Credit: iStock Long winter nights got you down? If you’re having trouble getting in the holiday spirit and these emotions feel more persistent as the season progresses, it may be time to talk to your doctor. For some people, this time of year triggers a type of winter depression called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD … Continue reading Is (Winter) Happiness in the Eye of the Beholder?
Scientific Research
The Surprising Health Benefits of ‘Yo-yo’ Dieting
Credit: iStock It’s not really news that obesity and the trend of increasing waistlines seems to only be heading upward—and outward. Despite efforts to fight the fat, many people end up regaining the weight they lose when they diet in a phenomenon known as “weight cycling” or “yo-yo dieting.” Weight cycling can be frustrating, and … Continue reading The Surprising Health Benefits of ‘Yo-yo’ Dieting
Ground-breaking Cystic Fibrosis Treatment Is a Testament to Basic Research
Credit: iStock Roughly 70,000 people worldwide have cystic fibrosis (CF)—a progressive, degenerative disease characterized by the buildup of unusually thick mucus in the lungs and other tissues. It occurs when a mutation causes a specific protein, called the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), to malfunction. In healthy people, CFTR moves electrolytes in and out … Continue reading Ground-breaking Cystic Fibrosis Treatment Is a Testament to Basic Research
Try High-intensity Interval Exercise: Your Brain Might Thank You
Credit: iStock Imagine burning 30 percent more calories in half the amount of time you usually spend working out—and continuing to burn calories after the workout ends. High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE)—a type of workout that alternates bursts of intense cardiovascular exercise with brief breaks—does just that. A recent study from Brazil suggests that HIIE does … Continue reading Try High-intensity Interval Exercise: Your Brain Might Thank You
Probiotics for Gout, New Therapies for Heart Disease and More Discussed at APS Research Conference
The number of people who develop long-term health problems such as obesity, high blood pressure and kidney disease increases every year. Because these chronic conditions affect so many, it is important to better understand what causes them. International scientists who study the kidneys, heart, blood vessels and other organs recently gathered to discuss the relationship … Continue reading Probiotics for Gout, New Therapies for Heart Disease and More Discussed at APS Research Conference
How Is the Nobel Prize Chosen?
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine will be awarded on October 7, kicking off a weeklong celebration of groundbreaking achievement in medicine or physiology, physics, chemistry, literature, global peace and economics. We at the American Physiological Society (APS) eagerly await this time of the year too. Physiologists have been well-represented in the long list … Continue reading How Is the Nobel Prize Chosen?
How Math Is Leading to Breakthroughs in Cancer, Breath Tests and Understanding of Glaucoma
What do you get when you put mathematicians and physiologists in a room together? The question may sound like the beginning of a joke, but the answer is not a punchline. Last week, math modelers and experts who study the body’s smallest blood vessels—called the microcirculation—met in Scottsdale, Ariz. This group of elite scientists explored … Continue reading How Math Is Leading to Breakthroughs in Cancer, Breath Tests and Understanding of Glaucoma
A ‘Holy Grail’ for Exercise Recovery?
Credit: iStock When you start a new fitness routine—whether you are training for a marathon, planning to walk a 5K or committing to swimming more laps—choosing a plan can help you get started and keep you on track. You can find a lot of information about the best way to recover after exercising. However, whether … Continue reading A ‘Holy Grail’ for Exercise Recovery?
The Triple Threat: Diet, Diabetes and Fatty Liver Disease
Credit: iStock Fatty liver disease is a group of disorders that occur when too much fat builds up in the liver. Many people may have heard of alcohol-related fatty liver disease, a condition in which moderate to heavy consumption of alcohol leads to fat buildup and scarring in the liver. However, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease … Continue reading The Triple Threat: Diet, Diabetes and Fatty Liver Disease
How Our Body Stays Cool in the Heat and What Changes as We Age
In the past several decades, heat waves have been occurring more frequently, with a recent major heat event breaking temperature records in Europe. When people don’t have access to air conditioning, fans or simply a shady spot, the extremely high temperatures can be dangerous, especially for the elderly. While young adults are more able to … Continue reading How Our Body Stays Cool in the Heat and What Changes as We Age