Credit: iStock As we head into our third year living in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, we’ve learned that the virus, in all its variants, is likely here to stay. In previous blog posts about the health benefits of physical activity during the pandemic, we have explained that adults should participate in at least 150 minutes … Continue reading Why It’s Still Important to Stay Active to Reduce COVID-19 Severity
COVID-19
New Research on Weight Cycling, Chemotherapy Side Effects, COVID-19 Severity and Concussion Presented at Experimental Biology 2022
Credit: American Physiological Society Scientists who study physiology and other biomedical research fields—including anatomy, biochemistry, pathology and pharmacology—network, collaborate and communicate about the latest research at the APS annual meeting at Experimental Biology (EB). Read on to learn more about how food insecurity affects the heart, why taking vitamin C may counter chemotherapy side effects, how saliva could be … Continue reading New Research on Weight Cycling, Chemotherapy Side Effects, COVID-19 Severity and Concussion Presented at Experimental Biology 2022
COVID-19: What’s Sex Got to Do with It?
Credit: iStock The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge the scientific community. Scientists across the globe are still trying to figure out the risk factors for severe COVID-19. Being male seems to be a higher risk, and many researchers are looking into why males experience COVID-19 symptoms more severely than females. My lab studied the … Continue reading COVID-19: What’s Sex Got to Do with It?
Spotlight On: SARS-CoV-2
Credit: iStock SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, emerged into the human population late in 2019. COVID-19 is an airway infection much like the common cold. One in six colds are caused by coronaviruses, although these are other types of coronaviruses. Why, then, did COVID-19 become such a devastating pandemic that has led to the … Continue reading Spotlight On: SARS-CoV-2
The COVID ‘15’: Staying Healthy and Informed during a Pandemic
Credit: iStock When the world came to an abrupt halt in early 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, some people who had been keeping up with a healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition and exercise, slid out of these habits. This happened for a variety of reasons, such as lack of access to exercise equipment, … Continue reading The COVID ‘15’: Staying Healthy and Informed during a Pandemic
‘Life Is Short, the Art Long’: Gaining Perspective from Ancient Wisdom
Credit: iStock Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the year 2020 slapped scientists across the globe with new trials and tribulations. It was difficult for them to make progress on their work, and they experienced emotional and social stress unseen in recent memory. Throughout this time, I was in the middle of finishing my doctoral dissertation … Continue reading ‘Life Is Short, the Art Long’: Gaining Perspective from Ancient Wisdom
How Smell Brings Back Memories
Credit: iStock Our waiter set down a warm bowl in front of me. The aroma and steam rising from the bowl grabbed me by the nostrils and sent me on a bullet train 40 years back to my grandma’s kitchen in Guam. I closed my eyes as the sweet perfume of coconut cream brought back … Continue reading How Smell Brings Back Memories
The Physiology of Grief
Credit: iStock Many of us have experienced the death of a loved one and the grief that inevitably accompanies it. Such loss is widely considered to be the most stressful event we will ever encounter in our lives. I have been thinking about this lately because in just a few months it will be five … Continue reading The Physiology of Grief
Update: Stay Active to Reduce COVID-19 Severity
Credit: iStock As our knowledge about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has continued to evolve, the important role that physical activity plays in combating the disease has become increasingly clear. Scientific research now suggests that regular exercise can significantly reduce the risk of having a severe case of COVID-19 if you’re infected with the … Continue reading Update: Stay Active to Reduce COVID-19 Severity
COVID-19 Is Keeping Us Up at Night
Credit: iStock Most of us know how important a good night’s sleep is for our physical and mental health. This is especially true as we live through the COVID-19 pandemic, but for many sleep has become increasingly difficult. Three-quarters of U.K. residents reported changes in their sleep habits during the initial lockdown in March and … Continue reading COVID-19 Is Keeping Us Up at Night