Fitness Level Impacts Memory
Establishing the mind muscle connection may be more important than you think according to new research conducted by Michigan State University. Researchers conducted a study to determine the effect that aerobic fitness has on long-term memory. For they study researchers asked participants to study groups of words that included related pairs, then asked them to come back a day later to take a test on the learned material. They also asked each participant to engage in a treadmill test the gauge oxygen consumption while factoring in various lifestyle factors such as age, sex, weight, and body fat percentage. Researchers found that the participants who had the highest levels of aerobic fitness scored significantly higher on the test than those who scored lower on the fitness assessment. The new study will appear in the journal Cognitive Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience, and might make you think twice before passing up your last meal in favor of spending time with your two old friends, Ben & Jerry.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/276359.php
Optimal Amount of Sleep
We all know what it feels like to want to
crawl in our beds, let our heads hit the pillow, and sleep for twelve hours like someone shot us with a tranquilizer dart. However, according to new research conducted by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts found that sleeping too much can be just as detrimental as sleeping too little when it comes to cognitive function. Researchers collected data from 15,260 women who were part of the long-running Nurse’s Health Study. They found that women who routinely sleep more than nine hours, and women who routinely sleep less than five hours, both demonstrate weakened memory skills that are the equivalent of adding two additional years to their cognitive age. Researchers determined seven hours per night seemed to be the optimal amount to prevent cognitive impairment. Although we know how essential rest is for the body to grow and recover physically, it appears that it’s even more important for maintaining cognitive function as we age.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/7-hours-of-sleep-is-optimal-amount-new-research-suggests-1.1805387
Research 
Uncovers How Fiber Reduces Appetite
The benefits of consuming adequate amounts of dietary fiber are wide ranging and have been shown to effect everything from gut health due to the production of short chain fatty acids during digestion, to having the ability to reduce levels of cholesterol in the blood. Although we’ve known for years that fiber helps you fell full, researchers have never been able to determine exactly why. A new study published in the journal Nature Communications shows that a molecule known as acetate that is a byproduct of fiber digestion appears to signal the brain and indicate feelings of fullness. Researchers fed two groups of mice high fat diets, once of which also received fiber. Researchers then tracked acetate through the digestive system and found that it appeared in a region of the brain called the hypothalamus, and initiated a signal to stop feelings of hunger. Researchers have found that injecting acetate appears to have the same effect as consuming it through food, and hope to develop a means of treatment that can be used in the fight against the obesity epidemic.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140430083031.htm
Normalizing Vitamin D Levels Improves Weight Loss in Women
The incredible ability of vitamin D supplementation 
to impact every from cardiovascular health to improving immune function makes it one of the most versatile and cost effective supplements you can add to your daily regimen. Now, new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has found that women who normalize their vitamin D levels are able to improve weight loss and blood glucose regulation. For the study 218 women were placed on an exercise program that included 225 minutes per week of aerobic exercise, and received either a placebo or 2,000 IU’s daily of vitamin D. Waist circumference, weight, serum insulin levels, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, and C-reactive protein levels were all measured before beginning and at the conclusion of the study. Researchers found that the women who normalized their vitamin D levels by bringing them up to 32 ng/ml had an average weight loss of 8.5 kg while experiencing a significant reduction in serum insulin, waist circumference and body fat compared to women who failed to elevate serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 to this level. Researchers also found that the women who normalized vitamin D levels had a reduction in the levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of systemic inflammation, of 1.18 mg/l. Those who aren’t currently supplementing with vitamin D should seriously consider making it a part of their daily supplement regimen to take advantage of the tremendous benefits that it has to offer.
New Link between Vascular Inflammation and Obesity
Systemic inflammation 
is one of the hallmarks of disease, and chronically high levels of inflammation the body have been linked to a number health related maladies. A new study published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine reports that researchers at The University of Kentucky have uncovered a substance identified as IKKB, which appears to play a role in arterial inflammation and the development of obesity. Researchers discovered that IKKB acts as a director of the inflammatory response that occurs in vascular diseases. They found that by blocking IKKB in mice that not only were they able to prevent vascular inflammation, but they were also able to block the mechanisms that trigger the storage of body fat as well. Researchers now hope to continue their studies and hope to ultimately develop methods of treatment for atherosclerosis, obesity, and other metabolic disorders in the future.
Chlorogenic Acid May Prevent Blindness
If you’ve been worried that you might be drinking too much coffee don’t worry, there’s no such thing, and new research conducted by Cornell University is giving millions of java lovers another reason to rejoice. A stud
y published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has found that an antioxidant known as chlorogenic acid, the primary ingredient in green coffee bean extract supplements, may have the ability to prevent retinal degeneration. For the study researched subject two groups of mice to high doses of nitric oxide, which is known to cause high levels of oxidative stress that can lead to macular degeneration. Researchers treated one group of mice with a chlorogenic acid supplement, while the other received no additional treatment. Researchers found that the mice who were pretreated with the chlorogenic acid supplement appeared to suffer no retinal damage, while the untreated group did not fare as well. Before roasting coffee typically contains 7-9% chlorogenic acid. However, during the roasting process much of this powerful antioxidant is destroyed. Researchers hope to find ways to utilize the supplement in the elderly to prevent further retinal damage from chronic oxidation.
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