Does Caffeine Enhance Exercise Performance? The Debate Continues

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Sports Medicine / Fitness
Article Date: 15 Dec 2011 - 2:00 PST

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Caffeine is regarded by some as being a potent stimulant, but the debate continues as to whether it enhances exercise performance. A range of expert opinions capture the scope of this ongoing debate in an informative roundtable discussion published in Journal of Caffeine Research, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Led by Journal of Caffeine Research Editor-in-Chief Jack E. James, PhD, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland, the roundtable "Caffeine and Physical Performance" presents a range of views on the extent to which caffeine may enhance athletic performance. While the participants appear to agree that caffeine is likely to have performance-enhancing effects and seems to have the broadest effects of known stimulants for enhancing performance and endurance, they emphasize that the study data have been mixed. Many factors can affect caffeine's impact on performance, including the type of exercise or sport and whether it is aerobic or anaerobic, caffeine dosing, the use of other stimulants (poly-supplementation), and the length of rest intervals. Additional studies are needed to understand what factors can boost or inhibit the effects of caffeine and why some people may achieve enhanced performance with caffeine while others will not.

A research article in that same issue by Richard Bloomer, PhD and colleagues, Cardiorespiratory/Metabolic Laboratory, University of Memphis, looks specifically at the effects of caffeine and 1,3-dimethylamylamine (1,3-D, a natural stimulant derived from geranium flowers) on exercise performance. The researchers compared the effects of these stimulants, taken alone or in combination, on run times by participants in a 10-kilometer run.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Source: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc
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Caffeine Study Shows Sport Performance Increase

Main Category: Sports Medicine / Fitness
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 15 Dec 2011 - 2:00 PST

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Caffeine combined with carbohydrate could be used to help athletes perform better on the field, according to new research by a sport nutrition expert.

Mayur Ranchordas, a senior lecturer and performance nutritionist at Sheffield Hallam University, carried out studies on footballers using caffeine and carbohydrates combined in a drink. Along with improvements in endurance caused by ingesting carbohydrate, the athletes' skill level improved after taking caffeine and carbohydrate together.

Mayur said: "There is already plenty of research that shows that caffeine and carbohydrate improve endurance, but this study shows that there is also a positive effect on skill and performance.

"We carried out three different soccer-specific match simulations of 90 minutes each two 45 minute sessions that tested agility, dribbling, heading and kicking accuracy. The test was designed to mimic a football game where the participants had to carry out multiple repeated sprints, dribble the ball around cones and shoot accurately.

"We found that the combination of carbohydrate and caffeine allowed players to sustain higher work intensity for the sprints, as well as improving shooting accuracy and dribbling during simulated soccer activity.

"These findings suggest that, for athletes competing in team sports where endurance and skill are important factors, ingesting a carbohydrate and caffeine drink, as opposed to just a carbohydrate drink, may significantly enhance performance. Our findings suggest that soccer players should choose a carbohydrate caffeine drink over a carbohydrate drink to consume before kick off and at half-time."

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Source: Sheffield Hallam University
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New Food Allergy Model For Fenugreek Developed

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Allergy
Article Date: 15 Dec 2011 - 1:00 PST

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A mouse model to investigate allergy to fenugreek has been developed by Norwegian researchers. The model can also be used to study cross-reactivity to peanut, soy and lupin, major food allergens with public health relevance.

Fenugreek is a member of the legume family and is used as an ingredient in curries, chutneys and teas. Allergic reactions to fenugreek may be severe yet its presence is rarely declared in ingredient listings. There is also great concern about potential cross-reactivity with other legumes such as peanut, soy and lupin.

"Allergens that are hidden in generic terms like spices, pose a special problem for food-allergic people. Fenugreek is a well-known food ingredient in Asian dishes, and as dietary patterns are changing, we will be more exposed to fenugreek also in Norway. Mouse models are important research tools that give valuable information in the understanding of food allergies, and may contribute to develop specific therapies for these food allergies" says Nina Eriksen Vinje, researcher at the Division of Environmental Medicine at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. Vinje is the first author of the paper published in the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology.

Cross-reactivity between peanut and fenugreek first came to attention in 2006. The Norwegian Food Allergy Register received reports about allergic reactions to food containing curry powder, and cross-reactivity between peanut and fenugreek was confirmed in two peanut-allergic patients. It has since been discovered that fenugreek gives a stronger cross-reaction to peanut than other legumes such as soy and green peas.

Mouse models

New foods need to be tested on specific food-allergy models for each potential allergen. Mice are used as they have a well-characterised immune system that resembles the human immune system, allowing researchers to study complex immune reactions. The food-allergy model for fenugreek developed by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health can also be used to understand suspected cross-reactivity to peanuts and other legumes.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Source: Wiley-Blackwell
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Dietary Fibers From Algae Help Weight Loss

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Academic Journal
Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 14 Dec 2011 - 9:00 PST

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Researchers at the Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE) at the University of Copenhagen have established that dietary fibers from brown algae boosts the body's sensation of satiety, so that people eat less and lose more weight.

Earlier studies have demonstrated that a fiber-rich diet is easier for maintaining weight. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have now discovered in a new PhD project that alginates (dietary fibers) from brown algae, are superb at creating an 'artificial feeling of fullness' in the stomach.

Scientists have categorized the numerous different types of seaweed into three main groups, such as brown algae (Phaephycecae), red algae (Rhodophyta) and green algae (Chlorophyta). The researchers of this study based their study primarily on palm seaweed fibers obtained from the brown algae.

PhD student Morten Georg Jensen says:

"Over a three-year period, we have studied the effect of taking different alginate doses. We are able to demonstrate that the healthy subjects who took alginates and were also allowed to eat as much as they wanted felt less hungry and ate less than the subjects not drinking fiber drinks with alginates."

Jensen and his team conducted a 12-week study involving 96 overweight men and women. They assigned 48 participants to consume a specially designed drink containing alginates three times daily before each main course, whilst the other 48 received drinks containing placebo without alginates. The drinks were administered as a supplement to an energy-reduced diet.

They discovered that of the 80 participants who completed the study, those in the alginate group achieved a significantly greater loss of weight loss on average, i.e. 1.7 kg, compared with participants in the placebo group. This weight loss has been primarily achieved because of a reduction in body fat percentage.

Jensen explained:

"A probable explanation of the weight loss is that the alginates form a gel in the stomach which strengthens the gastrointestinal satiety signals to the brain because the gel takes up space in the stomach. The overweight subjects thus ate less than usual."

Easy 24/7 access to unlimited quantities of energy-rich food is partly responsible for the growing epidemic of obesity. To tackle this problem it is necessary for scientists to conduct more research and develop new dietary measures.

Morten states:

"Eating more than you burn results in a body energy imbalance, which may lead to weight gain in the long term. It is therefore crucial that new dietary measures improve appetite control and limit our food intake."

The researchers anticipate that their findings may open the doors for new treatment options for those who are overweight. Researchers have developed the special fiber drink containing alginates in collaboration with the biotech company S-biotek, but until now such fiber drinks are not yet available on the market.

Morten Georg Jensen will be presenting his PhD thesis, Effect of alginate fiber supplementation in regulation of appetite, body weight and metabolic risk factors, on Wednesday 14 December 2011 at 1 pm at the Faculty of Life Sciences, lecture hall A1-01.01., Bülowsvej 17, 1870 Frederiksberg C.

Written by Petra Rattue
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Stroke Risk Driven By Diet Quality And Overeating, Rather Than Individual Nutrients

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Academic Journal
Main Category: Stroke
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 14 Dec 2011 - 9:00 PST

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A review published in the special stroke issue of The Lancet Neurology says that many of the numerous studies on stroke prevention have been based on unreliable evidence. The same applies to headlines that have highlighted potential benefits of specific nutrients and foods. According to researchers, the risk of stroke is more likely to be predicted by dietary patterns and excess energy intake, i.e. overeating.

Graeme Hankey from the Royal Perth Hospital in Perth, Australia explains:

"The overall quality of an individual's diet (i.e. dietary pattern) and balance between energy intake and expenditure seem to be more important determinants of stroke risk than individual nutrients and foods."

Hankey argues that even though the benefits of fighting the two main nutritional threats, such as over-consumption of calories and salt, are well known risks that cause stroke, legislation and policies addressing the obesity and salt epidemics are nowhere near enough widespread.

Worldwide, there are currently approximately 1.46 billion overweight adults and 170 million overweight children, two-thirds of adults being in the USA. Unless the obesity epidemic is reversed, there will be a 60% clinically obese rate among men and 50% among women in the UK by 2050.

The third most common cause of mortality in developed countries is stroke, and with only limited treatment being available, it is important to prevent the risk of stroke by modifying its risk factors, such as unhealthy eating behavior. Even though it is a well-known fact that malnutrition and over-consumption of calories increase the risk of stroke, researchers have little knowledge about which particular nutrients and foods affect the risk of developing stroke.

This could be due to the fact that there are almost no randomized trials, which provide reliable evidence, and the few that have been carried out indicate that dietary supplements, such as antioxidant vitamins, B vitamins, and calcium do not lower the risk of stroke, but could actually increase the chance of a heart attack and mortality. Another explanation is that the majority of studies evaluated stroke as a single outcome, meaning that important effects of foods, nutrients, beverages, and dietary patterns on different types of stroke may have been overlooked.

Data from observational studies that do not prove cause and effect, and are therefore less reliable indicate that the risk of stroke could be reduced by low-salt - and low sugar diets that are high in potassium or other diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in vegetables, fish, fruit, nuts and whole grains.

Hankey declares:

"Further research...to accurately assess and understand the role of nutrition in the causes and consequences of stroke will be crucial in developing and implementing strategies to minimize the global burden of stroke."

He argues that in the meantime, cutting salt intake and reducing obesity must be viewed as a critical health priority, saying:

"Unlike the tobacco and cardiovascular disease epidemic, the obesity and salt epidemics have not been reversed by public health interventions and policies aimed at individuals to change personal choice and behavior."

There have to be more improvements in public awareness in terms of food and behaviors relating to food. Targets for nutritional contents in processed foods and standards for food labeling must be set and enforced.

According to Hankey there is growing evidence that enforcing salt targets for foods could prove to be highly cost effective, for example; in the USA, if the entire population would make a small reduction of just 3g per day, the annual number of new stroke incidents could be reduced by 32,000 to 66,000.

In a concluding statement Hankey says:

"The potential effects of adopting a healthy diet policy on population health, agricultural production, trade, the global economy, and livelihoods is likely to be substantial in some countries, and the effects could be realized sooner than we think".

Written by Petra Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
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Visit our stroke section for the latest news on this subject. ”Nutrition and the risk of stroke”
Prof Graeme J Hankey
The Lancet Neurology, Volume 11, Issue 1, Pages 66 - 81, January 2012 doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(11)70265-4 Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

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Agent Responsible For Protection Against Early Stages Of Atherosclerosis Identified

Main Category: Vascular
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Cholesterol;  Liver Disease / Hepatitis
Article Date: 14 Dec 2011 - 1:00 PST

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Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified for the first time the A2b adenosine receptor (A2bAR) as a possible new therapeutic target against atherosclerosis resulting from a diet high in fat and cholesterol. The findings, which appear on-line in Circulation, may have significant public health implications.

Adenosine is a metabolite produced naturally by cells at low levels, and at higher levels during exercise or stress. Adenosine binds to and activates cell surface receptors, one of which is the A2bAR. Previous studies have described the A2bAR as anti-inflammatory and protective against kidney ischemia, cardiac reperfusion injury and restenosis, typically via bone marrow cell signals.

In mouse models, BUSM researchers found atherosclerosis induced by a high-fat diet was more pronounced in the absence of the A2bAR. They also found bone marrow transplantation experiments indicated that A2bAR bone marrow cell signals alone were not sufficient to elicit this effect. "A2bAR genetic ablation led to elevated levels of liver and plasma cholesterol and triglycerides, and to fatty-liver pathology typical of steatosis, assessed by enzymatic assays and analysis of liver sections," explained senior author Katya Ravid, MD, a professor of medicine and biochemistry at BUSM.

The researchers also identified the mechanism underlying this effect in the liver, involving the control of the transcription factor SREBP-1 and its downstream targets-regulators of lipid synthesis. They found restoration of the A2bAR in the liver of A2bAR null mice reduced the lipid profile and atherosclerosis. "Most importantly, in vivo administration of a pharmacological activator of the A2bAR in control mice on a high fat diet reduced lipid profile and atherosclerosis. Thus, this study provides the first evidence that the A2bAR regulates liver hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis, suggesting that this receptor may be an effective therapeutic target against earlier stages of atherosclerosis," Ravid added.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our vascular section for the latest news on this subject. Funding for this study was provided by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
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Stop-Start Low-Carb Diets More Effective Than Standard Dieting

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Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Breast Cancer;  Preventive Medicine
Article Date: 12 Dec 2011 - 8:00 PST

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Recent findings presented by researchers at Genesis Prevention Center at University Hospital in South Manchester, England, at the 2011 CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, have demonstrated that an intermittent, low-carbohydrate diet is preferable to a standard and daily calorie-restricted diet to reduce weight and lower blood levels of insulin. High levels of insulin are linked to a greater risk of developing cancer.

The study, funded by the Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Appeal, revealed that reducing carbohydrates for two days per week is superior for preventing breast cancer and other diseases compared with a standard, daily calorie-restricted diet, but researchers added that further study is required.

Michelle Harvie, Ph.D., SRD, a research dietician at the Genesis Prevention Center, who presented the study said:

"Weight loss and reduced insulin levels are required for breast cancer prevention, but [these levels] are difficult to achieve and maintain with conventional dietary approaches."

Harvie and her team decided to compare three different diets over 4-months to assess the effects on weight loss and blood markers of breast cancer risk in 115 women who had a family history of breast cancer. The researchers randomly assigned patients with either a calorie-restricted, low-carbohydrate diet or an "ad lib" low-carbohydrate diet whereby patients were allowed to consume unlimited proteins and healthy fats, like lean meats, olives and nuts for 2 days per week, or a standard, calorie-restricted daily Mediterranean diet for seven days per week.

According to their findings, both intermittent low-carbohydrate diets were superior to the standard daily Mediterranean diet for weight loss, reduction of body fat and insulin resistance. The average loss in weight and body fat was about 4 kg (about 9 pounds) for the calorie-restricted, low-carb diet and the "ad lib" low-carb diet compared to 2.4 kilograms (about 5 pounds) with the standard dietary approach. The restricted low-carbohydrate diet reduced patients' insulin resistance by 22%, with a reduction of 14% with the "ad lib" low-carbohydrate diet, compared with 4% for those who did the standard Mediterranean diet.

Harvie commented:

"It is interesting that the diet that only restricts carbohydrates but allows protein and fats is as effective as the calorie-restricted, low-carbohydrate diet."

Harvie and her team are planning on studying carbohydrate intake and breast cancer.

Written by: Grace Rattue

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