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If you want to burn fat this winter, take your exercise outdoors, researchers say. A Canadian study suggests that vigorous exercise in cold weather may burn more fat than working out indoors. Regular physical activity speeds metabolism and helps regulate fat in the blood (“lipids”), and high-intensity training is better for burning fat than moderate-intensity exercise, the researchers said. Temperature also plays a role in metabolism during exercise. In the study, a group of moderately fit, overweight adults participated in two high-intensity exercise sessions. In both, they completed 10 one-minute cycling sprints at 90% effort. A 90-second recovery period of cycling at 30% effort followed each sprint. In one session, the temperature was about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (“thermoneutral”). In the other session, it was 32 degrees Fahrenheit. During both sessions, the researchers measured participants’ skin temperature, core body temperature, heart rate and the amount of oxygen delivered to the large thigh muscle. “The present study found that high-intensity exercise in the cold increased lipid oxidation by 358% during the exercise bout in comparison to high-intensity exercise in a thermoneutral environment,” according to the report published online recently in the Journal of Applied Physiology. Longer-term metabolic responses after eating a high-fat meal did not change substantially after the cold condition, the researchers noted in a news release from the American Physiological Society. The lead researcher was… read on > read on >

People who consume high levels of dietary vitamin C and E may lower their risk for Parkinson’s disease by almost a third, a new study suggests. Foods high in vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Foods high in vitamin E include spinach, collard greens, pumpkin and nuts such as almonds and peanuts. How might the two nutrients ward off Parkinson’s? According to the European researchers involved in the new study, vitamins C and E are also antioxidants that could ward off the cell damage Parkinson’s causes. Specifically, antioxidants might help counteract “unstable” molecules and the oxidative stress that can lead to a loss of a brain chemical called dopamine, which is a hallmark of the condition. “The protective effect of vitamins on Parkinson’s disease risk might be limited to specific vitamins, such as vitamins E and C. Therefore, eating foods that are rich in vitamins E and C might help to prevent the development of Parkinson’s disease,” said researcher Essi Hantikainen, from the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy. “Also, high concentrations of vitamin C are found in the central nervous system, where it has neuroprotective properties,” she explained. Hantikainen noted that this study can’t prove that vitamins E and C prevent Parkinson’s, only that high levels of these vitamins are associated with a lower risk of developing the disease. “Further research is… read on > read on >

After a short-lived tax on sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages was repealed, consumption of sugary drinks in an Illinois County escalated again, according to a new study. The tax was pitched to reduce Cook County budget deficits. It lasted four months — from Aug. 2 to Dec. 1, 2017, the researchers said. “We know that the tax worked to bring down demand for sweetened beverages significantly while it was in place,” said lead author Lisa Powell, director of health policy and administration at the University of Illinois Chicago, School of Public Health. “The repeal of the Cook County Sweetened Beverage Tax was a missed public health opportunity,” Powell said. “If it had stayed in place, we could have seen a lasting reduction in consumption of sweetened beverages, which are linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which, in turn, have recently been found to be associated with increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.” For the study, the researchers compared the price and volume of sweetened beverages sold in the county while the tax was in place, for the two years prior to the tax and for the eight months after the tax was repealed, with sales in St. Louis, Mo., which did not have a similar tax. The price of the beverages increased by 1.13 cents per fluid ounce in the county… read on > read on >

Is your kid suddenly clamoring for a fast food meal or a sugary cereal you’ve never even heard of? He or she may have seen the product featured on a favorite “kid influencer” video. In a new study, researchers viewed the top 50 kid influencer videos on YouTube and found that 9 out of 10 featured unhealthy foods. Nearly 1 in 3 promoted a fast-food chain. But, what in the world is a kid influencer? If you have children, odds are you know at least one — or your kids do. Kid influencers are young online celebrities with large social media fan bases. They can earn big profits from ads and endorsements in their videos. The five most-watched influencers in this study have generated more than 48 billion views and 38.6 million subscribers through more than 10,000 YouTube videos posted through July 2019. Their average age? Just 7 years old. The most watched of these influencers is 9-year-old Ryan Kaji, whose video channel, “Ryan’s World,” has nearly 27 million subscribers. Published reports pegged his 2019 income at $26 million. His family started making videos of his reactions to unboxing new toys when he was just 3. “I think parents probably underestimate the effect of these videos for a few reasons: One is that kid influencers seem like everyday kids. They’re familiar and fun, but they… read on >

If you’re a senior who can’t smell onions, smoke, chocolate or natural gas, it’s time to see your doctor. Seniors who lose their sense of smell — which doctors call olfactory dysfunction — have higher odds of dying from all causes within five years, new research shows. Scientists had previously found a link between olfactory dysfunction and impaired thinking and memory. “We suspected there would be an association with olfactory dysfunction and mortality as well, considering that this is an early marker for a lot of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s and dementia,” said study author Dr. Janet Choi, a resident in otolaryngology at the University of Southern California. Her team reviewed nationwide survey and death data from about 3,500 people age 40 and over. The surveys included self-reported loss of smell as well an objective smell test. Over the five-year study, researchers found no increased risk of death based on self-reported loss of smell. But the risk of death rose 18% for every 1-point decrease in scores on a “pocket smell test.” On the test, participants were asked to identify eight scents: onion, soap, leather, smoke, grape, strawberry, chocolate and natural gas. They needed to identify at least six to be considered having a normal sense of smell. The mortality link was significant for adults 65 and older, but not among those between 40 and… read on >

Replacing sugary drinks with diet versions may not be any healthier for the heart, a large, new study suggests. French researchers found that people who regularly drank artificially sweetened beverages had a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, versus people who avoided those beverages. In fact, they were no less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people who regularly downed sugary drinks. The findings do not pin the blame on artificial sweeteners, per se, one expert said. People who use them may have an overall diet, or other lifestyle habits, that raise their risk of heart trouble. “This doesn’t indicate that artificially sweetened beverages caused the increased risk of cardiac events,” said Colleen Rauchut Tewksbury, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Cutting down on added sugar is definitely a good thing, said Tewksbury, who was not involved in the study. And if diet drinks help people do that, she added, then they can be a positive replacement. But, Tewksbury stressed, that’s “just one component” of a whole diet: If people switch to zero-calorie sodas, then eat extra fries or indulge in dessert, the effort is lost. The findings, published online Oct. 26 as a research letter in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, are based on over 100,000 French adults taking part in an ongoing nutrition… read on >

A recently approved rheumatoid arthritis medication appears to be an effective second-line therapy when biologic treatments start to fail, a new clinical trial reports. Arthritis sufferers treated with upadacitinib had a significantly greater reduction in their symptoms and disease activity than people treated with a standard disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), said co-researcher Dr. Aileen Pangan. She is executive medical director of immunology clinical development for the pharmaceutical company AbbVie in North Chicago, Ill. The drug, marketed under the brand name Rinvoq, also helped twice as many patients enter remission from their rheumatoid arthritis, according to a report in the Oct. 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. “Upadacitinib has shown superiority to one of the current standard-of-care treatment options in the clinic for these difficult-to-treat patients,” Pangan said. “It is important for physicians to have multiple treatment options available, including medications with different mechanisms of action, to help provide patients with the treatment that is right for them.” Rinvoq received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in August 2019 for treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. This 24-week clinical trial aimed to assess Rinvoq’s effectiveness in helping rheumatoid arthritis patients for whom DMARD treatment had failed. More than 600 patients were recruited for the trial. All were suffering swollen or tender joints even though they were being treated with at least one… read on >

Limiting TV ads for sugary, salty and high-fat foods and drinks might help reduce childhood obesity, British researchers suggest. They looked at advertising of these products between 5:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. If all such ads were withdrawn during those hours, the number of obese kids in the U.K. between the ages of 5 and 17 would drop by 5% and the number of overweight kids would fall 4%, the study found. That’s equivalent to 40,000 fewer kids in the U.K. who would be obese and 120,000 fewer who would be overweight, the researchers said. The findings were published online Oct. 13 in the journal PLOS Medicine. Oliver Mytton, an academic clinical lecturer at the Center for Diet and Activity Research at the University of Cambridge, led the study. “Measures which have the potential to reduce exposure to less-healthy food advertising on television could make a meaningful contribution to reducing childhood obesity,” the authors said in a journal news release. But they also pointed out that they could not fully account for all factors that would affect the impact of the policy, if implemented. They added: “Children now consume media from a range of sources, and increasingly from online and on-demand services, so in order to give all children the opportunity to grow up healthy it is important to ensure that this advertising doesn’t just… read on >

To mark World Hypertension Day this Saturday, the American Heart Association offers advice on how to lower and control your blood pressure. High blood pressure affects nearly half of American adults, and three-quarters of those with high blood pressure don’t have it under control, the heart association says. High blood pressure is the leading cause of heart attack and stroke, and the most significant controllable risk factor for these conditions. It also contributes to poor outcomes in COVID-19 patients. “Now, more than ever, it is important for you to pay attention to your blood pressure, know your numbers, work with your health care provider to control your levels and manage your risks. Lowering your blood pressure is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke,” Dr. Mitchell Elkind, president of the American Heart Association (AHA), said in an AHA news release. Small changes can make a big difference in managing your blood pressure. Here are some tips: Check your blood pressure often. 120/80 or below is considered normal. If your blood pressure is 130/80 or above, that is high blood pressure and it means you have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Take blood pressure pills as prescribed. Prescription medication can be one of the most effective ways to manage your… read on >