SuppVersity - Nutrition and Exercise Science for Everyone

Fat is an important nutrient for the unborn child. Accordingly, the question is not if pregnant women should consume fat, it's rather how much and at which ratios saturated, monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids should be consumed. A new study does now go even one step further and tries t assess the optimal amount of individual fatty acids like arachidonic acid (ARA), Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). It should be obvious: Out of ethical reasons, the question from the headline can only be answered based on rodent or epidemiological studies. Now, I am not exactly a fan of epidemiology, but  in this important case, I wouldn't like to rely on rodent data, which tends to deviate significantly from human data in long-term trials spanning several developing periods. As you will probably know, a high-intake ratio of n -6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has been suggested to contribute to excess fetal adipose tis...

Performance garments appear to be particularly beneficial for female trainees. I have to admit that there are no real "block buster" studies to talk about. This does not mean, though, that there were not interesting new papers on exercise science at all. Instead of lengthy elaborations on one or two papers I will thus provide you with a concise overview of the most recent papers from the  The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research  - an overview that includes only papers that have already been published. A review of those that are still ahead of print will follow as soon as the server problems over at Lippincott are settled and I can access them ;-) Read more short news at the SuppVersity Exercise Research Uptake Nov '14 1/2 Exercise Research Uptake Nov '14 2/2 Weight Loss Supplements Exposed Exercise Supplementation Quickie Exercise Research Uptake Jan 12, 2015 Read the Latest Ex. Science Update Physical conditioning for NASCAR ...

Is there a "bacterial link" between prostate issues and pregnancy complications? Are both promoted by a messed up microbiome? You know what a hypothesis is, right? Well, in that case the title of the scientific journal "Medical Hypothesis" should tell you that the two studies the "results" of which I am about to present in the following brief write-up are hypothetical. This means, it will require further research efforts to prove that vitamin K is the missing link in prostate health and to confirm that instestinal dysbioses (=messed up gut microbiome) are at the heart of the an ever-increasing number of pregnancy complications. As of now, both assumptions are based on scientific evidence, the "last" 100% convincing evidence, however, is still missing. You can learn more about the gut & your health at the SuppVersity Bugs Dictate What You Crave Sweeteners & Your Gut Foods, Not Ma- cros for the Gut Lactulose For Gut ...

Mother's love is a natural instinct, the worries about pregnancy weight not, simply because it would hardly ever occur in nature. If anything you'd be worried not to "make" enough weight to nurture your baby after the pregnancy. If the name “Cochrane review” does not ring a bell, let me briefly fill you in on what the Cochrane Database and the Cochrane reviews are, before we are delving deeper into the topic at hand, which is, or rather which are the results of the latest Cochrane Review on “Diet or exercise, or both, for weight reduction in women after childbirth” by Amorim Adegboye & Linne YM (2013). I guess, the elevator pitch on what distinguishes Cochrane Reviews from the rest of the pack, would read as follows: They are comprehensive, they are systematic, they review only primary research in human health care and health policy, and they are internationally recognized as the highest standard in evidence-based health care.  When you’ve read one, you shou...

Jogging or Tai Chi!? You have the choice - longevity-wise it may not make much of a difference. 20% that's the average risk reduction for all-cause mortality among those of the 61,477 Chinese men in the Shanghai Men's Health Study who practice Thai-Chi regularly. And what's more, in view of the fact that this is hardly less than the 23% risk reduction the researchers from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, calculated for  men who walked regularly and only 7% less than the reduction in all-cause mortality Na Wang et al. observed in regular joggers, it is also the SuppVersity Figure of the week (Wang. 2013) - a figure that's not much different for cancer and cardiovascular mortality, by the way.  Before you go exploring your Qi and prolong your life, I'd still suggest you meditate over the other On Short Notice items for a couple of minutes ;-) Feto-Protective Effects of Vigorous Exercise in Pregnant Women Another int...

85 sessions (general fitness class, three times/week, 55-60 min/session from weeks 8-10 to weeks 38-39 of pregnancy are nothing but healthy for mother + child (Barakat. 2013) Obese mothers with gestational diabetes are more than just a financial burden. That's what the SuppVersity Figures of the Week clearly indicate. According to a recently published paper from the National University of Ireland Galway woman who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy (mostly due to pre-existing extra fat -pounds; not BMI), produce 34% higher health-care costs (Gillespie. 2013). Just as the 75% increase in the necessity to have the kids being delivered by cesarean section , this would still be tolerable, though, if their poor offspring did not also have a increased risk of being born with pathological ventricular hypertrophy (Ullmo. 2007) and a 214% higher likelihood of having to be admitted to the neonatal unit , which, in turn, is associated with "increased and/or aberrant ad...