Fitness Factoids: Volume #23
Electronic Devices Ma
y Disrupt Healthy Sleep Patterns
One of the most critical, yet often overlooked, aspects of maximizing your health and your physique is getting enough rest. Scientists at the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that using bright screens such those from our laptops, tablets, and cell phones can suppress the natural production of melatonin in the body. The natural ebb and flow of energy in the body is known as our circadian rhythms, and these processes are regulated by a number of hormones including melatonin. Chronic suppression of melatonin can damage circadian rhythms and disrupt our normal healthy sleep patterns.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bright-screens-could-delay-bedtime
Italian Study Links High Levels Of LH To 
Poor Health
If you’re worried about testicular atrophy from your most recent cycle, this may bring some welcome relief. A recent study conducted in Italy and published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine has made a connection between testicular size, high levels of luteinizing hormone, and several health risks. The study measured the testicle size of approximately 2,800 Italian men who were being treated for sexual dysfunction. Researchers found that men with larger testicles who produced the highest levels of luteinizing hormone had elevated risk factors for heart disease. Researchers indicated that high levels of luteinizing hormone are generally positively associated with reproductive health, and because the men in the study were being treated for sexual dysfunction, these results may not be applicable to health males.
http://news.yahoo.com/why-large-testes-may-sign-big-heart-problems-131911108.html
Lunar Cycles May Affect Sleep
As it turns out, a full moon may not only affect werewolves, it may also impact us mere mortals as well. A team of Swiss researchers is set to release a study detailing their
findings on how lunar cycles impact our sleep. For their study the team analyzed 33 participants in a sleep lab and correlated the data with the moon’s phases. During the study the team tracked variables such as melatonin levels, total sleep time, and delta sleep time (the deepest level of sleep measured by EEG). Scientists found that the lowest levels occurred during a full moon, while the highest levels occurred while the moon “waxed and waned”. The reason for the variations is not yet clear, but scientists hypothesize that our brains may have a “lunar clock”, similar to several species in the animal kingdom.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/moon-phases-tied-to-sleep-cycles/?ref=health&_r=1
Metformin Extends Life In Mice
A popular diabetes medication has been shown to extend lifespan and delay the effects of aging in mice. Metformin, one the most widely prescribed diabetes drugs, may be able to promote healthy aging according to scientists. The study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications, tested the effects of Metformin administered to mice on a calorie restricted diet. The mice were split into two groups; group one received low dose Metformin, while group two received a higher dose of the drug. Group one, the group which received the lower dose, was found to have a 5% increase in lifespan and a delay in the onset of age related disease. However, group two, which received the higher dosage, was actually found to have a reduction in lifespan due to possible toxicity of the drug. Scientists hope to soon begin testing the anti-aging properties of Metformin on humans.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23490410
Exercise May Be The Best Treatment For Al
zheimer’s
New research published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease suggests that exercising 150 minutes weekly may be the most effective treatment for those suffer from Alzheimer’s. The study, which was conducted by the University Of Maryland School Of Public Health, found that exercise actually improved the efficacy of brain activity in Alzheimer’s patients. The study took two groups; one consisting of 17 patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and which was a control group, and had them perform memory tests before engaging in a 12-week exercise program. Upon completion of the 12 weeks participants were retested and researchers found that both groups increased their fitness level, but the Alzheimer’s group showed increased brain efficiency and had a significant improvement in 11 different regions of the brain.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264201.php
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