Olive oil primer from UC Davis

 

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Consumers in the United States are enthusiastic about the flavor and potential health benefits of olive oil but still a bit hazy on how to select, evaluate and describe this ancient but increasingly popular food product, according to a new survey released this week by the Olive Center at the University of California, Davis.
A survey report, which also suggests opportunities for producers to better package and market their products, is available from the Olive Center.
“The survey revealed that consumers clearly need more information that will help them understand the choices in olive oil that are available to them,” said Dan Flynn, executive director of the UC Davis Center and a co-author of the study.
“With the olive oil industry in the United States now experiencing a renaissance, this is the perfect time for producers to help consumers better appreciate the flavor contrasts between fresh extra virgin olive oil and substandard oils,” Flynn said.
The survey, which probed the perceptions and attitudes of more than 2,200 individuals during spring 2012, was conducted online in two phases.
The survey revealed that more than 70 percent of the respondents were using it for a variety of culinary purposes, including making salad dressings and dips, grilling, finishing or drizzling, and also baking. A surprisingly large number — 86 percent — of the respondents indicated that they also were using it to sauté and deep fry foods.
“This was particularly interesting, because conventional wisdom has long held that it has a low smoke point,” Flynn said. “Olive oil, in truth, has a high-enough smoke point for most cooking applications, and it’s gratifying to see that consumers have discovered that on their own.”
Olive oil is usually marketed in the United States as three different grades: extra virgin, pure, and light or extra light. No more than one out of four survey participants demonstrated an accurate understanding of these grades. For example, many respondents thought the term “pure” indicated the highest quality, when in reality it is applied to lower-grade blends. Extra virgin is the term for the highest quality oil.
Similarly, most respondents incorrectly thought that refining was done to make good olive oil even better; the process is actually used to make inferior ones edible. And most respondents incorrectly assumed that color is an accurate indicator of quality.
Flavor was the primary reason for selecting one over other oils, according to 80 percent of the survey respondents. The survey coordinators noted that this result is significant, because earlier studies have indicated that two-thirds of the top-selling brands analyzed were found to have rancidity and other defects. The researchers suggest that consumers may be developing an affinity for substandard flavors, and that producers would be well advised to develop strategies for introducing more consumers to the flavor of high-quality extra virgin olive oils.
Eighty percent of the respondents also indicated that they chose olive oil as a healthier alternative to other oils and fats. Because of the importance of health benefits to consumers, olive oil producers may want to conduct research on the comparative healthfulness of the various grades of olive oil, survey coordinators suggested.
When asked to describe desirable olive oil flavor, nearly 80 percent of the respondents agreed that “fresh” was a good descriptor — which is in sync with industry standards. However, the terms “fruity,” “peppery” and “grassy” did not resonate with most of the survey respondents. These findings suggest that olive oil producers might want to highlight freshness over other lesser-understood terms in their packaging and marketing efforts.
Flynn collaborated on the survey and report with lead researcher Selina C. Wang, research director for the UC Davis Olive Center, and Ben Moscatello, a senior business analyst and alumnus of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.
Source

Sleep loss, fatigue worsen baseball-player performance over a season

 

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

DARIEN, IL – Two new studies show that fatigue may impair strike-zone judgment during the 162 game Major League Baseball season, and a MLB player’s sleepiness can predict his longevity in the league. One study found that MLB players’ strike-zone judgment was worse in September than in April in 24 of 30 teams. When averaged across all teams, strike-zone judgment was significantly worse in September compared with April. The statistical model demonstrated strong predictive value through the season
“Plate discipline – as measured by a hitter’s tendency to swing at pitches outside of the strike zone – got progressively worse over the course of a Major League Baseball season, and this decline followed a linear pattern that could be predicted by data from the six previous seasons,” said principal investigator Scott Kutscher, MD, assistant professor of sleep and neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. “We theorize that this decline is tied to fatigue that develops over the course of the season due to a combination of frequency of travel and paucity of days off.”
Data analysis tracked the frequency with which MLB batters swung at pitches outside of the strike zone during the 2012 season. Data were sorted by month for all 30 teams and compared between the first and last month of the season. Data for each team also were compared to a statistical model, based on data from the 2006 to 2011 seasons, which predicts a linear decline in strike-zone judgment per month.
Kutscher noted that the results are strikingly consistent and seem to contradict the conventional wisdom that plate discipline should improve during the season through frequent practice and repetition.
“Teams on the East or West Coast, with good or bad records, they all follow the same pattern of worsening plate discipline,” he said. “This study suggests hitters always demonstrate the best judgment when at bat in the first month of the season.”
He added that teams may be able to gain a competitive edge by focusing on fatigue management.
“A team that recognizes this trend and takes steps to slow or reverse it – by enacting fatigue-mitigating strategies, especially in the middle and late season, for example – can gain a large competitive advantage over their opponent,” he said. “This may have already occurred, as the San Francisco Giants – an outlier in the study in that their plate discipline improved during the 2012 season – went on to win the World Series.”
The research abstract was published recently in an online supplement of the journal SLEEP, and Kutscher will present the findings Tuesday, June 4, in Baltimore, Md., at SLEEP 2013, the 27th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.
Another study found a significant and profound relationship between the sleepiness of a MLB player and his longevity in the league. As baseline self-reported scores of sleepiness on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale increased, the likelihood that a player would be in the league three seasons later decreased linearly. For example, 72 percent of players with a baseline ESS score of 5 were still in the league at the follow-up point, compared with only 39 percent of players with an ESS score of 10 and 14 percent of players with an ESS score of 15.
“We were shocked by how linear the relationship was,” said principal investigator W. Christopher Winter, MD, medical director of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, Va. “It is a great reminder that sleepiness impairs performance. From a sports perspective, this is incredibly important. What this study shows is that we can use the science of sleep to predict sports performance.”
Prior to the 2010 season, ESS data were collected from a random selection of 80 MLB players representing three teams. This study group doubled the sample size of Winter’s pilot study, which he presented last June at SLEEP 2012. Player status three seasons later was determined on Dec. 16, 2012. A player who was demoted to a lower league, unsigned, or no longer playing was deemed “inactive.”
Winter added that teams easily could implement sleepiness screening as part of their player evaluation system.
“I can envision simple questions about sleep being a part of the battery of tests professional organizations use to evaluate prospects,” he said.
He also noted that players and their teams could benefit tremendously if a sleep specialist diagnoses and treats the condition causing a player to experience excessive daytime sleepiness.
“That player may suddenly become far more valuable,” Winter said.
Source

Time is running out to enter the Third Annual Master's National Championships

 

 

 

The third annual Master's National Championships June 6-7-8, 2013.

 

 

Friday evening will start the boxing eliminations. The weigh in for this session will be from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The evening session will be from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. You will box Friday if there are three or four competitors in your category.

 

Saturday evening will be the finals. The weigh in for the show will be from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The finals will begin at 6:00 pm.

 

The show will be shown live on www.gofightlive.tv .

 

The registration fee is $100.00.

Registration will end 5:00 pm on June 6, 2013.

 

If you are interested please contact Bruce Silverglade at (718) 797-2872 or email matchmaker@gleasonsgym.net.

 

 

   

Hugh Jackman

Miles Davis

 

 

Tony Danza

  

Spinks Brothers at Gleason's Gym  

 

   

                    

Artificial sweeteners may do more than sweeten

 

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a popular artificial sweetener can modify how the body handles sugar.

In a small study, the researchers analyzed the sweetener sucralose (Splenda®) in 17 severely obese people who do not have diabetes and don’t use artificial sweeteners regularly.
“Our results indicate that this artificial sweetener is not inert — it does have an effect,” said first author M. Yanina Pepino, PhD, research assistant professor of medicine. “And we need to do more studies to determine whether this observation means long-term use could be harmful.”
The study is available online in the journal Diabetes Care.
Pepino’s team studied people with an average body mass index (BMI) of just over 42; a person is considered obese when BMI reaches 30. The researchers gave subjects either water or sucralose to drink before they consumed a glucose challenge test. The glucose dosage is very similar to what a person might receive as part of a glucose-tolerance test. The researchers wanted to learn whether the combination of sucralose and glucose would affect insulin and blood sugar levels.
“We wanted to study this population because these sweeteners frequently are recommended to them as a way to make their diets healthier by limiting calorie intake,” Pepino said.
Every participant was tested twice. Those who drank water followed by glucose in one visit drank sucralose followed by glucose in the next. In this way, each subject served as his or her own control group.
“When study participants drank sucralose, their blood sugar peaked at a higher level than when they drank only water before consuming glucose,” Pepino explained. “Insulin levels also rose about 20 percent higher. So the artificial sweetener was related to an enhanced blood insulin and glucose response.”
The elevated insulin response could be a good thing, she pointed out, because it shows the person is able to make enough insulin to deal with spiking glucose levels. But it also might be bad because when people routinely secrete more insulin, they can become resistant to its effects, a path that leads to type 2 diabetes.

It has been thought that artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose, don’t have an effect on metabolism. They are used in such small quantities that they don’t increase calorie intake. Rather, the sweeteners react with receptors on the tongue to give people the sensation of tasting something sweet without the calories associated with natural sweeteners, such as table sugar.

But recent findings in animal studies suggest that some sweeteners may be doing more than just making foods and drinks taste sweeter. One finding indicates that the gastrointestinal tract and the pancreas can detect sweet foods and drinks with receptors that are virtually identical to those in the mouth. That causes an increased release of hormones, such as insulin. Some animal studies also have found that when receptors in the gut are activated by artificial sweeteners, the absorption of glucose also increases.
Pepino, who is part of Washington University’s Center for Human Nutrition, said those studies could help explain how sweeteners may affect metabolism, even at very low doses. But most human studies involving artificial sweeteners haven’t found comparable changes.
“Most of the studies of artificial sweeteners have been conducted in healthy, lean individuals,” Pepino said. “In many of these studies, the artificial sweetener is given by itself. But in real life, people rarely consume a sweetener by itself. They use it in their coffee or on breakfast cereal or when they want to sweeten some other food they are eating or drinking.”
Just how sucralose influences glucose and insulin levels in people who are obese is still somewhat of a mystery.
“Although we found that sucralose affects the glucose and insulin response to glucose ingestion, we don’t know the mechanism responsible,” said Pepino. “We have shown that sucralose is having an effect. In obese people without diabetes, we have shown sucralose is more than just something sweet that you put into your mouth with no other consequences.”
She said further studies are needed to learn more about the mechanism through which sucralose may influence glucose and insulin levels, as well as whether those changes are harmful. A 20 percent increase in insulin may or may not be clinically significant, she added.
“What these all mean for daily life scenarios is still unknown, but our findings are stressing the need for more studies,” she said. “Whether these acute effects of sucralose will influence how our bodies handle sugar in the long term is something we need to know.”
Source

UFC® AND TELEVISA NETWORKS ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE

 

 

 

 

 

Dedicated UFC Subscription Channel Available in 2013

 

Ahead of UFC Channel Launch - Exclusive Deals Inked with Free to Air on Televisa and TDN in Mexico, and Golden Channel in Latin America for Live UFC Events, Series and Specials

 

México D.F., May 29th, 2013 – The Ultimate Fighting Championship^® (UFC^®) and Televisa Networks today announced an exclusive distribution agreement to air UFC programming in 20 Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, and have set to launch a 24 hour, 7 day a week UFC channel featuring the world’s best mixed martial arts programming including premiere live UFC events. The new subscription network will be available late 2013.

 

Viewers all across Latin America, except Brazil, will have access to Championship fights and over 35 live events per year as well as the opportunity to experience legendary fights from the UFC, PRIDE^® FC, WEC^® and Strikeforce^®; equaling more than 20,000 hours of content. The UFC Channel will also feature original programming such as reality series, all broadcast in Spanish.

 

“The launch of the UFC Channel is a game changer for our sport and its fans throughout Latin America. We are giving millions of fans across the region complete access to all our live events and programming for the first time,” said Lorenzo Fertitta, owner and co-founder of Zuffa LLC, parent entity of the UFC. “UFC is the fastest growing sports organization in history and with the strength of Latin America’s premier media group Televisa, the UFC Channel will become the fastest growing sports network in television history,” added.

 

Bruce Boren, General Manager of Televisa Networks said: "The new UFC Channel occupies a coveted position in both sports entertainment and lifestyle ecosystems. Through live fights, UFC classic bouts, Strikeforce, Pride, and other related content for the mixed martial arts fans, this 24/7 channel further strengthens Televisa Networks’ offering ".

 

The UFC is growing in popularity at a rate never-before-seen in the professional sports world; its television programming is already available in over 800 million homes in more than 145 countries, in 28 different languages. The partnership between these two leaders -Televisa and the UFC, is in response to fan demand throughout Latin America. Today, in Mexico alone, the UFC fan base exceeds 33.4 Million people[1].

 

Before the dedicated UFC Subscription Channel launch, Televisa has the rights to air UFC content in 20 countries in Latin America, excluding Brazil, starting June 2013. Fans can watch UFC programming on TDN in Mexico and Golden Channel in Latin America, including four live events broadcast on Televisa free-to-air Channel 5 in Mexico and other Free-to-Air networks in Latin America, annually.

 

About the Ultimate Fighting Championship^®

Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces 35 live events annually.  The UFC is the largest pay-per-view event provider in the world with events distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice. In 2012, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group for live events and thousands of hours of programming including the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter^®, moving to FOX Sports 1 in September 2013.

 

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 145 countries, to nearly 800 million TV households worldwide, in 28 different languages. International broadcasters include Globo TV and Globosat (Brazil), Sony (India), BT (United Kingdom/Ireland), RTL9 (France), OSN (Middle East/North Africa), Guangdong TV (China), WOWOW (Japan), Fox Sports (Australia) and more.

 

UFC content is distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and Australia via Main Event and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly 2.5 million followers on Twitter. UFC businesses also include best-selling DVDs, UFC FIT^®, an in-home fitness and nutrition program, UFC 360 the internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, a new videogame franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM^®, UFC Fan Expo^®, branded apparel and trading cards.

 

About Televisa Networks


Televisa Networks is a subsidiary of Grupo Televisa that specializes in the design, production, programming and distribution of over 17 channel brands and more than 45 feeds in the Pay Television market. Our coverage spans the globe, reaching Mexico, US, Latin America, Canada, Europe and Asia Pacific. Our highly talented artists, quality productions, and wide variety of brands, satisfy the entertainment and informational needs of our diverse audience. Televisa Networks produces a award winning content; which enables us to offer a wide variety of services to our advertisers that go beyond the traditional 30 second spot. www.televisanetworks.com

 

[1] Mexico Market Audit. Crop Report. February 2013

How omega-3 fatty acids may help heal a broken heart

 

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Bethesda, MD—Procedures like angioplasty, stenting and bypass surgery may save lives, but they also cause excessive inflammation and scarring, which ultimately can lead to permanent disability and even death. A new research report appearing in The FASEB Journal, shows that naturally derived compounds from polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3s) may reduce the inflammation associated with these procedures to help arteries more fully and completely heal.

 

“Our study suggests that biologically active, naturally occurring compounds derived from omega-3 PUFAs reduce inflammation and improve the healing of blood vessels after injury,” said Michael S. Conte, M.D., a researcher involved in the work from Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and the Heart and Vascular Center at the University of California, in San Francisco, CA. “They suggest a new opportunity to improve the long-term results of cardiovascular procedures such as bypass surgery and angioplasty by the therapeutic application of this class of agents or their dietary precursors.”
To make this discovery, Conte and colleagues studied the effects of the compounds (resolvin or RvD) first in cultured vascular cells taken from patients who had undergone bypass operations, and then in rabbits who were treated with a balloon angioplasty procedure in the arteries of the hind limb. In the human cells, treatment with RvD dramatically reduced features that are associated with the typical vascular injury response—inflammation, cell migration, and cell growth in vascular smooth muscle cells. The potency of these compounds corresponds to concentrations that have been measured in the blood of human subjects taking high dose fish oil supplements for short periods of time. In rabbits, researchers treated the artery with RvD at the time of the balloon angioplasty procedure by infusing the drug directly into the vessel, and found that this one-time treatment reduced inflammation and subsequent scarring of the vessel after one month.
“If successful in further studies, this finding could be a huge benefit to patients undergoing these procedures,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. “What’s even better, is that these potentially lifesaving compounds are already available in any fish market or grocery store.”
Source

Painkillers are often ineffective in treating long-term pain and are harming patients

 

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

NEW YORK, May 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — A World of Hurt, published by The New York Times and Vook, explores the untold part of the prescription painkiller story – growing evidence that these drugs, along with causing an epidemic of abuse, are often ineffective in treating long-term pain and are harming patients.

 

Written by Barry Meier , an award-winning reporter for The Times, the new e-book also examines an unfolding medical revolution that will change the thinking of patients and their families.  A decade ago, drug companies and medical experts launched a “War on Pain” that promoted the widespread use of powerful narcotic painkillers for common conditions such as back pain, headaches and fibromyalgia. Specialists claimed that a “bright line” separated the drugs’ benefits for patients from their dangers when abused on the street by young people and others.

Today, Meier writes, experts – including some who once promoted the drugs – believe that the opioid boom “ranks among medicine’s biggest mistakes.” Recent studies have tied long-term use of these drugs, particularly at high doses, to addiction, dependence, reduced sexual drive, lethargy and other problems. Based on stories of researchers, patients and others, A World of Hurt highlights how treating pain differently can benefit both pain patients and the public’s health.

“The promise that high-powered drugs could provide a cure-all – the key to winning the “War on Pain” – was an empty one,” Meier writes.

 

 

Boxing Camp Is Fast Approaching-Please Make Your Plans Now!

 

  

I am very happy to announce the 11th Anniversary of our Boxing Camp.

 

To make this years camp extra special, I have elected to return to Honors Haven Resort and Spa. The stylish 4-season resort, can be found tucked away between the picturesque Catskill & Shawangunk Mountains on 250 pristine acres. Honor's Haven is the embodiment of the classic resort.

 

 

Attendees of the Fantasy Boxing Camp will have access to all the facilities that Honor's Haven offers, including Yoga Classes, indoor and outdoor pools, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, indoor and outdoor basketball courts, hiking trails, fishing and paddleboats on a private lake, wet/dry sauna and indoor Jacuzzi, fitness center, championship 9-hole golf course and spa services.

 

 

As part of the Fantasy Boxing Camp you will be eligible for three buffet meals daily starting with dinner on day of arrival through lunch on day of departure. Meals will be served privately in the Back Dining Room. All Boxing Camp training will be done in the Tennis Center. All participants have a choice of a Deluxe Room, Executive Room or a Suite  

 

 

You can bring your other half and they can enjoy this beautiful facility and all that it offers.

 

 

Go to our website:WWW.GLEASONSGYM,NET 

For more information about the camp

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Oscar De La Hoya

 

 

Hugh Jackman and Sugar Ray Leonard

 

 

 

Mary & Usher Raymond

 

 

                                                                      Rocky Graziano and Jake LaMotta  

                    

Golvkin vs Macklin

GOLOVKIN-MACKLIN TRAINING CAMP PHOTOS WBA AND IBO MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP  SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2013   FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO HBO Boxing After Dark®triple-header, 9:45 p.m. ET/PT NEW YORK (May 5, 2013) - On June 29th, defending WBA/IBO champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin (26-0, 23KO's) meets Ireland's top-rated former world title challenger Matthew "Mack The Knife" Macklin (29-4, 20 KO's) in their much-anticipated middleweight championship showdown at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods ® Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.  The championship matchup will be the main event on the HBO Boxing After Dark®  triple-header, which will be televised live on HBO® beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.   Both fighters recently took time out of their busy training schedules to talk about their upcoming bout and how things are going in camp.  Golovkin was his normal calm and collected self, while Macklin, who will be making the third attempt at claiming his first Middleweight World Championship, predicted an absolute war.  At the initial fight announcement press conference, Macklin predicted a KO over the reigning champion Golovkin, who currently holds the highest KO ratio in middleweight championship history as well as topping that list among all active current champions, and he isn't backing off on his bold prediction as the fight nears.    With the fight exactly one month away, both fighters already look to be in tremendous shape.   Below are photos from Golovkin's camp at The Summit High Altitude Training Facility in Big Bear with head trainer Abel Sanchez, and Macklin's at his brand new state-of-the-art facility, Macklin's Gym Marbella (MGM),in beautiful Marbella, Spain.      (MACKLIN PHOTO CREDIT: ustudio.es)   Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $300, $200, $90 and $45.  Tickets may be purchased online at foxwoods.com by calling the Foxwoods' box office at 800-200-2882, or in person at the Foxwoods' box office.  Tickets may also be purchased through any Ticketmaster outlet and online at Ticketmaster.com.   The event is promoted by K2 Promotions and DiBella Entertainment.  The bouts will take place on June 29th at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods ® Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.  The HBO Boxing After Dark® triple-header will be televised live beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT. For fight updates, please visit www.K2Promos.com, www.dbe1.com or www.hbo.com/boxing.

Even short bouts of high intensity training improve fitness in inactive men

Even short bouts of high intensity training improve fitness in inactive men: Norwegian University of Science and Technology

 

 

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

It is a commonly held perception that getting in shape and staying there requires hard work and hours upon hours of training. New research shows the opposite – it seems that only four minutes of vigorous activity three times per week is enough to be fit and healthy.

Regular training improves maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), which is a well-established measure of physical fitness. However, just how much exercise, and how intense that exercise should be to deliver the biggest benefit remains to be defined. Now, researchers from the KG Jebsen – Centre of Exercise in Medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim have found that just three short high-intensity sessions (AIT) per week can make for substantial differences in the fitness of inactive men.
“Our data suggest that a single bout of AIT performed three times per week may be a time-efficient strategy to improve VO2max”, says Arnt Erik Tjønna, a postdoctoral fellow at the center and lead author of the study. Tjønna says one of the advantages of this approach is that it is easy for people to incorporate into their daily lives.
The researchers measured changes in VO2max and traditional cardiovascular risk factors in 24 inactive but otherwise healthy overweight men after they completed a 10-week training session that involved three weekly high-intensity interval sessions. One group of 13 followed a protocol that has previously shown to be effective, consisting of four intervals of 4 minutes of high intensity exercise at 90% of maximal heart rate (HRmax) interspersed with 3 minutes of active recovery at 70% HRmax (4-AIT), commonly known as 4×4 training.

The other group followed a protocol that consisted of one 4-minute interval at 90% HRmax (1-AIT).
After training, VO2max increased by 10% in the group that had just one high-intensity session three times a week (1-AIT), while the group that followed the 4×4 regime increased its VO2max by 13%. Both groups saw decreases in their blood pressure, but the 1-AIT the group’s blood pressures showed greater decreases than their 4-AIT counterparts for both systolic and diastolic readings.
Tjønna says while the results look promising, the number of study participants was small, which limits the scientists’ ability to extrapolate their findings. He also noted that people who are active probably won’t benefit as much as the inactive participants did from the 1-AIT training regime.
“It has to be noted that the subjects were previously inactive, and the same effect on physical fitness cannot be expected in active individuals,” he said. “Nevertheless, since we know that more and more people are inactive and overweight, the kind of improvement in physical fitness that we saw in this study may provide a real boost for inactive people who are struggling to find the motivation to exercise.”
Source

Knee osteoarthritis treatment without surgery

 

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Newswise — Lindsay Tise is not the guy you would expect to see pumping iron at the gym. At 94 years old, he suffers from knee osteoarthritis, a debilitating yet common ailment for older Americans that makes physical activity both difficult and painful.
Tise is nevertheless doing leg presses, lifting weights and participating in cardio exercises three times a week at Wake Forest University’s Clinical Research Center.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, he says the strength training has his knee feeling better than it has in more than a decade.
“The exercise seems to be working,” he says. “I feel better, move better, and it has even helped my golf game. I now play once a week, weather permitting. I’m driving the ball further and straighter and enjoying it more.”
Tise is one of 372 individuals over the age of 55 that will participate in Wake Forest’s Strength Training for Arthritis Trial or START, a first-of-a-kind, 5-year study to test the benefits of high intensity strength training, low intensity strength training, and healthy living on older adults with knee OA.
More than 4.5 million Americans have had knee replacement surgery due to knee osteoarthritis. The procedure is expensive-often costing more than $20,000 per knee- and may not be necessary for everyone.
Previous studies at Wake Forest have shown that high intensity strength training is safe for older individuals and may also slow the progression of knee osteoarthritis.
START researchers hope to confirm these findings in a supervised, clinical setting. The end goal is to develop a surgery-free and effective option to treat knee pain and loss of mobility associated with knee osteoarthritis, says Stephen Messier, professor and director of the J.B. Snow Biomechanics Laboratory at Wake Forest University.
More participants are needed before the benefits of the new treatment can be realized however. Messier says the START team is currently seeking volunteers to participate in the 18-month trial.
Participants must be 55yrs of age or older, have knee pain on most days of the week, and not be involved in a formal strength-training program.
“Every participant receives individualized attention during the study,” says Monica Carpenter, an exercise interventionist for START. “It offers a brand new way to deal with joint pain for a population of people who have not done this kind of strength training before.”
Carpenter says study volunteers will be randomly assigned to either a strength training group or a group that attends healthy living classes along with stretching exercises.
Tise says he doesn’t see why someone with knee pain wouldn’t participate in the study.
“Nothing really seemed to be working for me so I decided to give this a try,” he says. “It has helped me so much that I don’t see why it wouldn’t help someone else in a similar situation.”

June 29 At Resorts World Casino : “International Fight Night”

“International Fight Night”

Presented by

New Legend Boxing, Old World Boxing & W.O.N. Promotions

 

On Saturday, June 29^th, 2013, Professional Boxing returns to Resorts World Casino New York City in Queens, New York.  Whether you have attended International Fight Night in the past or never had the opportunity, now is your chance to enjoy a great night of entertainment.   Invite your friends and co-workers to experience the excitement up close and personal as some of the best local professional fighters compete in a world class venue.  

Main Event

Joe Smith Jr.  12-1-0 (11KO)  – Light Heavyweight

 

Co-Main Event

Rafael Vazquez  8-1-0 (6KO) – Featherweight

 

Also scheduled on the card…

Cindy Serrano  19-5-0 (9KO) – Super Featherweight

Dean Burrell   7-1-0 (6KO) – Light Welterweight

Bryant Cruz 4-0-0 (4KO) – Super Featherweight

Adam Kownacki  5-0-0 (5KO) – Heavyweight

Ryan Ramayya  1-0-1 (1KO) – Super Bantamweight

Patrick Day  3-0-0 (2KO) – Light Middleweight

Shawn Cameron 5-0-0 (3KO) – Middleweight

Jay Rodriguez  0-0-1  – Cruiserweight

Gary Beriguette (Pro Debut) – Light Middleweight  

 

Tickets on sale now…

 

GENERAL ADMISSION $50 / RINGSIDE $125*  

May be purchased online at: www.newlegendboxing.com or by calling (718) 487-4474

*V.I.P. RINGSIDE will be sold on a first come, first served basis... 

 

CORPORATE ADVERTISING SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES ALSO AVAILABLE

Consumers underestimate calorie content of fast food

 

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

People eating at fast food restaurants largely underestimate the calorie content of meals, especially large ones, according to a paper published today on bmj.com. From 2006 to 2010 many American states and cities passed laws requiring chain restaurants to print calorie content on menus. The US Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 included a provision that will require all restaurant chains with more than 20 US sites to print calorie content on menus.

Previous research has shown that adults and children underestimate calorie content often by large amounts. However, these studies did not monitor consumer choices at restaurants or focused on a narrow range of fast food restaurants or individuals.
Researchers therefore carried out a large cross sectional study of repeated visits to fast food restaurant chains in 89 restaurants across the New England region of America: McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC, Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts. At the time of data collection, none of the chains routinely printed calorie content on menus.
Researchers enrolled a diverse group of adults (>18 years old), adolescents (aged 11-20) and school age children (3-15 years old). They collected receipts from participants to calculate the calorie content of their meals, and they administered a short questionnaire which included a question asking participants to estimate the calorie content of their meal. Parents provided answers for the school age children. The final sample size was 1877 adults, 1178 adolescents and 330 school age children.

Among adult participants, 65% were either overweight or obese, as were 34% of adolescents and 57% of school age children. Less than one quarter of participants reported noticing calorie information in the restaurants, and less than 5% reported using it to help them choose their meal.
The mean calorie content of meals was 836 for adults, 756 for adolescents and 733 for children. On average, adults, adolescents, and parents of school-age children underestimated calorie content by 175 calories, 259 calories and 175 calories, respectively. Two thirds of all participants underestimated the calorie content of their meals with approximately one quarter underestimating the calorie content by at least 500 calories. Participants consuming high calorie meals underestimated by a greater amount than small calorie meals. Underestimation was greater among Subway diners than at any other chain. Adults and adolescents eating at Subway underestimated by 20% and 25% more than those at McDonald’s.
The researchers conclude that adults, adolescents and parents of school age children generally underestimate the calorie content of meals, especially large meals and when eating at Subway restaurants. They say that the “forthcoming calorie menu labelling requirements of the US Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act might help to correct underestimation of calorie content”.
The researchers suggest that in addition to providing calories on menus, policymakers could perhaps improve menu labelling by supporting social marketing campaigns to better explain the concept of calories.
Source

Cinnamon compounds have the potential ability to prevent Alzheimer’s

 

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Cinnamon: Can the red-brown spice with the unmistakable fragrance and variety of uses offer an important benefit? The common baking spice might hold the key to delaying the onset of –– or warding off –– the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. That is, according to Roshni George and Donald Graves, scientists at UC Santa Barbara. The results of their study, “Interaction of Cinnamaldehyde and Epicatechin with Tau: Implications of Beneficial Effects in Modulating Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis,” appears in the online early edition of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, and in the upcoming Volume 36, issue 1 print edition.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that progressively worsens over time as it kills brain cells. No cure has yet been found, nor has the major cause of Alzheimer’s been identified.
However, two compounds found in cinnamon –– cinnamaldehyde and epicatechin –– are showing some promise in the effort to fight the disease. According to George and Graves, the compounds have been shown to prevent the development of the filamentous “tangles” found in the brain cells that characterize Alzheimer’s.
Responsible for the assembly of microtubules in a cell, a protein called tau plays a large role in the structure of the neurons, as well as their function.
“The problem with tau in Alzheimer’s is that it starts aggregating,” said George, a graduate student researcher. When for the protein does not bind properly to the microtubules that form the cell’s structure, it has a tendency to clump together, she explained, forming insoluble fibers in the neuron. The older we get the more susceptible we are to these twists and tangles, Alzheimer’s patients develop them more often and in larger amounts.
The use of cinnamaldehyde, the compound responsible for the bright, sweet smell of cinnamon, has proven effective in preventing the tau knots. By protecting tau from oxidative stress, the compound, an oil, could inhibit the protein’s aggregation. To do this, cinnamaldehyde binds to two residues of an amino acid called cysteine on the tau protein. The cysteine residues are vulnerable to modifications, a factor that contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s.
“Take, for example, sunburn, a form of oxidative damage,” said Graves, adjunct professor in UCSB’s Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. “If you wore a hat, you could protect your face and head from the oxidation. In a sense this cinnamaldehyde is like a cap.” While it can protect the tau protein by binding to its vulnerable cysteine residues, it can also come off, Graves added, which can ensure the proper functioning of the protein.

Oxidative stress is a major factor to consider in the health of cells in general. Through normal cellular processes, free radical-generating substances like peroxides are formed, but antioxidants in the cell work to neutralize them and prevent oxidation. Under some conditions however, the scales are tipped, with increased production of peroxides and free radicals, and decreased amounts of antioxidants, leading to oxidative stress.
Epicatechin, which is also present in other foods, such as blueberries, chocolate, and red wine, has proven to be a powerful antioxidant. Not only does it quench the burn of oxidation, it is actually activated by oxidation so the compound can interact with the cysteines on the tau protein in a way similar to the protective action of cinnamaldehyde.
“Cell membranes that are oxidized also produce reactive derivatives, such as Acrolein, that can damage the cysteines,” said George. “Epicatechin also sequesters those byproducts.”
Studies indicate that there is a high correlation between Type 2 diabetes and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. The elevated glucose levels typical of diabetes lead to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, resulting in oxidative stress, which is a common factor in both diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Other research has shown cinnamon’s beneficial effects in managing blood glucose and other problems associated with diabetes.
“Since tau is vulnerable to oxidative stress, this study then asks whether Alzheimer’s disease could benefit from cinnamon, especially looking at the potential of small compounds,” said George.
Although this research shows promise, Graves said, they are “still a long way from knowing whether this will work in human beings.” The researchers caution against ingesting more than the typical amounts of cinnamon already used in cooking.
If cinnamon and its compounds do live up to their promise, it could be a significant step in the ongoing battle against Alzheimer’s. A major risk factor for the disease –– age –– is uncontrollable. In the United States, Alzheimer’s presents a particular problem as the population lives longer and the Baby Boom generation turns gray, leading to a steep rise in the prevalance of the disease. It is a phenomenon that threatens to overwhelm the U.S. health care system. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2013, Alzheimer’s disease will cost the nation $203 billion.
“Wouldn’t it be interesting if a small molecule from a spice could help?” commented Graves, “perhaps prevent it, or slow down the progression.”
Source