The effect of different post-exercise beverages with food on ad libitum fluid recovery, nutrient provision, and subsequent athletic performance

This study investigated the effect of consuming either water or a carbohydrate (CHO)-electrolyte sports beverage (‘Sports Drink’) ad libitum with food during a 4 h post-exercise recovery period on fluid restoration, nutrient provision and subsequent endurance cycling performance. On two occasions, 16 endurance-trained cyclists; 8 male [M] (age: 31 ± 9 y; VO2max: 54 ± 6 mL·kg−1·min−1) and 8 female [F] (age: 33 ± 8 y; VO2max: 50 ± 7 mL·kg−1·min−1); lost 2.3 ± 0.3% and 1.6 ± 0.3% of their body mass (BM), respectively during 1 h of fixed-intensity cycling. Participants then had ad libitum access to either Water or Sports Drink and food for the first 195 min of a 4 h recovery period. At the conclusion of the recovery period, participants completed a cycling performance test consisting of a 45 min fixed-intensity pre-load and an incremental test to volitional exhaustion (peak power output, PPO). Beverage intake; total water/nutrient intake; and indicators of fluid recovery (BM, urine output, plasma osmolality [POSM]) were assessed periodically throughout trials. Participants returned to a similar state of net positive fluid balance prior to recommencing exercise, regardless of the beverage provided (Water: +0.4 ± 0.5 L; Sports Drink: +0.3 ± 0.3 L, p = 0.529). While Sports Drink increased post-exercise energy (M: +1.8 ± 1.0 MJ; F: +1.3 ± 0.5 MJ) and CHO (M: +114 ± 31 g; F: +84 ± 25 g) intake (i.e. total from food and beverage) (p's < 0.001), this did not improve subsequent endurance cycling performance (Water: 337 ± 40 W [M] and 252 ± 50 W [F]; Sports Drink: 340 ± 40 W [M] and 258 ± 47 W [F], p = 0.242). Recovery beverage recommendations should consider the post-exercise environment (i.e. the availability of food), an individual's tolerance for food and fluid pre−/post-exercise, the immediate requirements for refuelling (i.e. CHO demands of the activity) and the athlete's overall dietary goals.Full Tex

Fluid, Energy and Nutrient Recovery via Ad Libitum Intake of Different Commercial Beverages and Food in Female Athletes

This study investigated the effect of consuming different commercial beverages with food ad libitum after exercise on fluid, energy, and nutrient recovery in trained females. On 4 separate occasions, 8 females (body mass (BM): 61.8 ± 10.7 kg; maximal oxygen uptake: 46.3 ± 7.5 mL·kg−1·min−1) lost 2.0% ± 0.3% BM cycling at ∼75% maximal oxygen uptake before completing a 4-h recovery period with ad libitum access to 1 of 4 beverages: Water, Powerade (Sports Drink), Up & Go Reduced Sugar (Lower Sugar (LS)-MILK) or Up & Go Energize (Higher Protein (HP)-MILK). Participants also had two 15-min opportunities to access food within the first 2 h of the recovery period. Beverage intake, total water/nutrient intake, and indicators of fluid recovery (BM, urine output, plasma osmolality), gastrointestinal tolerance and palatability were assessed periodically. While total water intake (from food and beverage) (Water: 1918 ± 580 g; Sports Drink: 1809 ± 338 g; LS-MILK: 1458 ± 431 g; HP-MILK: 1523 ± 472 g; p = 0.010) and total urine output (Water: 566 ± 314 g; Sports Drink: 459 ± 290 g; LS-MILK: 220 ± 53 g; HP-MILK: 230 ± 117 g; p = 0.009) differed significantly by beverage, the quantity of ingested water retained was similar across treatments (Water: 1352 ± 462 g; Sports Drink: 1349 ± 407 g; LS-MILK: 1238 ± 400 g; HP-MILK: 1293 ± 453 g; p = 0.691). Total energy intake (from food and beverage) increased in proportion to the energy density of the beverage (Water: 4129 ± 1080 kJ; Sports Drink: 5167 ± 643 kJ; LS-MILK: 6019 ± 1925 kJ; HP-MILK: 7096 ± 2058 kJ; p = 0.014). When consumed voluntarily and with food, different beverages promote similar levels of fluid recovery, but alter energy/nutrient intakes. Providing access to food and understanding the longer-term dietary goals of female athletes are important considerations when recommending a recovery beverage.No Full Tex

Intellectual ability in tuberous sclerosis complex correlates with predicted effects of mutations on TSC1 and TSC2 proteins.

BACKGROUND: Tuberous sclerosis complex is a multisystem genetic disease, caused by mutation in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes, associated with many features, including intellectual disability (ID). We examined psychometric profiles of patients with TSC1 or TSC2 mutations and tested whether different mutation types were associated with different degrees of intellectual ability. METHODS: One hundred subjects with known TSC1/TSC2 mutations were assessed using a range of IQ or developmental quotient (DQ) measures. Effects of mutations on TSC1/TSC2 proteins were inferred from sequence data and published biochemical studies. RESULTS: Most individuals with TSC1 mutations fell on a normal distribution identical to the general population, with ∼10% showing profound ID. Of individuals with TSC2 mutations, 34% showed profound ID, and the remainder a pattern of IQ/DQ more variable and shifted to the left than in TSC1 or the general population. Truncating TSC1 mutations were all predicted to be subject to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Mutations predicted to result in unstable protein were associated with less severe effects on IQ/DQ. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between length of predicted aberrant C-terminal tails arising from frameshift mutations in TSC1 and IQ/DQ; for TSC2 a positive but not statistically significant correlation was observed. CONCLUSION: We propose a model where (i) IQ/DQ correlates inversely with predicted levels and/or deleterious biochemical effects of mutant TSC1 or TSC2 protein, and (ii) longer aberrant C-terminal tails arising from frameshift mutations are more detrimental for TSC1 and less for TSC2. Predictions of the model require replication and biochemical testing.We thank the Tuberous Sclerosis Association, the Wales Gene Park, the National Research Foundation of South Africa and the Struengmann Fund for financial support. We thank Prof Chris Smith for helpful comments on the manuscript.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the British Medical Journal via http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jmedgenet-2015-10315

Effect of Drinking Rate on the Retention of Water or Milk Following Exercise-Induced Dehydration

This study investigated the effect of drinking rate on fluid retention of milk and water following exercise-induced dehydration. In Part A, 12 male participants lost 1.9% ± 0.3% body mass through cycle exercise on four occasions. Following exercise, plain water or low-fat milk equal to the volume of sweat lost during exercise was provided. Beverages were ingested over 30 or 90 min, resulting in four beverage treatments: water 30 min, water 90 min, milk 30 min, and milk 90 min. In Part B, 12 participants (nine males and three females) lost 2.0% ± 0.3% body mass through cycle exercise on four occasions. Following exercise, plain water equal to the volume of sweat lost during exercise was provided. Water was ingested over 15 min (DR15), 45 min (DR45), or 90 min (DR90), with either DR15 or DR45 repeated. In both trials, nude body mass, urine volume, urine specific gravity and osmolality, plasma osmolality, and subjective ratings of gastrointestinal symptoms were obtained preexercise and every hour for 3 hr after the onset of drinking. In Part A, no effect of drinking rate was observed on the proportion of fluid retained, but milk retention was greater (p

Ageing, Muscle Power and Physical Function: A Systematic Review and Implications for Pragmatic Training Interventions.

BACKGROUND: The physiological impairments most strongly associated with functional performance in older people are logically the most efficient therapeutic targets for exercise training interventions aimed at improving function and maintaining independence in later life. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this review were to (1) systematically review the relationship between muscle power and functional performance in older people; (2) systematically review the effect of power training (PT) interventions on functional performance in older people; and (3) identify components of successful PT interventions relevant to pragmatic trials by scoping the literature. METHODS: Our approach involved three stages. First, we systematically reviewed evidence on the relationship between muscle power, muscle strength and functional performance and, second, we systematically reviewed PT intervention studies that included both muscle power and at least one index of functional performance as outcome measures. Finally, taking a strong pragmatic perspective, we conducted a scoping review of the PT evidence to identify the successful components of training interventions needed to provide a minimally effective training dose to improve physical function. RESULTS: Evidence from 44 studies revealed a positive association between muscle power and indices of physical function, and that muscle power is a marginally superior predictor of functional performance than muscle strength. Nine studies revealed maximal angular velocity of movement, an important component of muscle power, to be positively associated with functional performance and a better predictor of functional performance than muscle strength. We identified 31 PT studies, characterised by small sample sizes and incomplete reporting of interventions, resulting in less than one-in-five studies judged as having a low risk of bias. Thirteen studies compared traditional resistance training with PT, with ten studies reporting the superiority of PT for either muscle power or functional performance. Further studies demonstrated the efficacy of various methods of resistance and functional task PT on muscle power and functional performance, including low-load PT and low-volume interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Maximal intended movement velocity, low training load, simple training methods, low-volume training and low-frequency training were revealed as components offering potential for the development of a pragmatic intervention. Additionally, the research area is dominated by short-term interventions producing short-term gains with little consideration of the long-term maintenance of functional performance. We believe the area would benefit from larger and higher-quality studies and consideration of optimal long-term strategies to develop and maintain muscle power and physical function over years rather than weeks

Siblings of patients with Crohn's disease exhibit a biologically relevant dysbiosis in mucosal microbial metacommunities

© 2016, BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Objective: To determine the existence of mucosal dysbiosis in siblings of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) using 454 pyrosequencing and to comprehensively characterise and determine the influence of genotypical and phenotypical factors, on that dysbiosis. Siblings of patients with CD have elevated risk of developing CD and display aspects of disease phenotype, including faecal dysbiosis. Whether the mucosal microbiota is disrupted in these at-risk individuals is unknown. Design: Rectal biopsy DNA was extracted from 21 patients with quiescent CD, 17 of their healthy siblings and 19 unrelated healthy controls. Mucosal microbiota was analysed by 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and were classified into core and rare species. Genotypical risk was determined using Illumina Immuno BeadChip, faecal calprotectin by ELISA and blood T-cell phenotype by flow cytometry. Results: Core microbiota of both patients with CD and healthy siblings was significantly less diverse than controls. Metacommunity profiling (Bray-Curtis (SBC) index) showed the sibling core microbial composition to be more similar to CD (SBC=0.70) than to healthy controls, whereas the sibling rare microbiota was more similar to healthy controls (SBC=0.42). Faecalibacterium prausnitzii contributed most to core metacommunity dissimilarity both between siblings and controls, and between patients and controls. Phenotype/genotype markers of CD risk significantly influenced microbiota variation between and within groups, of which genotype had the largest effect. Conclusions: Individuals with elevated CD-risk display mucosal dysbiosis characterised by reduced diversity of core microbiota and lower abundance of F. prausnitzii. This dysbiosis in healthy people at risk of CD implicates microbiological processes in CD pathogenesis

Norovirus Regulation of the Innate Immune Response and Apoptosis Occurs via the Product of the Alternative Open Reading Frame 4

Small RNA viruses have evolved many mechanisms to increase the capacity of their short genomes. Here we describe the identification and characterization of a novel open reading frame (ORF4) encoded by the murine norovirus (MNV) subgenomic RNA, in an alternative reading frame overlapping the VP1 coding region. ORF4 is translated during virus infection and the resultant protein localizes predominantly to the mitochondria. Using reverse genetics we demonstrated that expression of ORF4 is not required for virus replication in tissue culture but its loss results in a fitness cost since viruses lacking the ability to express ORF4 restore expression upon repeated passage in tissue culture. Functional analysis indicated that the protein produced from ORF4 antagonizes the innate immune response to infection by delaying the upregulation of a number of cellular genes activated by the innate pathway, including IFN-Beta. Apoptosis in the RAW264.7 macrophage cell line was also increased during virus infection in the absence of ORF4 expression. In vivo analysis of the WT and mutant virus lacking the ability to express ORF4 demonstrated an important role for ORF4 expression in infection and virulence. STAT1-/- mice infected with a virus lacking the ability to express ORF4 showed a delay in the onset of clinical signs when compared to mice infected with WT virus. Quantitative PCR and histopathological analysis of samples from these infected mice demonstrated that infection with a virus not expressing ORF4 results in a delayed infection in this system. In light of these findings we propose the name virulence factor 1, VF1 for this protein. The identification of VF1 represents the first characterization of an alternative open reading frame protein for the calicivirus family. The immune regulatory function of the MNV VF1 protein provide important perspectives for future research into norovirus biology and pathogenesis

DataSHIELD: taking the analysis to the data, not the data to the analysis

Research in modern biomedicine and social science requires sample sizes so large that they can often only be achieved through a pooled co-analysis of data from several studies. But the pooling of information from individuals in a central database that may be queried by researchers raises important ethico-legal questions and can be controversial. In the UK this has been highlighted by recent debate and controversy relating to the UK's proposed 'care.data' initiative, and these issues reflect important societal and professional concerns about privacy, confidentiality and intellectual property. DataSHIELD provides a novel technological solution that can circumvent some of the most basic challenges in facilitating the access of researchers and other healthcare professionals to individual-level data. Commands are sent from a central analysis computer (AC) to several data computers (DCs) storing the data to be co-analysed. The data sets are analysed simultaneously but in parallel. The separate parallelized analyses are linked by non-disclosive summary statistics and commands transmitted back and forth between the DCs and the AC. This paper describes the technical implementation of DataSHIELD using a modified R statistical environment linked to an Opal database deployed behind the computer firewall of each DC. Analysis is controlled through a standard R environment at the AC. Based on this Opal/R implementation, DataSHIELD is currently used by the Healthy Obese Project and the Environmental Core Project (BioSHaRE-EU) for the federated analysis of 10 data sets across eight European countries, and this illustrates the opportunities and challenges presented by the DataSHIELD approach. DataSHIELD facilitates important research in settings where: (i) a co-analysis of individual-level data from several studies is scientifically necessary but governance restrictions prohibit the release or sharing of some of the required data, and/or render data access unacceptably slow; (ii) a research group (e.g. in a developing nation) is particularly vulnerable to loss of intellectual property-the researchers want to fully share the information held in their data with national and international collaborators, but do not wish to hand over the physical data themselves; and (iii) a data set is to be included in an individual-level co-analysis but the physical size of the data precludes direct transfer to a new site for analysis