Studying biological science does not lead to adoption of a healthy lifestyle

Aims: The lifestyle and physical activity (PA) habits of young people play a key role in the prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases at older ages. The current generation of biological science students at university holds promise for better future medicine and medical technology. However, their physical fitness and lifestyle are often ignored. Methods: Lifestyle, PAs and common risk factors for cardiovascular disease before, and at, university were collected from 408 students using self-completed, anonymous surveys between the academic years of 2017 and 2019 from the School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS® 9.4 software. Results: Among the 408 participants, 134 were male and 274 were female with a mean (SD) age of 19.6 (2.24). Approximately 19% of participants consumed alcohol beyond the safe limit of <14 units/week (112 g/week). Among them, 65% were males. Before university, 47% of students failed to meet the UK National Physical Activity Guidelines (NPAG) which increased to 56% during university with males exhibiting a steeper incline. Compared to their lifestyles before university, more students had insufficient sleep and displayed greater sedentariness during university. Moreover, 16% of students declared no engagement in PA which was greater than the value of 12% before university. Fitness perceptions worsened by 11% during university particularly for females. Statistical analysis revealed that gender, BMI and fitness perceptions were significantly correlated with PA levels. The most prevalent explanation for inadequacy in meeting NPAG was insufficient time. Conclusion: Compared to their pre-university lifestyles, biological science students at university are more likely to adopt unhealthier behaviours with less time for exercise and prolonged sedentary behaviours, which increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases. It is important to raise awareness of their fitness perceptions and to encourage health-promoting programmes at university

Nox2 dependent redox-regulation of Akt and ERK1/2 to promote left ventricular hypertrophy in dietary obesity of mice

Background A Nox2 containing NADPH oxidase (Nox2) is involved in the global oxidative stress found in dietary obesity and metabolic disorders. However, the effects of high fat diet (HFD) on cardiac Nox2 activation and signaling in left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) remain unknown. Methods Left ventricular (LV) tissues isolated from C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) and Nox2 knockout (Nox2KO) mice (11 months old, n = 6 per group) after 4 months of HFD treatment were used. Cardiomyocyte sizes were measured digitally on LV cross-sections. The levels of cardiac reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was determined using lucigenin-chemiluminescence and in situ dihydroethidium (DHE) fluorescence. The levels of Nox subunit expression and redox signaling were examined by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. Results In comparison to WT normal chow diet control hearts, WT HFD hearts had 1.8-fold increases in cardiomyocyte size, a sign of cardiac hypertrophy, and this was accompanied with ≥2-fold increase in the levels of ROS production, Nox2 expression and the phosphorylation of Akt and ERK1/2. Increased ROS production measured in HFD heart homogenates was inhibited to control levels by Tiron (a cell membrane permeable O2•−scavenger), diphenyleneiodonium (DPI, a flavohaemoprotein inhibitor) and Nox2 ds-tat (a Nox2 assembly inhibitor). However, all of these abnormalities were significantly reduced or absent in Nox2KO hearts under the same HFD. Conclusions Nox2 activation in response to dietary obesity and metabolic disorders plays a key role in cardiac oxidative stress, aberrant redox signaling and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Knockout of Nox2 protects hearts from oxidative damage associated with obesity and metabolic disorders

Recognition of 16–18-year-old adolescents for guiding physical activity interventions: a cross-sectional study

Adolescence is a rapid life stage requiring special attention wherein personal autonomy is developed to govern independent lifestyles. Unhealthy lifestyles are integral to prevailing adolescent physical inactivity patterns. Understudied 16–18-year-olds were investigated to establish physical activity prevalences and influencing health-related lifestyle factors. Adolescents were recruited randomly across 2017–2019 from Farnborough College of Technology and North Kent College, UK. Demographic and health-related lifestyle information were gathered anonymously and analysed using SAS® 9.4 software. Among the 414 adolescents included (48.3% male and 51.7% female), the mean (standard deviation (SD)) age was 16.9 (0.77). Approximately 15.2% smoked and 20.8% were overweight/obese. There were 54.8% perceiving themselves unfit and 33.3% spent >4 h/day on leisure-time screen-based activity. Around 80.4% failed to meet the recommended fruit/vegetable daily intake and 90.1% failed to satisfy UK National Physical Activity Guidelines, particularly females (p = 0.0202). Physical activity levels were significantly associated with gender, body mass index, smoking status, leisure sedentary screen-time, fruit/vegetable consumption and fitness perceptions. Those who were female, overweight/obese, non-smoking, having poor fitness perceptions, consuming low fruit/vegetables and engaging in excess screen-based sedentariness were the groups with lowest physical activity levels. Steering physical activity-oriented health interventions toward these at-risk groups in colleges may reduce the UK’s burden of adolescent obesity