Link Between Vitamin D And Mental Agility In Elders

Metabolic pathways for vitamin D have been found in the hippocampus and cerebellum areas of the brain involved in planning, processing, and forming new memories. This suggests that vitamin D may be implicated in cognitive processes.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/193113.php

Brain Structure Corresponds To Personality

Psychologists have worked out that all personality traits can be divided into five factors, commonly called the Big Five: conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, and openness/intellect.

That quest for reward is thought to be a leading factor in extraversion.
The study found similar associations for conscientiousness, which is associated with planning; neuroticism, a tendency to experience negative emotions that is associated with sensitivity to threat and punishment; and agreeableness, which relates to parts of the brain that allow us to understand each other's emotions, intentions, and mental states. Only openness/intellect didn't associate clearly with any of the predicted brain structures.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/192722.php

Blueberry Consumption Beneficial For Hepatic Fibrosis

The authors suggest that blueberry consumption is beneficial for hepatic diseases (including fibrosis).

Their study showed that blueberries could reduce liver indices, serum levels of hyaluronic acid and alanine aminotransferase, and increase levels of superoxide dismutase and decrease levels of malondialdehyde in liver homogenates compared with the model group. Meanwhile, the stage of hepatic fibrosis was significantly weakened. Blueberries increased the activity of glutathione-S-transferase in liver homogenates and the expression of Nrf2 and Nqo1 compared with the normal group
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/192130.php

Un exercice physique vif et fractionné plus efficace qu'un entraînement traditionnel

Selon certains experts, l'entraînement fractionné, qui consiste à entrecouper des séries d'exercices intensifs par de courtes périodes de récupération, permet d'obtenir en moins d'une heure les bénéfices d'un entraînement d'une semaine entière.

Comparé à un sport modéré pratiqué régulièrement, comme le jogging, l'entraînement fractionné permet de doubler l'endurance, de bâtir des muscles plus forts, d'améliorer l'oxygénation de plus de 10 % et la vitesse de plus de 5 %. Et même s'il ne dure que quelques minutes, ses effets se font sentir durant des heures.

On s'exerce à une intensité telle qu'on crée un déséquilibre important dans les muscles, ce qui augmente le métabolisme.
http://fatshapetofitshape.blogspot.com/2010/03/un-exercice-physique-vif-et-fractionne.html

Short Term High-Intensity Interval Training (HIT) As Effective As Moderate Long Term Endurance Exercise, Study

Scientists have known for years that doing regular moderate long term exercise like cycling or running for several hours a week improves oxygen delivery to muscles and elimination of waste products: it also improves the efficiency of fuel burning in the tiny power houses inside cells, the mitochondria.

Such a regime also widens the blood vessels to the muscle cells and boosts the number of mitochondria they contain.

short term high-intensity interval training (HIT) can deliver in significantly less time the same health benefits as moderate long term "endurance" training.


Doing 10 one-minute sprints on a standard stationary bike with about one minute of rest in between, three times a week, works as well in improving muscle as many hours of conventional long-term biking less strenuously

HIT is where you do a number of shorts bursts of highly intense exercise with short recovery breaks in between.

This study demonstrates that a practical model of low volume HIT is a potent stimulus for increasing skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity and improving exercise performance

Although the study does not explain why HIT is so effective, it suggests that HIT stimulates many of the same signalling pathways as those stimulated by endurance training.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182165.php

Drinking Chocolate Milk After A Workout Offers Advantages For Post-Exercise Performance And Muscle Repair

The new research suggests that drinking fat free chocolate milk after exercise can help the body retain, replenish and rebuild muscle to help your body recover. Drinking lowfat chocolate milk after a strenuous workout could even help prep muscles to perform better in a subsequent bout of exercise.

Studies suggest that chocolate milk has the right mix of carbs and protein to help refuel exhausted muscles, and the protein in milk helps build lean muscle. This new research adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting milk can be just as effective as some commercial sports drinks in helping athletes refuel and recover.

Milk also provides fluids for rehydration and electrolytes, including potassium, calcium and magnesium lost in sweat, that both recreational exercisers and elite athletes need to replace after strenuous activity.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/190813.php

Brain Controls Blood Cholesterol, Study

A neural circuit in the brain involving the hunger-signaling hormone ghrelin directly controls cholesterol metabolism by the liver.

[La ghréline est une hormone qui stimule l’appétit ]

Ghrelin is a hunger-signaling hormone that inhibits the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) in the hypothalamus and plays a key role in regulating food intake and energy use.

Using lab mice, Tschöp and colleagues found that higher levels of ghrelin caused them to develop higher levels of blood-circulating cholesterol, which they attribute to a reduction in uptake by the liver.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/191037.php