Category Biology/Biotechnology

Calorie Restriction in Humans Builds Strong Muscle and Stimulates Healthy Aging Genes

NIA Caloric restriction
The research found calorie restriction improves muscle health and offers additional health benefits.

CREDIT: Illustration courtesy of NIA.

A small reduction in daily calories is beneficial for wellness. Reducing overall calorie intake may rejuvenate your muscles and activate biological pathways important for good health, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health and their colleagues. Decreasing calories without depriving the body of essential vitamins and minerals, known as calorie restriction, has long been known to delay the progression of age-related diseases in animal models. This new study, published in Aging Cell, suggests the same biological mechanisms may also apply to humans.

Researchers analyzed data from participants in the Comprehensive Assessment of L...

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Obesity leads to a Complex Inflammatory Response inside Fat Tissue, study finds

Obesity leads to a complex inflammatory response inside fat tissue
Credit: JCI Insight (2023). DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.171701

Fat tissue, for as much as it’s been vilified, is an incredibly complex and essential bodily organ involved in energy storage and hormone production, among other functions. Yet, modern lifestyles have led to a worldwide epidemic of obesity, and a corresponding increase in related conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Researchers are attempting to uncover the basics of how fat tissue is structured and, specifically, inflammation associated with obesity, in the hopes of unlocking the connection between the accumulation of fat and poor health outcomes.

A new study from Lindsey Muir, Ph.D., Ph.D...

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Swap Red Meat for Quorn Protein to Improve Heart Health and Reduce Waist Circumference, study finds

Swap red meat for Quorn protein to improve heart health and reduce waist circumference, study finds

People looking to reduce their cholesterol and trim fat from around their waist could try swapping meat for Quorn protein, according to the findings from a new study by Northumbria University, Newcastle, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, which saw positive effects in both areas in just two weeks.

Researchers from the University found that participants who ate Quorn products — the popular mycoprotein-based meat substitute — over just a two-week period, saw a significant 12% drop in ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and a 7% fall in total cholesterol, compared to those who ate similar products made from red and processed meat. In addition, they also reduced their waist circumference by close to 1cm (0.95cm) on average over the 14 days.

Such a drop in total cholesterol levels cou...

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New Alzheimer’s Disease Pathways identified

New Alzheimer's disease pathways identified
Path model of main findings. This path model summarizes the main-effect mediation model. Circles indicate principal components or latent variables, rectangles represent observed variables. Arrows either indicate PC loadings or structural regression paths. Thicker lines correspond to stronger loadings, solid structural paths are genome-wide significant (p < 5 × 10−8), and dashed lines are suggestive (p < 0.008). Coefficients indicate either the effect of one effect allele on a biomarker PC in SD, or the effect of one SD higher biomarker PC score on latent AD in SD. Note: all paths are adjusted for assessment age, sex, genetic ancestry, and study but are omitted from figure. Credit: Genome Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s13073-023-01233-z

Dementia, which includes Alzheimer’...

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