Essential Fatty Acids
Improve Acne
Acne is a skin condition that effects millions of teenagers and adults across the country. Although there are various over the counter and prescription remedies available, in severe cases even strong topical treatments aren’t enough to win the battle against this common skin condition. However, a recent clinical trial has revealed that supplementation with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may be able to help bring relief to acne sufferers. In a ten week clinical trial researchers gave either 2,000mg of omega-3 fatty acids, 400mg of omega-6 fatty acids from gamma linoleic acid, or a placebo to a group of participants that suffered from mild to moderate acne. After ten weeks both the omega-3 and the omega-6 group showed significant reductions in acne lesions, decreased inflammation in affected areas, and reduced scarring compared to the placebo group. Acne suffers may want to consider omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acid supplementation if previous attempts at controlling the condition have been unsuccessful.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24553997
Ginseng Helps Protect Fight the Flu
Korean Ginseng has been used an herbal remedy in Eastern medicine for centuries, and has become a popular supplement among health enthusiasts for its reported ability to increase energy and boost immune function although its efficacy has been called into question by medical practitioners and opponents of herbal medicine. A new study published in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine has found the Korean Red Ginseng has the ability to treat and prevent influenza and the respiratory virus known as RSV. After infecting mice with a strain of influenza researchers began orally administering ginseng to test its ability to stimulate the immune system. The data found that not only did ginseng show the ability to boost immune function, it also stimulated the production of antiviral proteins that help decrease inflammation in the lungs. In mice infected with RSV ginseng demonstrated the ability to stop the virus from multiplying and suppress the expression of genes that cause damaging inflammation to the lungs. Although the results seem promising, further research still needs to be conducted to determine efficacy in humans and established effect clinical doses for treatment.
Alcoholism Linked to Muscle Weakness
Your beer muscl
e might not make you as strong as you thought according to new information being released in the April edition of the journal Cell Biology. According to research conducted by doctors at the Thomas Jefferson University MitoCare Center, heavy alcohol use increases muscle weakness and decreases the ability of muscles to repair themselves. In the laboratory researchers tagged the mitochondria of skeletal tissue with different colors to observe the process of mitochondrial repair, known as fusion that occurs inside muscle cells. During their observations researchers identified a protein in the mitochondrial repair process identified as Mfn1, which plays a direct role in the cellular fusion process. In the study rats that were given alcohol had up to 50% of Mfn1 levels decrease while rats that received no alcohol remained unchanged. However, once alcohol was removed from the Mfn1 levels normalized and repair processes returned to normal. So, if the stress of heavy training and fasted cardio causes you to wash your whey isolate down with a few shots of Grey Goose, it might be time to reconsider your post workout nutritional protocol.
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/apr2014/niaaa-21.htm?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Higher Levels of Exercise Boost Brain Development in Rats
There are numerous studies that prove t
he benefits that exercise has on cognitive function in adults and the elderly. However, a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri has found that high levels of exercise are associated with greater brain development in young rats. For the study researchers bred 26 rats that exhibited traits of extreme activity, and 26 rats that displayed extreme laziness. Researchers placed exercises wheels inside their cages and monitored their activity. They found that the rats bred with a genetic predisposition for exercise ran ten times more than that of the lazy rats. They also found that the brains of the high energy group displayed greater neural development pathways in regions of the brain associated cognitive function. This led researchers to suggest that encouraging children to exercise at an early age could lead to greater development of neural pathways and an increased propensity for exercise as they age.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/275598.php
Massage Therapy Reduces Muscle Soreness
There are
many athletes who will attest to the benefits that receive regular massage therapy can have on recovery and its ability to significantly reduce inflammation and muscle soreness that occurs during training or performance. However, despite the numerous testaments to the benefits of massage, there seems to be very few clinical studies that have examined its efficacy. New research conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago has found clinical evidence that massage therapy not only alleviates muscle soreness, but also has the ability to improve circulation as well. For the study researchers took two groups of healthy adults and asked them to perform exercise on a leg press while a third group did no exercise. Both exercise groups reported feeling soreness after the workout, but only one group received massage therapy post workout while the other did not. The group that did no exercise also received massage therapy as well. Researchers then measured blood flow by using ultrasound technology at 90 minutes, 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours post treatment. The results showed that both groups that received massage therapy showed improved blood flow and improvements in circulation even though the control group didn’t participate in the exercise program. The group that participated in exercise only, without massage therapy, showed reduced blood flow that did not return to baseline until 72 hours. These results suggest that regular massage will have the ability reduce soreness from training, increase performance, and improve circulation even in those who don’t engage in regular exercise.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140416125434.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fhealth_medicine%2Ffitness+%28Fitness+News+--+ScienceDaily%29
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