Dr. Jarret Morrow's Weblog

Essential mobile health apps!

2011-10-23T12:45:00.001-07:00

Haven't tried any of these yet. Have you?

Your “Mobile” Health – Essential Smartphone Health Apps

When it comes to living a healthy life, building muscle, burning fat, and eating healthy, it may come as no surprise that your smartphone can double as both your nutritionist and your fitness trainer. Whether you’re an Android aficionado or an iPhone fanatic, your smartphone can help you get in shape and put the exciting back into exercise. Here are ten essential smartphone health apps for the faithful fitness fan.

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Pistachio nuts - do they really help to lower your cholesterol levels?

2011-10-17T04:59:00.001-07:00

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Can you lower your cholesterol levels by eating pistachio nuts?

Elevated levels of serum cholesterol represent a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. In fact, there’s actually a direct relationship between not only plasma levels of total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and coronary heart disease, but also coronary mortality.

In Canada, the current guidelines recommend screening of men over 40 and women over 50 (or postmenopausal) which consists of a fasting lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides). Additionally, adults who have other risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, smokers, erectile dysfunction, among others, or who have a family history of hypercholesterolemia should be screened at any age.

Target cholesterol levels are often determined clinically using a Framingham risk score. For those who have elevated cholesterol levels, there are a number of lifestyle changes which are also often recommended including smoking cessation, weight loss, daily exercise, stress management and dietary modifications.

Some dietary approaches or specific dietary supplements have been beneficial at lowering cholesterol levels. This list includes fish oil (omega 3 fatty acids), soy, red yeast rice, plant sterols, dietary fiber, green tea, as well as diets such as the DASH diet and Mediterranean diet.
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Leucine supplementation for athletes?

2011-05-27T18:00:00.001-07:00

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Leucine supplementation in resistance training

Leucine is an essential/branched-chain amino acid which has been gaining considerable research attention lately for its potential performance-enhancing or ergogenic effects. In particular, researchers have been interested in its ability to promote muscle synthesis as well as to reduce muscle loss during dieting.

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Chocolate milk FTW?

2011-04-26T05:53:00.001-07:00

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Chocolate milk improves exercise recovery and athletic performance?

Competitive athletes need to recover quickly from bouts of training as well as competition to prepare for subsequent events. Studies have shown that postexercise consumption of carbohydrates and protein results in better recovery than consumption of carbohydrates alone. Postexercise supplementation is important both for restoring muscle glycogen levels and also for attenuating muscle damage for better recovery.

One question, however, for athletes is whether or not consumption of protein and carbohydrates after exercise actually results in improvements in athletic performance. To answer, this question, a recent study was published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research [1].
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Intermittent fasting and diabetes risk?

2011-04-07T05:12:00.001-07:00

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Intermittent fasting may lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease?

According to new research, intermittent or periodic fasting might be the slow and steady way to reduce your risk of both heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The research was presented at the annual scientific sessions at the American College of Cardiology conference in New Orleans recently.

The study itself was conducted in Salt Lake City, which has a predominately Mormon population. Two thirds of its residents are Mormons who fast at least one per month for 24 hours for religious purposes. In total, the study included 200 residents from the State of Utah.

The same researchers previously had found that those who fasted at least once per month had a lower incidence of coronary heart disease in an earlier study.

The researchers were able to replicate these initial finds and also demonstrate that fasting is associated with a lower prevalence of diabetes. In fact, fasting appeared to nearly halve the odds of developing diabetes.
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Brown rice vs. white rice?

2011-03-25T06:09:00.001-07:00

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Supplementation with Lees of Brown Rice Reduces Waist Circumference?

The Lees of brown rice are by-products of its fermentation in the process of making rice wine. Brown rice itself is an unrefined whole grain which is a rich source of dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other constituents. Previous research suggests that intake of whole grains is associated with a lower risk of both diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In Asian studies, they’ve also found that substituting brown rice for white rice is also associated with a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Researchers from Korea, studied the effects of supplementation with the lees of brown rice in patients with type 2 diabetes [1]. The study itself randomized 30 patients to take either a mixed-grain product or a supplement prepared from the lees of brown rice for 12 weeks. Outcome measures for their study included body weight, waist circumference, body composition as well as lipid profiles and other measures.
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How empathic is your doctor?

2011-03-09T05:29:00.001-08:00

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How empathic is your doctor?

Does it matter if you have an empathic physician? According to the results of a recently published study, physicians’ empathy may actually improve patient outcomes for chronic diseases such as diabetes [1].

Researchers from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia recently tested the hypothesis that physicians’ empathy is associated with positive clinical outcomes in diabetic patients. The study included 891 patients with diabetes who were treated at a university affiliated outpatient setting over a duration of 3 years. The patients themselves were treated by a total of 29 physicians who were themselves tested with the Jefferson Scale of Empathy. Physicians were then put into three groups: high, moderate, and low empathy scorers.

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Is the calorie tax coming?

2011-02-26T19:27:00.001-08:00

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The Calorie Tax is Coming?

With the current obesity epidemic, approximately 1/3 Americans meet the clinical definition of being obese while 2/3 Americans are simply ‘overweight.’ Policy makers are already scratching their heads wondering how to address this global health issue. Obesity itself increases your risk of a number of health conditions ranging from arthritis (osteoarthritis) to diabetes. As such, the healthcare costs associated with obesity are very significant.

However, if you were to pay a premium for high-calorie food, would it influence your purchasing decisions? According to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the bottom-line has potential to shrink,well, your bottom [1].

The research itself is rooted in behavioral economic theory which is actually pretty simple. Essentially by increasing the cost associated with unhealthy choices will result in people on a population level making healthier decisions or basically what amounts to a junk food tax. Raise the price of junk food and its demand will drop…
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Does dietary fiber intake have an effect on reducing mortality?

2011-02-26T19:26:00.001-08:00

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Dietary Fiber Intake and Mortality Reduction?

Dietary fiber has long been hypothesized to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity as well as certain types of cancer. However, a new study highlights the health-benefits of dietary fiber on reducing mortality itself.

In terms of its definition, though dietary fiber is edible, it is resistant to digestion and absorption by your small intestine. Instead, these edible parts of plants or analogous carbohydrates are either completely or partially fermented in your large intestine.
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The new meat label?

2011-01-05T12:31:00.001-08:00

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Meat the new label?

For Americans concerned about their dietary health, they now have more information available to make decisions about the food that they’ll be putting in their mouth. As of January 1st, the USDA has issued a press release covering nutrition labels that will now be placed on meat. Yes, like the nutritional labels you’re probably already accustomed to seeing on soda pop and cereal boxes, you’ll now be provided with similar information on packages of meat ranging from beef brisket to veal rib roast.

Though this label system was revised during the ‘90s, it became mandatory on processed food with meat being the exception except under voluntary circumstances.
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Intermittent fasting, protein intake, and weight loss?

2011-01-03T12:44:00.001-08:00

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Intermittent fasting, whey protein, and weight loss?

For those of us who’re looking to lose weight, a recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition might offer some hope. Losing weight is never easy as it requires a lifelong commitment to changes in dietary habits as well as activity level.

Years ago, I read a book by Greg LeMond, the former three-time Tour de France winner. I loosely recall him mentioning something about you can’t lose weight by sitting on your couch eating hot-fudge Sundaes.

For most people, if you’ve ever tried the eat 6 small meals per day method, you probably find that you end up getting used to never feeling hungry. After awhile, chances are you lose discipline over portion control and the next thing you know it leads to simply eating too much and too often.

Not wanting to stop at my intuitive feelings over the meal frequency myth, I found a very recent review study that has debunked this myth. A review published in the Journal of Nutrition made the following conclusion:

Taken together, these findings suggest that increased eating frequency (>3 eating occasions/d) has minimal, if any, impact on appetite control and food intake, whereas reduced eating frequency(<3 eating occasions/d) negatively effects appetite control.

Intermittent Fasting?

Contrary to this diet regime, a recent study published in the International Journal of Obesity suggest that intermittent fasting can not only be effective for lowering insulin resistance, blood pressure, and cholesterol, but also promotes weight loss. This and other studies in this area contradict the fear that your metabolism will ‘slow down’ causing you to gain weight if you don’t eat 6 small meals per day. In fact, intermittent fasting was more effective than calorie restriction at reducing insulin resistance in this particular study.
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Cold related respiratory symptoms in the general population

2010-12-26T12:04:00.000-08:00

One common question that people often ask themselves is how cold weather affects their ability to breath well particularly for those with respiratory diseases.

A recent study published in the medical journal, The Clinical Respiratory Journal [1], determined the prevalence and threshold temperature of respiratory symptoms particularly in those with respiratory diseases.

The study itself included a total of 6591 participants of each gender who ranged in age from 25 to 74 years of age.

Here's what the study authors found:

Asthma - patients with asthma were more likely to report cold-related respiratory symptoms
Chronic bronchitis - as above.
Temperature - the threshold temperature was -15C for males and -14C for females.
Effects of smoking and education were marginal

In short, the authors noted that cold weather can have an impact on the quality of life for those with respiratory illnesses.

Speaking of cold, if you're looking for the best cold remedy or simply a natural cold remedy, follow the links.

Reference:

Harju T, Mäkinen T, Näyhä S, Laatikainen T, Jousilahti P, Hassi J. Cold-related respiratory symptoms in the general population. Clin Respir J. 2010 Jul;4(3):176-85.

Fibromyalgia--natural treatment options?

2010-12-26T08:39:00.001-08:00

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Fibromyalgia, natural treatment options part II

Fibromyalgia is one of the most common topics that I get asked to write blog articles about. To be certain, Fibromyalgia affects an estimated 5.8 million Americans. Of these millions of Americans, women are more commonly affected than men. If you suffer from this condition, make sure to read my original article on fibromyalgia–Fibromyalgia, new treatment option. My previous article highlights some of the key features of fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, there is a paucity or lack of research into natural treatment options for fibromyalgia.

Natural treatment options:
Acetyl l-carnitine (2 capsules of 500mg taken daily)
?Dietary Soy (see below)
S-adenosyl methionine (Natural anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antidepressant)
Magnesium (see below)
Melatonin
?Chlorella (see below)
?Omega-3 fatty acids.
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Beet your personal record with beetroot?

2010-12-26T08:36:00.001-08:00

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Does dietary nitrate from beetroot juice improve athletic performance?

Competitive athletes are always looking for an edge. As someone who used to compete in sports such as bicycle racing, swimming, and cross-country skiing, I used to spend countless hours reading about nutrition and ergogenic supplements. Though there can be certain risks associated with it and I wouldn’t recommend it now, I did win the Provincial Cycling Championships in the Individual Pursuit race following a trial of soda loading with sodium bicarbonate.

Fortunately, there’s been some new emerging research on the performance enhancing effects of beet root juice. What’s special about beetroot juice? Beetroot juice contains high levels of the anion, nitrate. Dietary nitrate has been studied over the past several years as an ergogenic or performance-enhancing aid.
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Happiness is in the moment?

2010-12-23T22:34:00.001-08:00

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On happiness and being present

Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure

That’s one good reason to savor the moment. Here’s a more practical reason for being present: Live in the moment, because it will make you happier. This is the conclusion of a brief article in the journal Science and it provides evidence to back this statement. The article got quite a lot of attention – The New York Times‘ coverage of this piece was the most emailed article for a bit – a testament to our ardent pursuit of happiness (and to the quality of John Tierney’s writing).

The authors of the study, Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert of Harvard University, developed an iPhone app to sample people’s ongoing thoughts, feelings, and actions. This reported study included 2250 people, who were asked, at random times, three questions:
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There's no cure for the common cold?

2010-12-23T22:31:00.001-08:00

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Natural remedies for the common cold

Typically symptoms of the common cold include: sore throat, cough, sneezing, running nose, headache, fatigue, and a low-grade fever. The symptoms of the common cold tend to last for around a week.

Since colds are caused by more than 100 different viruses, antibiotics are ineffective for treating the common cold though physicians sometimes prescribe them to treat secondary bacterial infections (bronchitis, pneumonia).

Though there’s no 100% reliable way of preventing colds, you can reduce your risk by washing your hands regularly, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, getting regular exercise, sleep, and limiting your stress levels. In addition to these common measures, there’s also some herbs and vitamins that may also be effective natural cold remedies.
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Herbal supplements for anxiety symptoms?

2010-12-23T22:30:00.001-08:00

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Nutritional or herbal supplements for anxiety symptoms?

Fear and anxiety differ in one key respect, fear is a response to a real threat or danger while anxiety is a similar response to an imagined or perceived threat. Anxiety disorders are very common.

All together, approximately 40 million Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder. Though there are different types of anxiety disorders (Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, among others), the effects of which can be terribly debilitating for those who suffer from them.

Several people who suffer from one of these anxiety disorders often seek natural treatments with the hope of finding a remedy that has less side effects than conventional medication. If you fit in this group, make sure that you consult with your doctor first. It’s important to have a proper diagnosis and medical treatment, so that you’re not just self-medicating with an herbal remedy or dietary supplement.

Speaking of these types of treatments, a recent study published in the Nutrition Journal [1], reviewed the safety and efficacy of nutritional and herbal remedies for anxiety symptoms and disorders.
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Free WordPress Blog Theme - Magazine Style

2010-11-29T18:24:00.001-08:00

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Update: Creatine 0.3 version released 07/08/10

New version includes some minor CSS changes and now allows you to use the custom menu features of WordPress 3.0 for 1 or 2 tiers of navigation menus. Also addresses a bug fix for those who upgraded to WordPress 3.0, but were not using the custom front page. Note, you will need both WordPress 3.0 and Hybrid version 0.8 for Creatine version 0.3 to work properly.

Fuel your blog with creatine! (free wordpress theme)

Creatine is a free magazine/blog style child theme for the Hybrid Theme Framework which means that you need Hybrid installed in order for this theme to work. No need to worry as this doesn’t make the installation much more complicated. Since this is a child theme, you will get all of the benefits of the free Hybrid them framework including regular updates released for the parent theme along with the other features including:

SEO optimized including features like breadcrumb navigation.

Community support.

Valid XHTML code (Yes, I know that my own site does not validate due to errors from the Feedburner opt-in form and another plugin.)

Light, efficient code which is open-source
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Best workout for those with diabetes?

2010-11-29T18:23:00.001-08:00

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Diabetes weight loss workout

The incidence of diabetes continues to rise alongside the incidence of obesity. In fact, according to the CDC, the incidence of diagnosed diabetes is now 8.2 per 1000 population which represents an increase of 148% over the past 28 years.

Given the comorbidity between obesity and diabetes, we’re now facing what’s been commonly referred to as the diabesity epidemic. For those who have body mass indexes (BMI’s) that are over 30 and fit in the category of obesity who also suffer from type 2 diabetes, the salient question is what they can do to reduce their risk of diabetic complications?

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Is the U.S. exporting obesity?

2010-11-22T07:34:00.001-08:00

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Globalization of Obesity…Outsourcing Fat

So we’ve outsourced jobs and sent them to India and China and now it looks as though we’ve outsourced obesity too. As a personal trainer in Bangkok I’ve seen the epidemic first hand. As Western people arrive on the shores of foreign lands, so does our foods and customs. We bring the lifestyle and the food and the local people, with a fierce desire to be like their Western counterparts literally eat it up.

Personal training is a tough profession these days as we are simply small fish swimming in a pool of large multi-billion dollar marketing machines. Our resources and ability to combat the overwhelming slew of advertising are minimal, yet we fight on. In the three years that I’ve been living in Bangkok, I’ve seen the addition of Krispy Kreme®, Cinnabon® and Cold Stone Creamery®. That’s in addition to the long time mainstays like, KFC®, McDonalds®, Burger King®, A&W, Dairy Queen®, Swensons®, Baskin & Robins®, and many more. This makes the job of a fitness coach a thousand times more difficult.

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Vitamin D intake and cognition in women?

2010-11-22T07:33:00.001-08:00

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Vitamin D intake associated with cognitive performance in older women

Though many people associate vitamin d with its role in promoting bone health, it also plays an important part in immune and brain functioning. In fact, vitamin d has also been linked to protective roles in preventing autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes along with certain types of cancers.

From a dietary standpoint, primary sources of vitamin d include fatty fish along with fortified milk. For vegans, mushrooms are the only natural source of vitamin d aside from sunlight exposure.
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Eating and Exercise Timing Series

2010-11-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

Jon Pearlstone is the creator of the EET or Eating and Exercise Timing diet plan. He's provided us with a series of articles written by one of his EET members at the Hive Health Media blog network.

At this point in time, there are 5 articles in this series along with a video exclusive provided to our network.

Here's a recap of the Eating and Exercise Timing series:

Pine Bark Extract Review

2010-11-10T07:46:00.001-08:00

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Benefits of Marine Pine Bark Extract – Pycnogenol?

Extracts of Pinus pinaster have a long history in traditional medicine or ethnomedicine. Commonly, these extracts are referred to as marine pine bark extract–they’re sold as a dietary supplement known by the proprietary name, Pycnogenol®.

Marine pine bark extract has established antioxidant effects and potential use in promoting cardiovascular health. In fact, its antioxidant effects were known dating back to Hippocrates and were further established by modern scientists.

Researchers from Pakistan published a recent review of pine bark extract in the journal of ethnopharmacology [1].

Surprisingly, there are no shortage of medical conditions for with pine bark extract has been studied. In many areas, there’s very limited data available in terms of randomized controlled trials in humans.
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Supplements for gaining strength and mass?

2010-11-06T15:36:00.001-07:00

Here's a guest post that I wrote for Project Swole about supplements used for resistance training athletes.

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6 Supplements for Increasing Strength and Muscle Mass
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For those who workout endlessly in the gym looking to increase their strength along with their muscle mass, starting with the right workout routine and proper diet is the first step. After a while, even with the best conceived diet and exercise plans, many do find that they hit plateaus which is when they start to look towards dietary supplements.

6 Muscle Building Supplements

Whey protein

As a starting point, most bodybuilders and power lifters who’re looking to get Swole, supplement with whey protein. Several research studies suggest that supplementing with doses of 1.5 g/kg of body weight with whey protein will help to increase lean mass and decrease fat mass [1]. Some products have gained unwanted attention recently due to containing high levels of heavy metals. Two popular brands named included Muscle Milk as well as EAS Myoplex [2].

Here are some of Steve’s great recipes for protein shakes.

Leucine

Leucine, an essential amino acid, can’t be synthesized by humans, so it must be obtained from dietary sources. Leucine itself has been gaining attention by researchers lately–both for its anabolic effects, but also for how it regulates protein metabolism in terms of preventing muscle wasting during weight loss. In particular, leucine supplementation seems to be a good option for those who’re seeking to maintain muscle mass while dieting. For anabolic effects, it’s difficult to get adequate amounts of leucine from dietary sources. Typically, doses of 2.5 mg of leucine, taken three times per day with meals is recommended to stimulate protein synthesis [7].
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Workout tips for bigger gains

2010-09-26T14:50:00.001-07:00

Guest post with some useful exercise tips for better workouts.

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Want BIGGER muscles in less time?

When you think about great muscle-building exercises, what are the first exercises that come to mind? Is it the bench press? Curls? Military press? Lat pull downs? These are all great exercises for building muscle, and a lot will have to do with how many sets and reps you do as well as how much rest you get, but there are two exercises that will give you better strength gains than any of the exercises listed above. This has been proven over and over again. For some reason, gym rats and fitness freaks just don’t seem to believe it. You can use this to your advantage and make the biggest gains in the fastest period of time.

If you really know fitness training, then you know what’s coming. If not, you might be surprised. Enough suspense. The answers you have been looking for your entire weight training career are squats and deadlifts. These two exercises work such large areas that when you perform them your body is releasing hormones throughout your body. These hormones – testosterone in particular – help you build more muscle the next time you workout. The best Olympians in the world always say that their secret is squats and deadlifts. If you’re not familiar with how to do squats and deadlifts, don’t worry, we’re about to give you a general overview.
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10 Reasons your diet fails...

2010-09-26T14:49:00.001-07:00

Very insightful guest blog post by Jon Pearstone with 10 weight loss tips.

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10 Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight

Most of us spend a lot of time trying to lose weight. Wait, let’s try that again. Most of us spend a lot of time THINKING about how to lose weight. Whatever the case, most people are not losing weight.

So, in the hopes of seeing that change, here’s a list of 10 key reasons you are not losing weight, along with some ideas you can use to overcome these challenges. Before you think you’ve heard it all before, you should know you won’t find anything about cutting calories or increasing exercise on this list. That’s because for most dieters, fewer calories and more exercise is not the problem and it’s certainly not the solution. What else is there? Read on and find out!

10 KEY REASONS YOU ARE NOT LOSING WEIGHT

REASON 1 You need instant results.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT? Understand that losing 1 pound a week for 20 weeks is a far more successful and sustainable diet plan than losing 20 pounds in 2 weeks using diet plans that focus on restrictions and deprivation.
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Nutrition education at medical schools

2010-09-18T16:21:00.001-07:00

From the well blog at the New York Times, which addresses the limitations about nutrition at most medical schools. What your doctor doesn't know about nutrition could be more than you realize...

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What Doctors Don’t Know About Nutrition

Some of the most common questions patients ask their doctors focus on the link between diet and health. But as Dr. Pauline Chen explains this week in her Doctor and Patient column, many of the nation’s medical schools are failing to provide new doctors with adequate nutrition education. She writes:

How much does your doctor really know about nutrition? To learn more, read the full column, “Teaching Doctors About Nutrition and Diet,” and then please join the discussion below.
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New studies on ergogenic supplements for athletes

2010-07-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some updates on ergogenic aids for athletes. Leucine and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate are both gaining increasing attention by researchers lately for their anti-catabolic effects. Both had been studied in the past with a lull in research attention until recently.

Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate

Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate is a leucine-derived metabolite with anti-catabolic effects. When combined with creatine monohydrate, the effects of this supplement on increasing lean muscle mass and strength may be additive. Most studies on beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate involve doses of 3 mg per day.

Leucine

Leucine is an essential amino acid which means that your body cannot synthesize Leucine, so you depend on dietary sources. At doses of 2.5 g, leucine may trigger a post-meal anabolic response that protects lean muscle mass during weight loss.

Creatine

New studies have looked a the effect of low-dose creatine supplementation for athletes. At doses of 2.3 g/day, researchers did find that creatine improved muscle function, but there were methodological issues with this particular study.

Fitness supplement updates

2010-07-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

The picture above is one a friend took of me while I was doing some bench press exercises at the gym. Okay, maybe not...

I do have some recent articles at my other website with some research updates on dietary supplements for resistance training.

As well, there was an interesting research study on Leucine, an amino acid which is gaining an increasing amount of attention from researchers.

Bottom line: The importance of supplementation or consuming the essential amino acid, Leucine, appears to be attracting more attention from researchers with respect to its role in promoting protein synthesis and preventing muscle wasting during weight loss.

Cardio HIIT Workouts?

2010-06-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

Though there haven't been very many posts here at this blog lately, I thought I would take a minute to highlight some useful posts about HIIT training, that I've read at an excellent fitness blog called Health Habits.

To get some background about HIIT which stands for high-intensity interval training, these posts are a great start:

1. Improve your heart with short workouts - some background about HIIT.
2. 4 steps to a great HIIT workout - basic information about various types of HIIT workouts.
3. 10 more reasons to love High Intensity Interval Training.
4. Finally , find out how HIIT will make you stronger, faster, and leaner.

Blog network for health and fitness writers?

2010-06-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hive Health Media is a new, emerging blog network for health and fitness bloggers/writers. If you're interested in improving the online presence of your blog, visit the blog application page to submit your weblog. Alternately, you can submit health and fitness content as a guest poster on the main Hive Health Media website: health article submission.

What can HIIT training do for you?

2010-06-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

If you're training or working out, but haven't yet heard of HIIT training (which stands for high-intensity interval training), you might be wondering what HIIT training can do for you?

To answer this question, visit the health and fitness blog, Health Habits, to read some great posts about HIIT training. The blog's author, Doug, is a personal trainer from Toronto, Canada.

Doug's most recent post, describes how HIIT training wil make you stronger, faster, and leaner. Another recent post explains how HIIT turns fat men into fit men.

Free Wordpress Theme: Creatine Hybrid Child Theme

2010-05-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Hybrid Child Theme: Creatine

Free Wordpress Magazine Style Theme with Front Page Slider/Thumbnail integration.

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Resistance training in treatment of metabolic syndrome

2010-05-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Metabolic syndrome is comprised of risk factors associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease including insulin resistance, hypertension, cholesterol abnormalities, and an increased risk for clotting. Patients with metabolic syndrome are often over weight or obese.

A recent meta-analysis on the effects of resistance training on components of metabolic syndrome concluded the following:

Based on our meta-analysis, RT (resistance training) has a clinically and statistically significant effect on metabolic syndrome risk factors such as obesity, HbA(1c)* levels and systolic blood pressure, and therefore should be recommended in the management of type 2 diabetes and metabolic disorders.

*hemoglobin A(1C) is a blood test which monitors long-term blood sugar control.

Reference:
Strasser B, Siebert U, Schobersberger W. Resistance training in the treatment of the metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of resistance training on metabolic clustering in patients with abnormal glucose metabolism. Sports Med. 2010 May 1;40(5):397-415.

2010-04-25T17:16:00.001-07:00

Is coffee bad for you? http://ping.fm/XSHRc

Branched-chain amino acids for resistance training?

2010-03-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

Branched-chain amino acids for high-intensity resistance training recovery?

American researchers published the results of a recent study in the Journal of Strength Conditioning Research which studied the effect of short-term amino acid supplementation on anabolic profile and markers of muscle breakdown (Sharp et al, 2010).

Subjects consumed branched-chain amino acids for 3 weeks before commencing a fourth week of concomitant high-intensity resistance training.

Results:

Serum testosterone levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001), and cortisol and creatine kinase levels were significantly lower (p < 0.001, and p = 0.004, respectively) in the BCAA group during and following resistance training.

The study authors concluded that a high intake of BCAA may promote an anabolic hormone profile while decreasing the likelihood of training-induced muscle damage.

Reference:

Sharp CP, Pearson DR. Amino Acid Supplements and Recovery from High-Intensity Resistance Training. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Mar 1.

Competition effects on exercise physiology?

2010-03-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

Does competition actually improve exercise performance?

Researchers in Estonia published the results of a recent study which explored the physiological factors which lead to improved exercise performance during competition.

The study authors found that exercise performance was improved by 4.2% during competition in endurance athletes along with a 4.4% improvement in peak VO2 response.

During training or competition, exercise significantly increased both growth hormone and testosterone concentrations. However, cortisol levels were increased post exercise only after competition.

These findings support that in competitive situations the affective state (motivation) experienced by athletes can enhance performance in exercise events, and lead to an increased peak oxygen uptake.
The magnitude of the improvement is of a substantial nature and of a level seen with some training programs.
Competitive conditions also augment the cortisol response to exercise, suggesting that enhanced sympatho-adrenal system activation occur in such situations which may be one of the key "driving forces" to performance improvement.

Source:

Viru M, Hackney AC, Karelson K, Janson T, Kuus M, Viru A. Competition effects on physiological responses to exercise: Performance, cardiorespiratory and hormonal factors. Acta Physiol Hung. 2010 Mar;97(1):22-30.

Protein for exercise and recovery?

2010-03-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

Protein for exercise and recovery?

A recent article published in the journal, The Physician and Sports Medicine (Kreider et al, 2009), concluded that adequate intake and appropriate timing of protein ingestion has been shown to be beneficial for endurance, anaerobic, and strength training.

The article suggests that athletes require 1.4-2.0 g/kg/day of protein intake.

Though most individuals can consume this amount of protein with a regular and varied diet, consuming protein beofore, during, and after exercise can improve recovery, immune function, and maintain lean body mass.

Reference:

Kreider RB, Campbell B. Protein for exercise and recovery. Phys Sportsmed. 2009 Jun;37(2):13-21.

FDA to screen ads of food supplements

2010-03-02T00:20:00.000-08:00

In recent news, the FDA will screen ads of food supplements:

THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to screen the advertisements of food or dietary supplements to prevent product manufacturers from making false claims about their purported health benefits or efficacy in curing diseases before they hit the press or go on air.

Catchy slogans, such as “helps lower blood cholesterol” or “fights diabetes” are just a few of the misleading or false claims used in print. On radio, as well as on television, such advertisements using those slogans are also being aired.

Fitness Blogs...

2010-03-02T00:10:00.000-08:00

After just recent looking for some good fitness blogs to read myself, I've realized that it's not easy. Sure, it's easy to find more of the MSM type blogs while the rest are mostly spam. In the middle, there are quality blogs written with a personal voice, but they're harder to find.

Here's some of the fitness blogs that I've recently came across:

[many have some pretty creative blog names]

Elevating Fitness
Female Fitness, Figure, and Bodybuilding Competitors.
Catapult Fitness
Fitness Blog Now
Nathan's Kettlebell and Fitness blog
Fit bottom girls
Bella on the Beach
Jack Sh*t Gettin' Fit
DoubleChinned
Watch my butt shrink!

Game Time from Corr-Jensen Laboratories Inc.?

2010-03-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

First, to clarify, I do not have any relationship whatsoever with Corr-Jensen Laboratories Inc. I found this recent clinical trial about their product, Game Time(R), while searching for Cordyceps on PubMed. If you would like to find out more information on the line of products available from Corr-Jensen Laboratories Inc., their products are marketed under the brand, Training Day(R). If you’re already thinking about Denzel Washington, yes, he was in the movie, Training Day, but that’s completely unrelated.
Game Time(R) contains a proprietary blend of the following ingredients: whey protein, cordyceps sinensis, creatine, citrulline, ginseng, and caffeine.
read more: Game Time...

Resistance training vs. endurance training

2010-02-28T08:31:00.001-08:00

Back on topic… A recent study published in the Journal of Physical Activity and health compared the effects of three different types of training (for 8 weeks) on body composition and blood lipid profiles in untrained men.
In terms of the three groups, they included the following:
Strength training
Endurance training
Concurrent training (in the same overall regime)
What this study found was that the group that did strength training alone for 8 weeks improved their fat-free mass as well as their triglyceride and cholesterol levels. However, resistance training alone did not benefit HDL, LDL profiles or body fat percentage.
Read more: Resistance training vs. endurance training.

Does l-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate improve strength?

2010-02-24T15:54:00.001-08:00

Does l-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate improve strength?

Today, I came across and interesting study on l-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate (Campell et al, 2006). This particular study involved an 8 week, double-blind trial of l-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate in 35 resistance-trained men. Compared to the placebo group, the resistance-trained men increased their one repetition maximum bench press by 8.82 Kg vs. 2.67 Kg over the 8 week period.

Dose:

Ingest 4 g of AAKG [l-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate ] (three times a day, i.e., 12 g daily)
read more: l-arginine alpha-ketoglutarate...

A look back at creatine monohydrate

2010-02-24T15:52:00.001-08:00

Does Creatine Monohydrate really work?

One mistake that I’ve probably made in my previous posts is writing to a more medically savvy audience, so I will try to make an effort now to write for a typical reader. To answer the question about what effect creatine monohydrate has on anaerobic performance, there’s a recent article published in the journal, Acta Physiologica Hungaria (Juhasz et al, 2009) that address this question.

I would imagine that the difference between placing fourth or first at the Olympic games could translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars in terms of endorsements. Not everyone is born with Michael Phelps’ genetic makeup which is why athletes look to get an edge whether it be the latest swim gear or dietary supplements.