Post-exercise muscle soreness said to be relieved by watermelon juice in new study

 

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

Watermelon juice’s reputation among athletes is getting scientific support in a new study, which found that juice from the summer favorite fruit can relieve post-exercise muscle soreness. The report in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry attributes watermelon’s effects to the amino acid L-citrulline.
Encarna Aguayo and colleagues cite past research on watermelon juice’s antioxidant properties and its potential to increase muscle protein and enhance athletic performance. But scientists had yet to explore the effectiveness of watermelon juice drinks enriched in L-citrulline. Aguayo’s team set out to fill that gap in knowledge.

They tested natural watermelon juice, watermelon juice enriched in L-citrulline and a control drink containing no L-citrulline on volunteers an hour before exercise. Both the natural juice and the enriched juice relieved muscle soreness in the volunteers. L-citrulline in the natural juice (unpasteurized), however, seemed to be more bioavailable — in a form the body could better use, the study found.

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The authors acknowledge support from the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
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Advanced lung cancer exercise and nutrition interventions: a systematic review

         

 Posted on August 3, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

                Curr Oncol. 2013 Aug;20(4):e321-37. doi: 10.3747/co.20.1431. Exercise and nutrition interventions in advanced lung cancer: a systematic review. Payne C, Larkin PJ, McIlfatrick S, Dunwoody L, Gracey JH. Source: All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care, and the HSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland. ; Institute of Nursing and Health Research, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland.

Abstract In this systematic review, we sought to evaluate the effect of physical activity or nutrition interventions (or both) in adults with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc).

 METHODS:

 A systematic search for relevant clinical trials was conducted in 6 electronic databases, by hand searching, and by contacting key investigators. No limits were placed on study language. Information about recruitment rates, protocol adherence, patient-reported and clinical outcome measures, and study conclusions was extracted. Methodologic quality and risk of bias in each study was assessed using validated tools.

MAIN RESULTS:

 Six papers detailing five studies involving 203 participants met the inclusion criteria. Two of the studies were single-cohort physical activity studies (54 participants), and three were controlled nutrition studies (149 participants). All were conducted in an outpatient setting. None of the included studies combined physical activity with nutrition interventions.

 CONCLUSIONS:

Our systematic review suggests that exercise and nutrition interventions are not harmful and may have beneficial effects on unintentional weight loss, physical strength, and functional performance in patients with advanced nsclc. However, the observed improvements must be interpreted with caution, because findings were not consistent across the included studies. Moreover, the included studies were small and at significant risk of bias. More research is required to ascertain the optimal physical activity and nutrition interventions in advanced inoperable nsclc. Specifically, the potential benefits of combining physical activity with nutrition counselling have yet to be adequately explored in this population.

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In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, individualised exercise improves endothelial function

 

 

           Posted on August 3, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

                Ann Rheum Dis. 2013 Jul 31. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-203291. [Epub ahead of print] Individualised exercise improves endothelial function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Metsios GS, Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou A, Veldhuijzen van Zanten JJ, Nightingale P, Sandoo A, Dimitroulas T, Kitas GD, Koutedakis Y. Source: School of Sport, Performing Arts & Leisure, Wolverhampton University, Walsall, West Midlands, UK.

Abstract



 BACKGROUND:

 We investigated the effects of individualised combined resistance and aerobic exercise on microvascular and macrovascular function in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

 METHODS:

Forty age-matched, gender-matched and body mass index (BMI)-matched patients were allocated to either an exercise group, receiving a 6 months tailored aerobic and resistance exercise intervention, or controls receiving only information about the benefits of exercise. Participants were assessed for microvascular (acetylcholine (Ach) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP)) and macrovascular (flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN)) endothelial function, maximal oxygen uptake, disease activity and severity (C-reactive protein (CRP), disease activity score 28 and health assessment questionnaire). Data were collected at baseline, 3 months and at the end of the intervention (6 months).

 RESULTS:

At baseline, demographic, anthropometric, disease-related characteristics and endothelial function parameters were similar between the exercise and control groups (p>0.05). Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant improvement in endothelial function parameters at 3 (GTN: p<0.001) or 6 months (Ach: p=0.016, SNP: p=0.045, FMD: p=0.016) in the exercise but not in the control group. Generalised estimated equations detected that maximal oxygen uptake was a strong predictor for the observed changes in Ach (p=0.009) and GTN (p<0.001) whereas logCRP for SNP (p=0.017) and GTN (p=0.008). CONCLUSIONS: An exercise programme designed to meet individual needs and physical abilities significantly improves microvascular and macrovascular function in parallel with disease-related characteristics in RA patients. The potential long-term beneficial effects of such interventions at reducing cardiovascular risk in these patients merit further exploration.

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Effects of exercise and diet interventions on obesity-related sleep disorders in men: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

           Posted on July 26, 2013 by Stone Hearth News

                 RELATED: ACSM’s Exercise is Medicine Xiao Tan, Antti Saarinen, Tuija M Mikkola, Jarkko Tenhunen, Samu Martinmäki, Aki Rahikainen, Shumei Cheng, Niklas Eklund, Satu Pekkala, Petri Wiklund, Eveliina Munukka, Xinfei Wen, Fengyu Cong, Xi Wang, Yajun Zhang, Ina Tarkka, Yining Sun, Markku Partinen, Markku Alen and Sulin Cheng Trials 2013, 14:235 doi:10.1186/1745-6215-14-235; Published: 26 July 2013

 Abstract (provisional)

Background

 Sleep is essential for normal and healthy living. Lack of good quality sleep affects physical, mental and emotional functions. Currently, the treatments of obesity-related sleep disorders focus more on suppressing sleep-related symptoms pharmaceutically and are often accompanied by side effects. Thus, there is urgent need for alternative ways to combat chronic sleep disorders. This study will investigate underlying mechanisms of the effects of exercise and diet intervention on obesity-related sleep disorders, the role of gut microbiota in relation to poor quality of sleep and day-time sleepiness, as well as the levels of hormones responsible for sleep-wake cycle regulation.

Methods

Participants consist of 330 (target sample) Finnish men aged 30 to 65 years. Among them, we attempt to randomize 180 (target sample) with sleep disorders into exercise and diet intervention. After screening and physician examination, 101 men with sleep disorders are included and are randomly assigned into three groups: exercise (n = 33), diet (n = 35), and control (n = 33). In addition, we attempt to recruit a target number of 150 healthy men without sleep disorders as the reference group. The exercise group undergoes a six-month individualized progressive aerobic exercise program based on initial fitness level. The diet group follows a six month specific individualized diet program. The control group and reference group are asked to maintain their normal activity and diet during intervention. Measurements are taken before and after the intervention. Primary outcomes include objective sleep measurements by polysomnography and a home-based non-contact sleep monitoring system, and subjective sleep evaluation by questionnaires. Secondary outcome measures include anthropometry, body composition, fitness, sleep disorder-related lifestyle risk factors, composition of gut microbiota and adipose tissue metabolism, as well as specific hormone and neurotranmitter levels and inflammatory biomarkers from venous blood samples.

Discussion

 It is expected that the improvement of sleep quality after exercise and diet intervention will be evident both in subjective and objective measures of quality of sleep. Additionally, the change of sleep quality induced by exercise and diet intervention is expected to be related to the changes in specific hormones and inflammatory biomarkers, and in the composition of gut microbiota.

Trial registration:
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN77172005
The complete article is available as a provisional PDF. The fully formatted PDF and HTML versions are in production.

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