Does Dietary Provision of Guanidinoacetic Acid Induce Global DNA Hypomethylation in Healthy Men and Women?

Background/Aims: Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) is an experimental dietary additive and has been reported to induce methyl depletion when provided by the diet. However, no study evaluated whether supplemental GAA affects DNA methylation, a critical epigenetic process for genome regulation. Methods: In this open-label, repeated-measure interventional trial, we evaluated the impact of 12 weeks of GAA supplementation on global DNA methylation in 14 healthy participants (8 women and 6 men, age 22.2 +/- 2.3 years, body mass index 24.8 +/- 5.7). Results: Dietary provision of GAA had no effect on global DNA methylation, with 5-methylcytosine (m5C) nonsignificantly increased by 13.4% at postadministration when averaged across participants (95% confidence interval -5.5 to 32.3; p = 0.26). Notable DNA hypomethylation (corresponding to a 5% drop in m5C) was found in 3 of 14 participants at follow-up. Conclusion: Global DNA methylation seems to be unaltered by dietary provision of 3 g of GAA per day for 12 weeks in healthy men and women

Long-term outcomes of sports on health status: a mini review

This article represents a review of the existing literature on possible long-term effects of sport participation at high-level on health. Search of databases was performed through Web of Science and Science Direct including following keywords: metabolic risk factor/syndrome, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular health. Former athletes tend to adopt healthier lifestyles, which may give them an advantage in relation to risk factors taking into account metabolic risk factor/syndrome, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular health. Health benefits of physical activities, moreover, depends of engagement at recommended levels, even in subjects who have never been athletes

The effects of a 4-week coffeeberry supplementation on antioxidant status, endurance, and anaerobic performance in college athletes

The main aim of this investigation was to evaluate the changes in total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and aerobic and anaerobic performance induced by supplementation of coffeeberry (CB) formulation for 4 weeks in college athletes. Twenty college athletes (14 males and 6 females) were allocated to two randomly assigned trials. Subjects in the CB group orally ingested capsules that contained CB formulation at a dose of 800 mg per day in two equal doses for 28 days, while subjects in the placebo (P) group ingested an equal number of identical-looking caps that contained cellulose. There were no changes in glucose, cholesterol, and lipoproteins within or between trials (p > 0.05). Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was significantly higher in the CB versus P trial at the post- supplementation trial (1.66 ± 0.16 vs. 1.51 ± 0.05 mmol/L; p lt 0.05). There were no statistically significant changes in average anaerobic power, index of anaerobic fatigue, maximal heart rate, blood lactate, and maximal oxygen uptake within or between trials (p > 0.05). Heart rate recovery (HRR) index increased significantly in CB group as compared with baseline level (38 ± 4 vs. 32 ± 5 beats/min; p lt 0.05). Blood lactate after 10 min of recovery (Lactrec) significantly decreased in the CB group after supplementation protocol as compared with initial results (7.6 ± 4.2 vs. 5.5 ± 2.6 mmol/L; p lt 0.05). No subject reported any side effects from CB or P. The results of the present study indicate that supplementation with a CB formulation slightly increased antioxidant capacity, but there were minimal effects on recovery parameters after exercise in college athletes

Benefits of Strength Training for Elderly Women // Dobrobiti treninga snage za žene treće životne dobi

The aging process is associated with loss of skeletal muscle mass and increase in intramuscular fat, the latter also defined as muscle attenuation. Muscle weakness, termed sarcopenia and dynapenia, is a normal age-related phenomenon, occurring at a rate of 1% to 5% annually from the age of 30. This rate means that given typical patterns of physical activity, a 70-year-old woman could have 50% to 70% less strength than she had at age 30.  Contrary to long held beliefs, the muscles of elderly women (i.e. aged 65 years and older) continue to be adaptable, even into the extremes of old age, particularly if their muscles are significantly overloaded during training. Therefore, effective strengthening practices must be employed to maintain the highest level of function and achieve optimal aging in elderly women. Done regularly (2-3 times a week), strength training preserve bone density, independence and vitality with age. In addition, strength training also has the ability to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and the signs and symptoms of numerous chronic diseases such as heart disease, arthritis and type 2 diabetes, while also improving sleep and reducing depression. Finally, though muscle strength has been recognized as an important predictor for reduced functional performance, emerging evidence suggests that muscle power (the product of force time velocity or the rate of performing work) is highly effective to elicit substantial improvements in maximal mechanical muscle function (rapid force generation, muscle power and muscle strength) and in functional performance in old and very old women

Guidelines-Driven Educational Intervention Promotes Healthy Lifestyle Among Adolescents and Adults: A Serbian National Longitudinal Study

Background and objectives: The effectiveness of short-term focused educational programs to change health behaviors across large populations seems to be poorly described so far. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate an age-specific 45-min educational program, designed in accordance with the current U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines and physical activity (PA) guidelines, among adolescents and adults. Materials and Methods: We evaluated the health-promoting lifestyle habits by the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP-II) at baseline and following 6⁻8 weeks post-education in a nationally representative sample of Serbian adolescents and adults (n = 3822). Results: The percentage of adolescents eating 3⁻5 servings of vegetables per day increased at follow-up (20.1% versus 23.1%, p = 0.001), with significantly more adolescents regularly reading food labels (from 12.2% at baseline to 14.2% at follow-up; p = 0.02). Taken together, mean HPLP-II scores in adolescents significantly improved for both diet (0.05 points; p < 0.0001) and PA (0.09 points; p < 0.0001), and for PA in adults (0.08 points; p < 0.0001). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that our model as a whole (including time of testing as a predictor variable, and age and gender as control variables) explained 3.0% of the variance in mean HPLP-II scores for diet (p = 0.942) and 3.0% for PA (p = 0.285) in adolescents, and 1.1% of the variance in HPLP-II scores for diet (p = 0.781) and 1.9% for PA (p = 0.075) in adults, respectively. Conclusions: It appears that a brief focused education can positively tackle unhealthy lifestyles in promoting good health in general population. Different modes of interactive communication used here appeared to strengthen participants’ capacities for lifestyle changes

Utjecaj broja dodira s loptom na fizičke i fiziološke zahtjeve velikih pomoćnih nogometnih igara

The main aim of the study was to evaluate the relation between the number of ball touches for individual possession and physical/physiological demands during the large-sided soccer games (LSGs) of 7 vs. 7 players plus goalkeepers. During the exercise, the number of assigned touches for individual possession (1-touch, 2-touch and free-touch) was altered. Fourteen amateur soccer players (age: 24.4±4.7 years; height: 180±5.6 cm; weight: 77.9±5.6 kg) were monitored during exercise with 10 Hz GPS devices and heart rate (HR) monitors. The following variables were recorded: HR responses, total distance covered, distance covered in different speed ranges (0–6.9, 7.0–12.9, 13.0–17.9, 18.0–20.9 and >21 km·h–1), player load and number of accelerations. The number of ball touches altered physical and physiological demands during exercise. Higher HR responses and greater distances covered were recorded during the free-touch assignment (p<.05). No significant differences were found in 1-touch and 2-touch protocols. These results may help coaches to modify different variables in LSGs concerning physical and physiological demands of soccer.Glavni je cilj ovog istraživanja bio vrednovati odnos između broja dodira s loptom tijekom pojedinog posjeda i fizičkih/fizioloških zahtjeva za vrijeme igranja velikih pomoćnih igara u kojima igra po sedam igrača i vratar u svakoj ekipi. Tijekom igre su istraživači mijenjali broj zadanih dodira s loptom tijekom svakog pojedinačnog posjeda (jedan dodir, dva dodira, slobodan broj dodira). U istraživanje je bilo uključeno četrnaest nogometaša amatera (dob: 24,4 ± 4,7 godina; visina: 180 ± 5,6 cm; težina: 77,9 ± 5,6 kg) koji su tijekom igre bili praćeni pomoću GPS uređaja (10 Hz) i monitora srčane frekvencije. Zabilježene su sljedeće varijable: frekvencija srca, ukupna pretrčana udaljenost, udaljenost pretrčana različitim brzinama (0–6.9, 7.0–12.9, 13.0–17.9, 18.0–20.9 i >21 km·h–1), opterećenje igrača te broj ubrzanja. Istraživanje je pokazalo da broj dodira s loptom predstavlja različite fizičke i fiziološke zahtjeve igre. Veća frekvencija srca i veća pretrčana udaljenost bile su zabilježene tijekom igre sa slobodnim brojem dodira (p<0,05). Nisu zabilježene značajne razlike između protokola u kojima su igračima bili dopušteni jedan ili dva dodira s loptom. Rezultati ovog istraživanja mogli bi pomoći trenerima u modifikaciji pomoćnih nogometnih igara u kontekstu izazivanja odgovarajućeg fizičkog i fiziološkog odgovora