MATT ROBERTS | TRAINING ARTICLES

IN THE MEDIA

By Ian Mellis

Gene Tweak Makes for Mighty Mice- Scientists Genetically Engineer Mice That Outrun and Outlive Ordinary Mice. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University have genetically engineered mice that outrun, outlive, and out-eat ordinary mice while staying lean, light, and fertile well into old age.

"They are metabolically similar to Lance Armstrong biking up the Pyrenees," researcher Richard Hanson, PhD, says in a news release. The genetic tweak boosted levels of an enzyme called PEPCK-C in the mice's skeletal muscles, knocking mice's muscle metabolism into orbit.

The mighty mice were seven times more active than normal mice. They showed unusually high levels of activity in their cages from the time they were 2 weeks old. Running on special treadmills designed for mice, the genetically engineered mice left ordinary mice in the dust. One treadmill test began at a leisurely pace. The researchers raised the treadmill's incline and speed every two minutes until the mice were exhausted and couldn't run for 10 seconds. The genetically engineered mice ran for 32 minutes, while the ordinary mice pooped out at 19 minutes. The genetically engineered mice ate 60% more than the ordinary mice, but they were lean and light, weighing half of what normal mice weigh with 90% less body fat. The researchers also report that the genetically engineered mice lived longer than other mice and maintained their superior running ability. For instance, mice that were up to 2.5 years old outran mice that were less than half their age, the study shows. In addition, a 30-month-old genetically engineered female mouse had baby mice during the study, well past the typical mouse-bearing ages.

Ballerinas and Female Athletes Share Quadruple Health Threats

A study led by sports medicine researcher Anne Hoch, D.O., at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee has revealed that young female professional dancers face the same health risks as young female athletes when they don't eat enough to offset the energy they spend, and stop menstruating as a consequence.

The researchers studied 22 professional ballerinas, all members of the Milwaukee Ballet Company, to determine the prevalence of disordered eating, amenorrhea (lack of menstruation), abnormal vascular function and low bone density. Study findings were presented at the American College of Sports Medicine meeting in Seattle, May 30. The dancers completed questionnaires on their menstrual patterns and eating habits, and underwent a blood test for hormonal levels. Thirty-six percent of the group had disordered eating habits and 77 percent were in a calorie deficit. Twenty-seven percent were currently amenorrheic, 23 percent had low bone mass density and nine percent were taking birth control. Arterial ultrasound measurements revealed that 64 percent had abnormal artery dilation in response to blood flow.

"It was unknown if professional dancers without menstrual periods have evidence of vascular dysfunction, yet some characteristics of the tetrad were common in this group," says Dr. Hoch. "Eighty-six percent had one or more components, and fourteen percent had all four."

Cereal and Milk Is the New Sports Supplement

A bowl of whole-grain cereal is as good as a sports drink for recovery after exercise. New research has shown that the readily available and relatively inexpensive breakfast food is as effective as popular, carbohydrate-based "sports drinks."

Exercise physiologist Lynne Kammer, from The University of Texas at Austin, led a group of researchers who investigated the post-exercise physiological effects of the foods. Kammer and her team studied 12 trained cyclists, 8 male and 4 female. In contrast to many sports nutrition studies, however, the exercise protocol was designed to reflect a typical exercise session. After a warm-up period, the subjects cycled for two hours at a comfortable work rate, rather than the more frequently seen test-to-exhaustion.

"Our goal was to compare whole grain cereal plus milk—which are ordinary foods—and sports drinks, after moderate exercise," said Kammer. "We wanted to understand their relative effects on glycogen repletion and muscle protein synthesis for the average individual. We found that glycogen repletion, or the replenishment of immediate muscle fuel, was just as good after whole grain cereal consumption and that some aspects of protein synthesis were actually better".

"Cereal and non-fat milk are a less expensive option than sports drinks. The milk provides a source of easily digestible and high quality protein, which can promote protein synthesis and training adaptations, making this an attractive recovery option for those who refuel at home".

The researchers concluded that, for amateur athletes and moderately physically active individuals who are trying to keep in shape, popping into the kitchen for a quick bowl of whole-grain cereal with a splash of skimmed milk may be a smarter move than investing in a high-priced sports drink.

Adults Aren't Active Enough, 22-year Study Finds

A new study has sounded the alarm that the majority of Canadian adults are inactive over their lifespan and don't exercise enough during their leisure time. The study is unique in that it collected information over two decades from the 1981 Canada Fitness Survey, the 1988 Campbell's Survey of Well-Being and from the 2002/4 Physical Activity Longitudinal Study of the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute.

The research team studied a healthy subgroup of Canadians and found almost 56 percent were consistently inactive and only 12 percent of participants remained active with each subsequent survey.

"Women and older participants, compared to men or their younger peers, were less likely to follow a consistently active lifestyle. And participants with less education and lower household income were also less likely to be active," says lead author Tracie A. Barnett, a professor at the Université de Montréal's Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and a researcher at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Centre.

The research team followed 884 adults, initially aged 18 to 60 years old, who lived in large cities, suburban, and rural areas. Among participants active at the beginning of the study, those disadvantaged in education and income were more likely to decrease their levels of physical activity over time, compared to participants who were university educated and with a higher family income.

However, there was some good news. The researchers found that 25 percent of Canadians increased their levels of physical activity over time – an improvement that was observed in all socio-economic sub-groups.

The research group recommends continued efforts to increase physical activity among the overall population, as well as targeted programs that can encourage more vulnerable groups to keep moving. What's more, the scientists stressed that health promotion programs must ensure that health inequalities experienced by socially disadvantaged groups do not worsen.

Diabetes Patients Should Have Regular Exercise, Weight Training.

To reduce their cardiovascular risk, people with type 2 diabetes should do at least two-and-a-half hours per week of moderate-intensity or one-and-a-half hours per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercises, plus some weight training, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The global increase in overweight and obesity has led to an “unprecedented epidemic” in type 2 diabetes (when the body is unable to use insulin efficiently to help turn glucose, or blood sugar, into energy for the body’s cells). In 2007, type 2 diabetes in the United States cost an estimated $174 billion in direct medical costs and indirect costs such as disability, lost productivity and premature death. That amount represents a 30 percent increase from the $132 billion estimated in 2002, according to the statement. Furthermore, heart and blood vessel disease is responsible for nearly 70 percent of deaths in people with type 2 diabetes.

“Given the observed increases in type 2 diabetes in adults over the last few decades in developed countries, and the increasing numbers of overweight and obese individuals throughout the world, we must look at ways to reduce the cardiovascular complications of diabetes, and exercise is one of those ways,” said Thomas H. Marwick, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the writing group and professor of medicine and director of the Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease at the University of Queensland School of Medicine in Brisbane, Australia.

Diet and exercise can prevent or slow the development of type 2 diabetes and produce clinically significant improvements in blood sugar control and cardiovascular risk factors in people with the condition, according to the statement. This benefit can reduce or eliminate some patients’ needs for medications to control risk factors. The statement emphasizes the importance of exercise advice in the primary care environment. Patients are encouraged to work with their health care provider to establish an exercise regimen — basically, getting a prescription for exercise. Exercise, for the purpose of this statement, is defined as planned and structured activity that is aimed at improving cardiovascular health and metabolic control.

Recommendations include:

To improve cardiovascular risk, type 2 diabetes patients should get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise or 90 min/week of vigorous-intensity exercise, or some combination of the two.

Patients should exercise on at least three non-consecutive days each week to maximize benefits. Individual sessions should be at least 10 minutes each or longer.

Resistance training should be encouraged, and should be moderate- to high-intensity — 2–4 sets of 8–10 repetitions at a weight that can’t be lifted more than 8–10 times, with 1–2-minute rest periods between sets.

Exercise counselling is needed to assess and adjust levels of physical activity and provide motivation and support. Telephone counselling is economical, practical and effective.

Bertoni, Roger S. Blumenthal, George Philippides, Albert Rocchini, on behalf of the Thomas H. Marwick, Matthew D. Hordern, Todd Miller, Deborah A. Chyun, Alain G. A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association Exercise Training for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Impact on Cardiovascular Risk. Circulation, Online Jun 8, 2009 DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192521.