Developmental Changes in Hemodynamic Responses and Cardiovagal Modulation during Isometric Handgrip Exercise

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in pressor response and cardiovagal modulation during isometric handgrip exercise (IHG) between children and adults. Beat-to-beat heart rate (HR) and blood pressure were measured in 23 prepubertal children and 23 adults at baseline and during IHG. Cardiovagal modulation was quantified by analysis of HR variability. Mean arterial pressure responses to IHG were greater in adults compared to children (P < .05) whereas there were no group differences in HR responses (P > .05). Children had a greater reduction in cardiovagal modulation in response to IHG compared to adults (P < .05). Changes in mean arterial pressure during IHG were correlated with baseline cardiovagal modulation and force produced during isometric contraction (P < .05). In conclusion, differences in pressor reflex response between children and adults cannot be solely explained by differences in autonomic modulation and appear to be associated with factors contributing to the force produced during isometric contraction

Liquid meal composition, postprandial satiety hormones, and perceived appetite and satiety in obese women during acute caloric restriction

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare postprandial satiety regulating hormone responses (pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY)) and visual analog scale- (VAS) assessed perceived appetite and satiety between liquid high-protein (HP) and high-carbohydrate (HC) meals in obese women during acute (24-h) caloric restriction. DESIGN: Eleven obese premenopausal women completed two conditions in random order in which they consumed 1500 calories as six 250-calorie HP meals or six 250-calorie HC meals over a 12-h period. Blood samples were taken at baseline and every 20 min thereafter and analyzed for PP and PYY concentrations. At these same points, perceived hunger and fullness were assessed with a VAS. The incremental area under the curve (iAUC) was used to compare postprandial responses. RESULTS: THE 12-H PP AND PYY IAUC WERE GREATER (P0.05) DURING THE HP CONDITION (PP: 4727±1306 pg/ml×12 h, PYY: 1373±357 pg/ml×12 h) compared with the HC condition (PP: 2300±528 pg/ml×12 h, PYY: 754±246 pg/ml×12 h). Perceived hunger and fullness were not different between conditions (P>0.05). The greatest changes in PYY and perceived fullness occurred after the morning meals during both conditions. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that in obese women during acute caloric restriction before weight loss, i) liquid HP meals, compared with HC meals, result in greater postprandial PP and PYY concentrations, an effect not associated with differential appetite or satiety responses, and ii) meal-induced changes in PYY and satiety are greatest during the morning period, regardless of dietary macronutrient composition

Long-term aerobic exercise and omega-3 supplementation modulate osteoporosis through inflammatory mechanisms in post-menopausal women: a randomized, repeated measures study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Evidence indicates that dietary fats and physical activity influence bone health. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of long-term aerobic exercise and omega-3 (N-3) supplementation on serum inflammatory markers, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone biomarkers in post-menopausal women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Seventy-nine healthy sedentary post-menopausal women aged 58-78 years participated in this study. Subjects were randomized to one of 4 groups: exercise + supplement (E+S, n = 21), exercise (E, n = 20), supplement (S, n = 20), and control (Con, n = 18) groups. The subjects in the E+S and E groups performed aerobic exercise training (walking and jogging) up to 65% of HR_max, three times a week for 24 weeks. Subjects in the E+S and S groups consumed 1000 mg/d N-3 for 24 weeks. The lumbar spine (L₂-L₄) and femoral neck BMD, serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, interleukin (IL) 6, prostaglandin (PG) E₂, estrogen, osteocalcin, 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D₃(1, 25 Vit D), C-telopeptide (CTX), parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitonin (CT) were measured at baseline, the end of week 12 and 24.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Serum estrogen, osteocalcin, 1, 25 Vit D, CT, L₂-L₄and femoral neck BMD measures increased (<it>P </it>< 0.05) and the serum CTX, PTH, TNF-α, IL-6, and PGE₂decreased (<it>P </it>< 0.05) in E + S group after the 24 wk intervention but not in the E or S intervention groups. L₂-L₄and femoral neck BMD, estrogen, osteocalcin, and CT were negatively (<it>P </it>< 0.05) correlated with TNF-α and PGE₂. PTH and CT were correlated positively and negatively with IL-6, respectively (<it>P </it>< 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study demonstrates that long-term aerobic exercise training plus N-3 supplementation have a synergistic effect in attenuating inflammation and augmenting BMD in post-menopausal osteoporosis.</p

Do Overweight and Obese Individuals Select a “Moderate Intensity” Workload When Asked to Do So?

The purpose of this study was (1) to determine if overweight/obese individuals (age 26–50 y) would self-select moderate exercise intensity when asked to do so and (2) to determine how this self-selected workload compared to exercising at a workload (60% peak aerobic capacity) that is known to provide cardioprotective health benefits. Oxygen consumption (VO2) and energy expenditure were measured in 33 men/women (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2) who completed two 30 min walking bouts: (1) self-selected walking pace on an indoor track and (2) prescribed exercise pace (60% VO2 peak) on a treadmill. The data revealed that (1) the prescribed intensity was 6% higher than the self-selected pace and elicited a higher energy expenditure (P < 0.05) than the self-selected pace (+83 kJ); (2) overweight subjects walked at a slightly lower percentage of VO2 peak than the obese subjects (P < 0.05); (3) men walked at a lower percentage of VO2 peak than the women (P < 0.05). In conclusion when asked to walk at a moderate intensity, overweight/obese individuals tended to select a lower workload in the “moderate intensity” range which could be maintained for 30 min; however, a higher intensity which would be more cardioprotective could not be maintained for 30 min by most individuals

Alteration of postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations with meal frequency and composition

A frequent eating pattern may alter glycaemic control and augment postprandial insulin concentrations in some individuals due to the truncation of the previous postprandial period by a subsequent meal. The present study examined glucose, insulin, C-peptide and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) responses in obese individuals when meals were ingested in a high-frequency pattern (every 2 h, 6M) or in a low-frequency pattern (every 4 h, 3M) over 12 h. It also examined these postprandial responses to high-frequency, high-protein meals (6MHP). In total, thirteen obese subjects completed three 12 h study days during which they consumed 6276 kJ (1500 kcal): (1) 3M – 15 % protein and 65 % carbohydrate; (2) 6M – 15 % protein and 65 % carbohydrate; (3) 6MHP – 45 % protein and 35 % carbohydrate. Blood samples were collected every 10 min and analysed for glucose, insulin, C-peptide and GIP. Insulin total AUC (tAUC) and peak insulin concentrations (P< 0·05) were higher in the 3M condition than in the 6M condition, but there were no differences in glucose tAUC between the conditions. The 6MHP regimen (glucose: 3569 (se 83) mmol/l × min (64·3 (se 1·5) g/dl × min), insulin: 1·577 (se 0·146) pmol/l (22·7 (se 2·1) μIU/dl) for 12 h) lowered glucose and insulin excursions more so over 12 h than either the 3M regimen (glucose: 3913 (se 78) mmol/l × min (70·5 (se 1·4) g/dl × min), insulin: 2·195 (se 0·146) pmol/l × min (31·6 (se 2·1) μIU/dl × min) for 12 h) or the 6M regimen (glucose: 3902 (se 83) mmol/l × min (70·3 (se 1·5) g/dl × min), insulin: 1·861 (se 0·174) pmol/l × min (26·8 (se 2·5) μIU/dl × min) for 12 h; P< 0·01). Insulin secretion, GIP concentrations and the glucose:insulin ratio were not altered by meal frequency or composition. In obese subjects, ingestion of meals in a low-frequency pattern does not alter glucose tAUC, but increases postprandial insulin responses. The substitution of carbohydrates with protein in a frequent meal pattern results in tighter glycaemic control and reduced postprandial insulin responses

Matcha Green Tea Drinks Enhance Fat Oxidation During Brisk Walking in Females

Intake of the catechin epigallocatechin gallate and caffeine has been shown to enhance exercise-induced fat oxidation. Matcha green tea powder contains catechins and caffeine and is consumed as a drink. We examined the effect of Matcha green tea drinks on metabolic, physiological and perceived intensity responses during brisk walking. Thirteen females (age: 27±8 yr, body mass: 65±7 kg, height: 166±6 cm) volunteered. Resting metabolic equivalent (1-MET) was measured using Douglas bags (1-MET: 3.4±0.3 ml·kg-1·min-1). Participants completed an incremental walking protocol to establish the relationship between walking speed and oxygen uptake and individualize the walking speed at 5- or 6-MET. A randomized cross-over design was used with participants tested between day 9 and 11 of the menstrual cycle (follicular phase). Participants consumed 3 drinks (each drink made with 1 gram of Matcha premium grade, OMGTea Ltd UK) the day before, and 1 drink 2 hours before the 30-min walk at 5- (n=10) or 6-METs (walking speed: 5.8±0.4 km·h-1) with responses measured at 8-10, 18-20 and 28-30 min. Matcha had no effect on physiological and perceived intensity responses. Matcha resulted in lower respiratory exchange ratio (control: 0.84±0.04; Matcha: 0.82±0.04) (P < 0.01) and enhanced fat oxidation during a 30-min brisk walk (control: 0.31±0.10; Matcha: 0.35±0.11 g·min-1) (P < 0.01). Matcha green tea drinking can enhance exercise-induced fat oxidation in females. However, when regular brisk walking with 30-min bouts is being undertaken as part of a weight loss program, the metabolic effects of Matcha should not be overstated

Is Cortisol Excretion Independent of Menstrual Cycle Day? A Longitudinal Evaluation of First Morning Urinary Specimens

Background Cortisol is frequently used as a marker of physiologic stress levels. Using cortisol for that purpose, however, requires a thorough understanding of its normal longitudinal variability. The current understanding of longitudinal variability of basal cortisol secretion in women is very limited. It is often assumed, for example, that basal cortisol profiles do not vary across the menstrual cycle. This is a critical assumption: if cortisol were to follow a time dependent pattern during the menstrual cycle, then ignoring this cyclic variation could lead to erroneous imputation of physiologic stress. Yet, the assumption that basal cortisol levels are stable across the menstrual cycle rests on partial and contradictory evidence. Here we conduct a thorough test of that assumption using data collected for up to a year from 25 women living in rural Guatemala. Methodology We apply a linear mixed model to describe longitudinal first morning urinary cortisol profiles, accounting for differences in both mean and standard deviation of cortisol among women. To that aim we evaluate the fit of two alternative models. The first model assumes that cortisol does not vary with menstrual cycle day. The second assumes that cortisol mean varies across the menstrual cycle. Menstrual cycles are aligned on ovulation day (day 0). Follicular days are assigned negative numbers and luteal days positive numbers. When we compared Models 1 and 2 restricting our analysis to days between −14 (follicular) and day 14 (luteal) then day of the menstrual cycle did not emerge as a predictor of urinary cortisol levels (p-value &gt;0.05). Yet, when we extended our analyses beyond that central 28-day-period then day of the menstrual cycle become a statistically significant predictor of cortisol levels. Significance The observed trend suggests that studies including cycling women should account for day dependent variation in cortisol in cycles with long follicular and luteal phases

Investigation of Cortisol Dynamics in Human Sweat Using a Graphene-Based Wireless mHealth System

Prompt and accurate detection of stress is essential to the monitoring and management of mental health and human performance. Considering that current methods such as questionnaires are very subjective, we propose a highly sensitive, selective, miniaturized mHealth device based on laser-enabled flexible graphene sensor to non-invasively monitor the level of stress hormones (e.g., cortisol). We report a strong correlation between sweat and circulating cortisol and demonstrate the prompt determination of sweat cortisol variation in response to acute stress stimuli. Moreover, we demonstrate, for the first time, the diurnal cycle and stress-response profile of sweat cortisol, revealing the potential of dynamic stress monitoring enabled by this mHealth sensing system. We believe that this platform could contribute to fast, reliable, and decentralized healthcare vigilance at the metabolic level, thus providing an accurate snapshot of our physical, mental, and behavioral changes

Stress and female reproductive function: A study of daily variations in cortisol, gonadotrophins, and gonadal steroids in a rural Mayan population

We report here on a longitudinal study of stress and women's reproduction in a small Kaqchikel Mayan community in rural Guatemala. Current understanding of the effects of stress on the reproductive axis in women is mostly derived from clinical studies of individual stressors. Little is known, however, about the cumulative effects of “real life” stress. Cortisol increases in response to a broad variety of individual stressors (Tilbrook et al., 2002). In this article, we evaluate the association between daily fluctuations in women's urinary cortisol and reproductive hormones: estrone conjugates (E 1 C), pregnandiol glucuronide (PdG), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). To assess the association between daily changes in cortisol levels and changes in the profiles of the reproductive hormones, we used a random coefficients model based on polynomial regression. The sample includes 92 menstrual cycles provided by 24 participants over a year-long prospective study. Increases in urinary cortisol levels were associated with significant increases in gonadotrophin and progestin levels during the follicular phase. Also, in a time window between days 4 and 10 after ovulation, increased cortisol levels were associated with significantly lower progestin levels. These results are significant because untimely increases in gonadotrophins and low midluteal progesterone levels have previously been reported to impinge on the ovulatory and luteinization processes and to reduce the chances of successful implantation (Ferin, 1999; Baird et al., 1999). Future research should consider the possibility that stress may affect fecundability and implantation without necessarily causing amenorrhoea or oligomenorrhoea. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 16:523–532, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/35107/1/20057_ftp.pd