Effect of bilberry juice on indices of muscle damage and inflammation in runners completing a half-marathon: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Emerging evidence indicates that fruits rich in polyphenols may attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage and associated markers of inflammation and soreness. This study was conducted to determine whether bilberry juice (BJ), which is particularly rich in polyphenols, reduces markers of muscle damage in runners completing a half marathon. Methods: A total of 21 recreationally trained runners (age 30.9 ± 10.4 y; mass 71.6 ± 11.0 kg; M=16; F=5) were recruited to a single blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel study. Participants were block randomised to consume 2 x 200 ml of BJ or energy-matched control drink (PLA) for 5 d before the Sheffield Half Marathon, on race day, and for 2 days post-race. Measurements of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), muscle damage (creatine kinase; CK) and inflammation (c-reactive protein ; CRP) were taken at baseline, pre-race, post-race, 24 h post-race and 48 h post-race. The effect of treatment on outcome measures was analysed using magnitude-based inferences based on data from 19 participants; 2 participants were excluded from the analyses because they did not provide samples for all time points. Results: The half marathon caused elevations in DOMS, CRP and CK. BJ had a possibly harmful effect on DOMS from pre-race to immediately post-race (11.6%, 90% CI ± 14.7%), a likely harmful effect on CRP from pre-race to 24 h post-race (mean difference ES 0.56, 90% CI ± 0.72) and a possibly harmful effect on CRP from pre-race to 48 h post-race (ES 0.12, 90% CI ± 0.69). At other time points, the differences between the BJ and PLA groups in DOMS and CRP were unclear, possibly trivial or likely trivial. Differences in the changes in CK between BJ and PLA were unclear at every time point other than from baseline to pre-race, where BJ had a possibly harmful effect on reducing muscle damage (ES 0.23, 90% CI ± 0.57). Conclusion: Despite being a rich source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, BJ evoked small to moderate increases in exercise-induced DOMS and CRP. Further larger studies are required to confirm these unexpected preliminary results

Elevated protein concentrations in newborn blood and the risks of autism spectrum disorder, and of social impairment, at age 10 years among infants born before the 28th week of gestation

Among the 1 of 10 children who are born preterm annually in the United States, 6% are born before the third trimester. Among children who survive birth before the 28th week of gestation, the risks of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and non-autistic social impairment are severalfold higher than in the general population. We examined the relationship between top quartile inflammation-related protein concentrations among children born extremely preterm and ASD or, separately, a high score on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS total score ≥65) among those who did not meet ASD criteria, using information only from the subset of children whose DAS-II verbal or non-verbal IQ was ≥70, who were assessed for ASD, and who had proteins measured in blood collected on ≥2 days (N = 763). ASD (N = 36) assessed at age 10 years is associated with recurrent top quartile concentrations of inflammation-related proteins during the first post-natal month (e.g., SAA odds ratio (OR); 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.5; 1.2–5.3) and IL-6 (OR; 95% CI: 2.6; 1.03–6.4)). Top quartile concentrations of neurotrophic proteins appear to moderate the increased risk of ASD associated with repeated top quartile concentrations of inflammation-related proteins. High (top quartile) concentrations of SAA are associated with elevated risk of ASD (2.8; 1.2–6.7) when Ang-1 concentrations are below the top quartile, but not when Ang-1 concentrations are high (1.3; 0.3–5.8). Similarly, high concentrations of TNF-α are associated with heightened risk of SRS-defined social impairment (N = 130) (2.0; 1.1–3.8) when ANG-1 concentrations are not high, but not when ANG-1 concentrations are elevated (0.5; 0.1–4.2)

Effects of 4-Week Lifestyle Intervention on Fitness Levels of Adults

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been identified as a leading cause of death in the United States, with more than two million Americans having a heart attack or a stroke and close to a million deaths each year. Research shows that one of the independent risk factors for CVD is increased sedentary time. Sedentary behaviors predominate modern life, and there are numerous negative health effects associated with inactivity. Physical fitness is inversely related to mortality, and it is believed that by simply decreasing sedentary time and increasing exercise time, cardiovascular risk factors and vascular health measures will improve. Previous studies have found that four weeks of exercise reduces blood pressures, leads to fat weight loss, and improves fitness

Effects of a 4 Week Exercise Intervention on Brachial and Core Blood Pressures

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in the world. Research has consistently shown that high blood pressure is a major cardiovascular risk factor, which emphasizes the need to monitor it in all individuals. Blood pressure measurements are typically obtained using the brachial artery, but core blood pressure obtained using pulse wave analysis (PWA) has been gaining popularity. This is due to the fact that previous research supports that core blood pressure may be a better predictor of cardiovascular events

Effects Of A Short-term Functional Exercise Program On Cardiac And Vascular Health

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Research consistently shows that those at the highest risk for cardiovascular disease are those who are overweight and have low fitness and activity levels. Also, physical activity levels are inversely related to glucose and cholesterol, body fat, and vascular health measures; all of which are easily measured markers of cardiovascular disease. Previous studies have found that short-term exercise improves blood pressure, vascular health, and glucose and cholesterol levels. Also, fun and simple exercises have been shown to lead to habit formation in previously sedentary individuals. However, to date, no study has examined cardiac and vascular health changes with a 4-week functional exercise program

Vascular Health and Fitness Levels in Metabolically Healthy and Unhealthy Obese Young Adults

It is established that obesity is related to increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), impaired vascular health, and other chronic diseases. Within the obese population, those that are metabolically healthy (MHO), however, are hypothesized to have lower CVD risk as compared to their metabolically unhealthy counterparts (MUHO), because of their lower levels of inflammation. However, research is limited examining whether vascular health differs between young adults classified as MHO and MUHO. PURPOSE: We compared vascular health and fitness levels between young adult males with either MHO or MUHO. METHODS: On separate days, 29 (16 MHO 28.4yrs old, 13 MUHO 25.8yrs old) male adults recruited from the Philadelphia suburban area came to the lab for testing. After an overnight fast, participants underwent carotid artery intima media thickness (IMT) ultrasound, brachial artery flow mediated dilation (FMD), fasted glucose/cholesterol testing, body composition (bioelectrical impedance), and blood pressure (BP) measurement. During another visit, participants completed VO2peak treadmill testing and had more BP measurements. In accordance with previous literature metabolic risk factors were defined as: BP ≥130/85 mmHg or on antihypertensives; fasting glucose ≥100 mg/dL or on antidiabetic medications; BMI ≥30kg/m2 or BF ≥25%; triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL; and HDL ≤40 mg/dL. Participants with less than two risk factors were considered MHO and those with two or more risk factors were considered MUHO. RESULTS: We found that weight was greater (241.91±43.8 vs 210.43±33.8 lb, p\u3c0.05) and fat mass was higher (85.28±31.0 vs 64.68±20.9 lb, p\u3c0.05) in young adult males classified as MUHO compared to MHO. Also, fasted plasma glucose levels were higher (96.69±8.0 vs 87.25±6.4mg/dL, p\u3c0.05) and triglyceride levels were higher (148.42±83.1 vs 93.80±27.9 mg/dL, p\u3c0.05) in MUHO compared to MHO. No differences were found between groups for vascular health measures. CONCLUSIONS: Although young adults with MUHO have impaired cardiovascular health compared to MHO, the population studied was too young to discern vascular health differences. Further studies should investigate inflammatory markers, like CRP, between adults with MUHO and MHO, as inflammation may be more indicative of CVD risk in younger obese people than FMD or IMT

Comparison of 4 Weeks of Circuit Training Versus Resistance Training in Middle-Aged Adults

Despite significant progress, cardiovascular (CV) disease remains the leading killer in the US, with lack of physical activity being a primary risk factor. Research suggests that 4 weeks of exercise training reduces blood pressure (BP) and fat mass, as well as improves fitness; yet it is unclear whether circuit training (CT) or resistance training (RT) yields better short-term improvements