – Neurologic Function Across the Lifespan: A Prospective, Longitudinal, and Translational Study for Former National Football League Players (NFL-Long).
The questionnaire examined the general health of former NFL players, while also acquiring information regarding the former player’s personal demographics; football playing history; medical history; concussion history; musculoskeletal injury history; self-reported psychological, physical, and cognitive functioning; health-related quality of life; and current substance use-and health-related behaviors.
It was determined that, “In this subset of former NFL players, history of 10 or more sport-related concussions, lifetime diagnoses of depression and/or anxiety, and greater recent pain intensity were each associated with higher prevalence of MCI and dementia.”
In addition, “Sleep apnea was also associated with a greater prevalence of MCI. Older age and self-identifying as non-White were associated with a greater prevalence of dementia.”
As to the implications, “This study, concluded the researchers, “suggests that there may be preventative and therapeutic targets that might mitigate the onset of MCI or dementia-related disorders.”
If you would like to read this study and /or order nutritional products made and sourced in the US – carrying the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) designation, and meeting purity standards, go to maxwellnutrition.com.
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CDC.gov says that each year millions of people over 65 years of age fall – with one out of five causing serious injury, such as broken bones, or head injury, while three million older individuals are treated in emergency rooms for fall injuries. Over 800,000 older patients are hospitalized due to fall injury – most often head and hip trauma.
Researchers from the faculty of Kinesiology, University of Regina and College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan in Canada report that interventions, “which improve radius and tibial bone geometry and muscle density (MuD) in the surrounding areas may be clinically important for decreasing the risk of falls and fractures in older adults.”
The Canadians writing – Efficacy of Creatine Supplementation and Resistance Training on Area and Density of Bone and Muscle in Older Adults – which appeared in the November 2021 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, reference that, “creatine (Cr) supplementation (methylguanidine-acetic acid) during supervised whole-body resistance training (1 yr) decreased the rate of areal bone mineral density (aBMD) loss in the femoral neck and increased femoral shaft subperiosteal width compared with placebo in postmenopausal women.”
There is a lack of research looking into the effect of oral creatine monohydrate supplementation with or without resistance training (RT) on cortical and trabecular bone structure properties in older individuals. It’s known that resistance training supports bone structure and remodeling, irrespective of concurrent creatine supplementation.
Therefore, the Canadians chose to investigate the efficacy of Cr supplementation relative to sex differences under supervised, whole-body RT on properties of bone and muscle in older adults.
Seventy participants – 39 men and 31 women with an average age of 58 years - were randomized to supplement with Cr at 0.1 grams per kilogram/day, or placebo (Pl) during three days per week of whole-body resistance training for one year.
Bone geometry (radius and tibia) and muscle area and density (forearm and lower leg) were assessed using peripheral quantitative computed tomography.
The primary exercises placed specific strain on regions of the forearm (i.e., radius) and lower leg (i.e., tibia), which included dumbbell wrist pronation and supination, lever machine elbow flexion and ankle plantarflexion and plate-loaded tibia dorsiflexion. Secondary exercises included the hack squat, hip (abduction, adduction, flexion, and extension), leg curl, leg extension, low-back extension, chest press, lat-pull.
The Canadians determined that, “older adults who supplemented with Cr experienced a significant increase in lower-leg MuD compared with those on placebo, which may be important because low MuD is an independent risk factor for falls and disability in older adults.”
It was concluded that, “1 yr of Cr supplementation (0.1 g·kg−1·d−1) and supervised resistance training increased total bone area in the tibia and lower leg MuD in older adults.”
If you would like to read this study and order creatine monohydrate made in the US, under good manufacturing practices (GMP) and third-party tested, go to maxwellnutrition.com.
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In light of the ongoing, world-wide death rate attributed to Covid-19, combining a healthy lifestyle with recognized medical interventions – vaccines and medications – is critical to address the current and future pandemics.
Healthy interventions include physical activity, following an anti-inflammatory eating plan – emphasizing fruits, vegetables, omega-3 fish (Mediterranean diet) - minimizing the effects of Covid-associated stress (diminished social interaction), and developing healthy sleep patterns.
These interventions can go a long way to support people with obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and pulmonary dysfunction, who are at higher risk of Covid severity.
Researchers from Spain, reporting in the December online issue of the peer-reviewed journal Nutrients, highlight the role how holistic lifestyles interventions have proven to attenuate the effects of Covid-19 in the “exposome” – life-course exposures starting from the prenatal period onward.
Roughly one-quarter of the world’s population is considered inactive – not achieving 150 minutes of weekly, moderate activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. Social distancing and lockdowns have only acerbated inactivity out of necessity.
The Spanish researchers comment that, “regular PA (physical activity) is associated with a 31% and 37% risk reduction of community-acquired infectious diseases and subsequent mortality, respectively, compared to inactive controls.”
According to their investigation, The Exposome and Immune Health in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic, “even just four weeks of either moderate-or high- intensity interval exercise can lead to a remarkable improvement in natural killer (NK) cell number and function (i.e., ‘killing capacity’).”
The researchers further site evidence that, “elderly women who were physically active had a better immune response after vaccination than those who were less active.”
From a body weight management perspective, the worldwide prevalence of obesity has almost tripled since 1975, with 39% and 13% of adults now considered to have overweight and obesity, respectively.
There is meta-analytical evidence, “that individuals with obesity are not only at greater risk of COVID-19 infection, but also of having a worse prognosis (higher risk of severe disease and mortality) than their normal-weight peers,” note the Spanish researchers.
The researchers conclude that, “body weight management should be a key public health concern in the prevention/management of the current COVID-19 pandemic.”
Research have proven that when overweight individuals switch from a 14-hour eating window to ten to an eleven-hour eating duration over 16 weeks, they reduce their energy intake by 20% and demonstrated a reduction in body weight.
Simply stated, “due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory benefits, and its protective effect against predictors of morbidity and mortality in patients with COVID-19, such as CVD (cardiovascular disease), the Mediterranean diet could be a promising and relatively easy-to-apply method to attenuate the severity of SARS-CoV-2 and eventual future viral pandemics.”
While micronutrients, such as Vitamins A, C, B complex, and the minerals zinc and selenium deserve immune support recognition relative to Covid-19, Vitamin D may stand alone for its ability to provide adaptive and innate immune support.
In fact, “there is evidence suggesting that vitamin D supplementation can have a positive effect on COVID-19 symptoms and severity. Compared with a lower dose (1000 IU), daily oral supplementation with 5000 IU of vitamin D3 for two weeks reduced the time to recovery of symptoms such as cough and gustatory sensory loss among mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients with sub-optimal vitamin D status.”
Sleep disturbances have emerged, as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic – due in p
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The advent of wearable devices that track daily step count has provided not only population-based weight loss guidelines, but also recommendations for cardiovascular improvement.
Prior physical activity national guidelines recommended at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity exercise – which did not quantify stepping intensity with mortality risk.
Until now, most research has been targeted to an older demographic versus a younger, racially diverse population. Researchers, from a diverse group of investigators, chose to estimate the association of steps per day with premature age in Black and White men and women ages 41 to 65.
The prospective cohort study- Steps per Day and All-Cause Mortality in Middle-Aged Adults in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults, which appeared in the online edition of JAMA Network Open in September 2021, was part of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.
Participants, age 38 to 50 years, wore an accelerometer on the hip for seven consecutive days during all waking hours from 2005 to 2006. Participants were followed for 10.8 years. Data was analyzed in 2020 and 2021 – with an objective to establish mortality status.
Step volume was categorized as: less than 7,000 steps/day as low, 7,000 to less than 10,000 as moderate, and greater than 10,000 daily steps as high.
Participants, or designed family members, were contacted twice yearly to determine vital status. Requests were made, where applicable, for death certificates, hospital records for death, and autopsy reports.
When the data was compiled, the investigators determined that, “in this cohort study of Black and White middle-aged women and men, higher daily steps were associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. Adults taking at least 7000 steps/d, compared with those taking fewer than 7000 steps/d, had approximately 50% to 70% lower risk of mortality. Taking more than 10,000 steps/d was not associated with further reduction in mortality risk.”
It was concluded that, “taking at least 7000 steps/d during middle adulthood was associated with a lower risk of mortality. There was no association of step intensity with mortality. Improving physical activity levels in the least active segment of the population by encouraging increasing steps/d may be associated with lower mortality risk.”
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash -
Human beings possess an internal time management mechanism (circadian central clock) that coordinates dark and light activities, while managing such activities as, skeletal muscle preservation, liver health, and fat tissue (peripheral clock), that occur during fasting (especially night-time), activity, and the recovery-repair process that occurs during sleep.
As we age or when we succumb to certain conditions and disease processes, like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, homeostasis (balance) in our clock mechanisms can be negatively affected, without intervention.
Such interventions can involve exercise – the timing of which may normalize or stabilize a dysfunctional human clock mechanism. This anomaly is especially true for night shift workers, even those without metabolic challenges.
According to "Exercise Training Elicits Superior Metabolic Effects, When Performed in the Afternoon Compared to Morning in Metabolically Compromised Humans," which appeared in December of 2020 in Physiological Reports, “exercise training is the first-line strategy to counteract skeletal muscle insulin resistance and ameliorate elevated plasma glucose levels.”
The study authors, from the Netherlands, comment that, “the recent insights into the role of the circadian clock in the etiology of T2DM (type 2 diabetes) have raised the suggestion that the timing of exercise may affect the training-mediated effects on glucose homeostasis.”
The researcher report that, “consecutive bouts of high-intensity interval exercise during two weeks, acutely induce more beneficial 24-hour glycemic profiles in T2DM subjects, when performed in the afternoon, as compared to a morning training regime.”
To investigate whether the timing of exercise affected long-term metabolic health training adaptations in metabolically compromised individuals, the investigators analyzed data from a study assessing the effect of exercise training on a large range of metabolic health outcomes.
The study group, which included thirty-two adult males (58 ± 7 years), with a body mass index greater than 26 (overweight) at risk for or diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, performed twelve weeks of supervised exercise.
Twelve volunteers exercised in the morning from 8.00–10.00 a.m., while twenty individuals exercised in the afternoon from 3.00–6.00 p.m.
The exercise sessions consisted of twice weekly stationary cycling for 30 minutes at 70% of a pre-determined workload, and one day of resistance exercise, using three sets of ten repetitions at 60% of maximum voluntary contractions in large muscle groups (leg extension, leg press, chest press, lat. pulldown, triceps and biceps curls).
Pre-participation laboratory and physiological assessment, with appropriate exclusion criteria was performed – leading to the conclusion that, “compared to participants who trained in the morning, participants who trained in the afternoon experienced superior beneficial effects of exercise training on insulin-stimulated peripheral glucose disposal, insulin-mediated suppression of adipose tissue lipolysis, fasting plasma glucose levels, exercise performance, and fat mass.”
In addition, “exercise training in the afternoon also tended to elicit superior effects on basal hepatic glucose output.”
The researchers concluded that, “the timing of an exercise training session is a crucial environmental cue, when aiming to improve glucose homeostasis in metabolically compromised subjects, and elucidates that performing afternoon exercise training might be more optimal than exercising at morning hours.”
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It’s estimated in the U.S. that five million young athletes compete on high school swim teams – with an additional 336,000 competing on club teams. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), says between 2015-2016, 22,000 college swimmers were participating in competitive leagues. Master level swimmers, who may reenter to compete in the sport at an older age, number about 65,000.
According to Swim-Training Volume and Shoulder Pain Across the Life Span of the Competitive Swimmer: A Systemic Review, which appeared in the January 2020 issue of the Journal of Athletic Training, “injuries in competitive swimming primarily arise from repetitive strain and microtrauma. This is not surprising, when one considers the amount of swimming to which the athletes are exposed.”
The investigators from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium, and the Department of Physical Therapy, Arcadia University, Glenside, Pennsylvania, note that, “because of these demanding and time-consuming training programs, competitive swimming has essentially developed into a year-round intensive sport, with athletes at young ages focusing solely on swimming.”
It’s also pointed out that in 10 to15-year swimming careers swimmers often practice 5 to 7 days per week and sometimes twice daily, which led to overtraining, and increased the risk of soft tissue injury, pain, and dissatisfaction. Shoulder pain is particularly frequent - with prevalence rates reported as high as 91%, is a major cause of missed practice.
These researchers sought to determine, if there was a correlation between a specified amount of swim training and shoulder pain in competitive swimmers, by examining relevant studies within PubMed, Web of Science, and Medline.
It was determined that 12 studies met the qualified criteria, as grouped by age: young (less than 15 years old), adolescent (15-17 years), adult (18-22), and masters (23-77).
Based on the data of this first of a kind analysis, the researchers concluded that, “evidence suggests that swim-training volume was associated with shoulder pain in adolescent competitive swimmers.”
As for recommendations, it was stated that, “year-round monitoring of the athlete's swim training is encouraged to maintain a well-balanced program. Developing athletes should be aware of and avoid a sudden and large increase in swimming volume.
It was also pointed out that additional research is necessary to determine cutoff values, in order to make data-based decisions regarding the influence of swim training.”
From my own experience helping both high school and collegiate swimmers, especially female athletes, there is a consistent anterior (front) shoulder dominance resulting from the volume of overhead, forward strokes - with inadequate posterior shoulder stabilization exercise during the dry land training.
In other words, if your throw, hit, or swim forward, you need to train in reverse to rebalance the shoulder to reduce the risk to unnecessary shoulder injury.
Be sure to check out maxwellnutrition.com – a science-driven, wellness content & nutritional supplement platform – where you will be able to see important, timely nutrition research and order, with direct shipping, the highest bio-available nutrition supplements, made in the United States.
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In 2018, the World Health Organization said the prevalence of a cancer diagnosis reached 18.1 million people – with 9.6 million cancer deaths. Positive lifestyle – such as exercise and diet – reduce the risk to certain forms of cancer.
Adherence to a Mediterranean-style eating strategy – higher intake of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, limited lean meat, fish, and olive oil - reduces the risk to colon and breast cancer.
Research is still searching for the optimum plan once an individual is diagnosed with cancer. According to "The Facts About Food After Cancer Diagnosis: A Systematic Review of Prospective Cohort Studies," which appeared in the August 2020 issue of the online, peer reviewed journal Nutrients, “to prevent malnutrition, energy and protein requirements for cancer patients are largely widespread by international guidelines, but little is known about the food choices and dietary regimen a cancer patient should benefit from.”
The Italian study researchers point out that, “many ‘cancer diets’ are often restrictive, avoiding a whole nutrient class (i.e., meat or dairy products) in the misleading belief that certain foods “feed the tumor.”
The Italians sought to determine any possible associations between diet patterns, after a cancer patient’s diagnosis, that is affected by a solid tumor, relative to outcomes – mortality, cancer progression, and recurrence.
Those study criteria included a meta-analyses (similar studies) that used an adult population over 18 years of age diagnosed with breast, gastrointestinal, gynecological, lung, and urological cancers; post-diagnosis dietary patterns – such as consumption of fruit, vegetables, diary, meat, fish, and cereals; prospective or retrospective cohort studies; over-all survival, all-cause mortality, cancer-specific mortality, death from a non-cancer cause, cancer progression, disease-free survival, cancer recurrence, and recurrence-free survival.
The study authors determined that, “the overall results of this systematic review highlight that none of the food categories should be eliminated by cancer patients. Especially, there is no clear association between consumption of meat or animal products and cancer progression/recurrence or CSM (cancer specific survival), after a cancer diagnosis.”
However, the Italians also emphasized there was, “a significant positive association between detrimental dietary patterns, such as Western-type Diet (characterized by processed meats, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, and refined grains) and cancer progression.”
Note the investigators, “on the contrary, high consumption of fiber, such as whole grain cereals, green and cruciferous vegetables, seem to be protective against cancer progression and mortality.”
In conclusion, “detrimental dietary patterns, such as the Western Diet and the high consumption of some food categories (saturated/trans fats, high-fat dairy products) could worsen prognostic outcomes in breast, colorectal and prostate cancer patients. Nevertheless, animal proteins, such as fish, poultry, low-fat dairy products and meat, should not be excluded from cancer patient’s diet.”
More research is needed relative to a cancer post-diagnostic diet, as it applies to the most common forms of cancer – lung, stomach, gynecological, bladder, and pancreatic cancer.
For more information, go to maxwellnutrition.com.
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With the surge of the Delta Covid-19 variant, the world has a new pathogen enemy among us—the hidden terrorist that spares no one, especially those unvaccinated. What began in Wuhan, China in December of 2019 and declared in March of 2020 a pandemic, Covid-19, the disease spawned by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has transformed life as we know it. It’s here to stay in some form or another.
The effects of lockdowns, the use of protective masks, social distancing, and more has had a direct impact on an individual’s nutrition status and movement pattern.
A person’s susceptibility to Covid-19 has as much to do with their nutrition status, as it does to any comorbidities on board, such as obesity, hypertension, pulmonary dysfunction, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Researchers, from Spain, Columbia, and Greece, used a narrative review, “with the aim of collecting published literature and articles regarding dietary patterns, body composition, nutritional deficiencies, vitamin interventions, and physical activity in the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The study—Nutrition in the Actual Covid-19 Pandemic. A Narrative Review—which appeared in the June online issue of Nutrients, found that the COVID-19 lockdown promoted unhealthy dietary changes and increases in body weight of the population, showing obesity and low physical activity levels, as increased risk factors of COVID-19 affection and physiopathology.”
What’s more, “hospitalized COVID-19 patients presented malnutrition and deficiencies in vitamin C, D, B12 selenium, iron, omega-3, and medium and long-chain fatty acids, highlighting the potential health effect of vitamin C and D interventions.”
The search methods, from February 1st, 2020, through April 13th, 2021, included PubMed, Embase, SciELO, Science Direct Scopus, and Web of Science, employing MeSH-compliant keywords including, COVID-19, Coronavirus 2019, SARS-CoV-2, 2019-nCoV, Nutrition, Diet, Dietary Patterns, Body Compositions, Vitamins, Nutritional, Immunology, Physical Condition, and Physical activity.
Here’s the summary of the findings, as noted in the narrative review of the data base:
The COVID-19 lockdown promoted unhealthy dietary changes (inactivity, daily intake, snacks, alcohol), increasing body mass and fat, and showing obesity-overweight people poor diet habits.
Obesity is a risk factor for COVID-19.
A healthy balanced diet is an integral part of personal risk management.
Vitamins C and D improve health-related outcomes in COVID-patients.
Sufficient vitamin intake and an active lifestyle are strongly recommended as a preventive measure to the general population.
There is a large prevalence of malnutrition among hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Nutritional support and rehabilitation exercise are needed to avoid muscle atrophy and sarcopenia in COVID-19 hospitalized patients. They should be considered as an integral part of the therapeutic approach.
Deficient states of vitamin C, D, B12 selenium, iron, ω-3, and medium and long-chain fatty acids increase the probability of hospitalization and mortality from COVID-19.
The gut microbiome profile is altered due to COVID-19, being involved in the magnitude of COVID-19 severity via modulating host immune responses.
A healthy gut microbiome serves as a preventive and protective factor, appropriate nutrition and probiotics are good strategies for its enhancement.
Active lifestyle and physical activity allow a lower risk, and mortality rate in COVID-19 patients, due to its positive effect on metabolic health and inflammation.
The reviewers were quick to point out that more research of this evolving disease and its variants is needed relative to the impact of nutrition and other lifestyle modifications consistent with risk stratification.
Read more at MaxWellNutrition.com -
Covid-19—the infectious disease initiated by SARS-CoV-2—that primarily attacks respiratory (breathing) function—has not only spread rapidly over the prior year, but also has spawned more contagious variations, such as the current Delta variant.
The human immune system—innate and adaptive—activates the body’s response to the Covid-19 antigen. Individuals with comorbidities, like obesity, hypertension, pulmonary dysfunction, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, are at increased risk to adverse complications.
Supporting the body’s challenge to the invading antigen is an individual’s dietary behavior that influences nutritional status.
With respect to Covid-19 and the association of dietary behaviors, researchers from the Department of Preventive Medicine, Research and Information Services, and the Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University in Chicago, chose to use data from the UK Biobank (UKB) to examine the dietary behaviors measured in 2006-2010 and Covid-19 infections in 2020.
The American researchers linked the UKB geo-data to UK Covid-19 surveillance data to account for Covid-19 exposure.
The UKB is an international health resource of over 500,000 participants aged 37–73 years at 22 centers across England, Wales, and Scotland.
The UKB participants, who underwent physical measurements, assessments about health and risk factors (including lifestyle and dietary behaviors), and blood sampling at baseline (2006–2010), agreed to follow-up on their health status. Country-wide surveillance data was used to identify UKB participants exposed to COVID-19.
Based on the data analysis, it was determined that, “consuming more coffee, vegetables, and being breast fed, as well as, consuming less processed meat intake were independently associated with lower odds of COVID-19 positivity. These associations were attenuated (reduced), when accounting for the UK’s COVID-19 case rate (i.e., exposure).”
The data analysis reflected that, “habitual consumption of 1 or more cups of coffee per day was associated with about a 10% decrease in risk of COVID-19, compared to less than 1 cup/day,” while, “consumption of at least 0.67 servings/d of vegetables (cooked or raw, excluding potatoes) was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 infection.”
The UKB American investigators found that processed meat consumption (refers to any meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermenting, smoking, or other process to enhance flavor or improve preservation) of as little as 0.43 servings/day was associated with a higher risk of COVID-19.
However, comment the Americans, “red meat consumption presented no risk, suggesting meat per se does not underlie the association we observed with processed meats.”
Finally, it was found that, “a long-term favorable association between being breastfed as a baby and COVID-19 infection in UKB contribute to the growing evidence in support of nutrition early in life for optimal immunity for life.”
The study analysis concluded, “our results support the hypothesis that nutritional factors may influence distinct aspects of the immune system, hence susceptibility to COVID-19.”
To read this study, you can find it under the “open access research” on maxwellnutrition.com.
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In 2007, my book, Lean & Hard – the body you’ve always wanted in 24 workouts, was published by John Wiley & Sons. L&H offered a comprehensive six week, four workouts per week diet, nutritional supplement schedule, resistive exercise, and sprint-interval program, all designed to increase lean muscle mass.
The L&H book was based on a research study of my concepts that followed a cross section of athletes and non-athletes over six weeks, when I was an Associate Professor in the LSU School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
One of the nutritional supplements tested in the applied research study and utilized in the book was creatine, an organic acid that is created internally from the action of the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine, which are constructed in the liver and regulated through kidney function.
Creatine predominantly resides in skeletal muscle—mostly as phosphocreatine—with roughly two percent degrading to creatinine, a metabolic by-product, which is why too much creatine may skew a creatinine clearance test assessing kidney function.
Creatine use by athletes has been widely studied for its side effect of weight gain, which was initially thought to be fluid gain, but after years of research, has now been determined to be lean muscle development—when used correctly.
I came to the conclusion, after seeing the results of the LSU applied study and my continued research on creatine, that someday creatine monohydrate would offer additional benefits to an ageing population—specifically to address sarcopenia—the age-related loss in muscle strength (dynapenia), muscle mass, muscle quality, and physical performance (frailty issues).
That day has now arrived.
New research, “Current Evidence and Possible Future Applications of Creatine Supplementation for Older Adults,” appearing in the March 2021 online, peer-reviewed journal Nutrients, comments that, “sarcopenia typically occurs in 8–13% of adults ≥60 years of age, and, is associated with other age-related health conditions, such as osteoporosis, osteosarcopenia (muscle related bone loss), sarcopenic obesity, physical frailty, and cachexia (muscle loss due to disease).”
Muscle mass decreases by 0.45% in men and by 0.37% in women. However, these decrements climb to 0.9% for men and to 0.7% for women starting in their seventh decade.
The age-related decrease in muscle strength—a strong predictor of poor health outcomes, such as mobility disability, falls, fractures, and mortality in older adults—occurs more rapidly (2–5 times fold faster) than the reduction in lean (muscle) mass.
The Canadian and Australian study authors performed a narrative review evaluating the current research involving creatine (CR), with and without resistive training (RT), on properties of muscle and bone in older adults, “in order to provide a rationale and justification for future research involving CR in older adults with osteosarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity, physical frailty, or cachexia.”
Here’s what was determined.
As it pertains to addressing sarcopenia, “CR (≥3 grams/day) and RT (≥7 weeks; primarily whole-body routines) can improve some measures of muscle accretion, strength, and physical performance in older adults. Independent of RT, a CR loading phase and/or high relative daily dosage of creatine (≥0.3 g/kg/day) may be required to produce some muscle benefits in older adults.”
Relative to creatine usage with osteoporosis—the age-related loss of bone mineral density – “collectively, the vast majority of studies show no greater effect from CR, with and without RT, on properties of bone in older adults.”
To read the rest, go to maxwellnutrition.com
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Prior research has established that the consumption of green tea or coffee has been said to reduce the all-cause mortality in the general public. However, as to the similar effects in those with health challenges, such as diabetes, research is either controversial or devoid – until now.
Japanese researchers publishing the “Additive Effects of Green Tea and Coffee on All-Cause Mortality in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus: the Fukuoka Diabetes Registry”, which appeared in October 2020 in the open-access online BMJ (British Medical Journal) Diabetes Research & Care, determined that, “higher consumption of green tea and coffee was associated with reduced all-cause mortality: their combined effect appeared to be additive in patients with type-2 diabetes.”
The Japanese researchers from the Departments of Medicine and Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences and the Division of Internal Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan, comment that green tea derives benefits from fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis - containing various chemicals, such as phenolic compounds, theanine, and caffeine, which possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or anti-bacterial properties.
Coffee, note the Japanese, contains phenolic compounds and caffeine that offer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and ant-mutagenic benefits – especially, to type-2 diabetics, those with abnormal lipid profiles, and malignancy.
To reach this conclusion, the investigators, after appropriate exclusion criteria, used data from 4923 study participants enrolled between April 2008 and October 2010, in the Fukuoka Diabetes Registry, “a multicenter prospective study designed to investigate the effects of modern treatments and lifestyle on the prognoses of patients with diabetes mellitus.”
Using a self-administered questionnaire, the participants provided information regarding their diagnosed diabetes duration, smoking habits, alcohol intake, leisure-time physical activity, sleep duration, depressive symptoms, and history of coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Their smoking habits and alcohol intake were classified as either current or not.
Body weight, height and body mass index were ascertained – along with blood pressure. Medical charts were reviewed for all medications, including insulin, oral hypoglycemic agent, antihypertensive drugs, antiplatelet drugs, and statins.
The Japanese used self-reported answers to dietary questions to categorize the participants into the following four groups by beverage: green tea - none, ≤1 cup/day, 2–3 cups /day, ≥4 cups/day, and coffee - none, <1 cup/day, 1 cup/day, ≥2 cups/day.
There were no questions about the consumption of decaffeinated or caffeinated drinks because decaffeinated beverages are uncommon in Japan.
From a laboratory perspective, blood and spot urine samples were obtained to establish the levels of Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, creatinine, urinary creatinine, and albumin – along with the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and calculations of the urinary albumin-creatinine ratio levels.
The Japanese investigators said, “results suggest that consuming green tea and coffee may have beneficial effects on the longevity of Japanese people with type 2 diabetes.”
How this data translates to all of us outside Japan, will require further research. Until then, keep my green tea and black coffee consumption – in moderation – flowing.
For more information, go to maxwellnutrition.com.
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When the Covid-19 management strategy unfolded over 2020—which included assessment, treatment, prevention, and immunization—return to normal safety protocols became a complex, yet vital part, of preventing further devastation to human life and the world’s economy.
As time and the control of the coronavirus disease unfolded, the major North American professional sports leagues were among the first to implement a return-to-play (RTP) scenario—with the appropriate prevention measures in place—like no fans, player and staff bubbles, daily Covid-19 testing, sequestering players that tested positive, and much more.
As a result of the unknown incidence of “cardiac sequelae” (consequences of a particular condition)—resulting from Covid-19 infection, a conservative RTP cardiac testing program mirroring the American College of Cardiology recommendations, was implemented for all athletes, who tested positive for Covid-19.
In new research—"Prevalence of Inflammatory Heart Disease Among Professional Athletes with Prior COVID-19 Infection Who Received Systemic Return-to-Play Cardiac Screening”—which appeared in March of 2021 in the online issue of JAMA Cardiology (Journal of the American College of Cardiology), a diverse group of medical experts sought to, “to assess the prevalence of detectable inflammatory heart disease in professional athletes with prior COVID-19 infection, using current RTP screening recommendations.”
This descriptive study, a cross-sectional evaluation of cardiac testing, performed between May to October 2020, followed the Strobe (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) guidelines.
It included 789 professional athletes from Major League Soccer, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, National Football League, and the men’s and women’s National Basketball Association—with an average age of 25—composed of 777 men, of which 460 athletes had prior symptomatic COVID-19 illness, and 329 were asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic (minimally symptomatic).
A summary of the study group’s cardiac health status was as follows: “Thirty athletes were sent for additional cardiac testing, as a result of abnormalities on the initial cardiac screening tests that raised concern for potential COVID-19– associated cardiac injury. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging was performed in 27 of these 30 athletes. Downstream testing confirmed diagnoses of inflammatory heart disease in 5 of 27 athletes: 3 athletes with CMR-confirmed myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and 2 athletes with CMR-confirmed pericarditis (swelling of the thin, saclike tissue surrounding the heart). The remaining 25 of 30 athletes (83.3%) who underwent additional testing, did not ultimately have findings to suggest acute cardiac injury and returned to play.”
RTP cardiac screening for professional athletes testing positive for COVID-19, noted the investigators, “demonstrated that 0.6% (5 of 789 athletes) had imaging findings, “suggestive of inflammatory heart disease, that resulted in restriction from play in alignment with American Heart Association/ACC guidelines.”
The researchers concluded that, “while long-term follow-up is ongoing, few cases of inflammatory heart disease have been detected, and a safe return to professional sports activity has thus far been achieved.”
That’s great to know for the athletes, their families, and sports fans everywhere. If you would like to read the study, go to maxwellnutrition.com.
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Having been exposed to the medical, metabolic, and physiological gender-based factors associated with weight gain, weight loss, body composition changes, and the psychological aspects in a diverse cross-section of male and female participants in my prior hospital-affiliated wellness and weight management programs over the last thirty years, I can attest to the fact that what you eat, when you eat—along with age and health profile, account for many of the complex issues associate with weight control.
Biologically speaking (circadian rhythm), late night eating certainly has its drawbacks on metabolic rate, cardiometabolic health, hormone secretion (melatonin production), and fat oxidation versus storage.
Prior research and common sense have demonstrated that eating chocolate late at night has been associated with long-term weight gain, especially in postmenopausal women (average age of 51), who are vulnerable to weight gain. It appears now that chocolate and the timing of its consumption may have earned a bad rap.
Research—"Timing of Chocolate Intake Affects Hunger, Substrate Oxidation, and Microbiota: a Randomized Controlled Trail”—reported in the July online issue of the FASEB journal (the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology), suggests that, “chocolate, in the morning or in the evening/night, in a narrow window of time (1 hour), results in differential effects on hunger and appetite, substrate oxidation, fasting glucose, microbiota composition and function, and sleep and temperature rhythms.”
“The intake of a rather high amount of chocolate (100 grams),” comment the researchers from Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston, “concentrated in a narrow (1 hour) timing window in the morning could help to burn body fat and to decrease glucose levels in postmenopausal women.”
This determination involved 19 postmenopausal females, who completed a nine week, randomized, controlled, cross-over trial of “ad libitum food” intake —with either 100 grams of chocolate (~33% of their daily energy intake) in the morning, defined as within one hour after waking time, or at evening/night —within one hour before bedtime, compared to no chocolate intake. The duration of each intervention was two weeks, which included a transition period.
The study participants underwent the following tests and measurements:
Body weight (baseline and three additional timed dates), height, body fat, dietary food intake record, visual analog scale before and after each meal (hunger & appetite assessment), body temperature, activity, sleep duration, number of awakenings, nap frequency and duration, metabolic rate assessment, salivary cortisol determinations, fasting glucose, and analysis of their gut microbiota (short-chain fatty acids from fecal samples).
The study found that the 19 postmenopausal participants did not gain body weight with the chocolate intake. In fact, comment the investigators, “while the volunteers had an increase of energy intake due to chocolate’s extra calories (extra 542 kcal), as compared to the non-chocolate condition, they spontaneously reduced their ad libitum energy intake by 16%, when eating chocolate in the morning.”
This situation occurred even though the females consumed milk chocolate that has been shown to have less of an effect in decreasing appetite than dark chocolate.
Further stated, “results show that when eating chocolate, females were less hungry and had less desire for sweets than with no chocolate, especially when taking chocolate during the evening/night. Moreover, daily cortisol levels were lower when eating chocolate in the morning than at evening/night.”
Read the rest at MaxWellNutrition.com.
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