Precompetition dietary practices of competitive male and female bodybuilders

A comprehensive analysis of precompetition dietary beliefs and behaviors of competitive bodybuilders has yet to be documented in the literature. The purposes of this study were (a) to quantify and document types of supplements competitive male and female bodybuilders consume, (b) to document how much money they spend on them each month, (c) to describe what dietary modifications and behaviors they follow in preparation for a contest and (d) to describe their nutrition beliefs associated with these habits. Three hundred and nine competitive male and female bodybuilders completed questionnaires regarding their precompetition dietary practices. It was found that bodybuilders consume a wide variety of supplements and use a multitude of dietary training practices which vary depending on the training phase. A large percentage of bodybuilders agreed with statements on supplement use and training practices that are unsubstantiated by scientific research

Study of pallial neurogenesis in shark embryos and the evolutionary origin of the subventricular zone

The dorsal part of the developing telencephalon is one of the brain areas that has suffered most drastic changes throughout vertebrate evolution. Its evolutionary increase in complexity was thought to be partly achieved by the appearance of a new neurogenic niche in the embryonic subventricular zone (SVZ). Here, a new kind of amplifying progenitors (basal progenitors) expressing Tbr2, undergo a second round of divisions, which is believed to have contributed to the expansion of the neocortex. Accordingly, the existence of a pallial SVZ has been classically considered exclusive of mammals. However, the lack of studies in ancient vertebrates precludes any clear conclusion about the evolutionary origin of the SVZ and the neurogenic mechanisms that rule pallial development. In this work, we explore pallial neurogenesis in a basal vertebrate, the shark Scyliorhinus canicula, through the study of the expression patterns of several neurogenic markers. We found that apical progenitors and radial migration are present in sharks, and therefore, their presence must be highly conserved throughout evolution. Surprisingly, we detected a subventricular band of ScTbr2-expressing cells, some of which also expressed mitotic markers, indicating that the existence of basal progenitors should be considered an ancestral condition rather than a novelty of mammals or amniotes. Finally, we report that the transcriptional program for the specification of glutamatergic pallial cells (Pax6, Tbr2, NeuroD, Tbr1) is also present in sharks. However, the segregation of these markers into different cell types is not clear yet, which may be linked to the lack of layering in anamniotesThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad-FEDER (BFU2014-5863-1P)S

A comparison of different exercise prescriptions combined with a low-fat ad libitum diet: Effects on weight loss, health-related variables and psychological well-being in premenopausal overweight women

The epidemic of obesity in this country coupled with the poor success rate of current treatment necessitates further research into treatment interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two different metabolic fitness exercise prescriptions, in combination with a low fat, ad libitum diet (LFAL) and compared to a diet only control group (DO) on: weight loss, health-related variables (HRV) and psychological well-being in overweight premenopausal women.A mixed racial sample of fifty-six subjects (mean BMI = 34.26 +/- 6.61, mean age = 39.45 +/- 7.34) completed the 12-week program which consisted of (a) participants walking 30-minutes, 5 days per week (EX1) or (b) participants walking 60-minutes, 5 times per week (EX2) or (c) a diet only control group (DO). All groups made similar and significant improvements in weight loss, several HRV, all measures of psychological well-being and several measures of nutrient intake. Significant interactions were observed for waist circumference (p = 0.0381), sagittal diameter ( p = 0.0155), estimated VO2max (p = 0.0135), and LDL-C (p = 0.0039) with EX1 and EX2 groups showing benefits above that of the control group. Furthermore, the EX2 group increased percent of total Calories from carbohydrate, increased dietary fiber intake and decreased percent of total Calories from fat to a greater extent (p \u3c 0.05) than either the DO or EX1 groups.In summary, a LFAL diet either alone or in combination with walking exercise resulted in positive changes in body weight, body composition, blood pressure, blood lipids, dietary intake and psychological well-being. The EX1 and EX2 groups demonstrated similar and superior improvements in several additional HRV over and above that of diet alone. Thus walking 30 minutes 5 days per week was comparable to walking 60 minutes 5 days per week in providing beneficial changes in HRV. Dietary records however, indicated that the EX2 group reported a healthier nutrient intake pattern than either the EX1 or DO groups. Therefore the possibility exists that longer duration exercise combined with dietary intervention may confer greater long-term health and weight control benefits