Nutrition
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The aim of this study was to investigate the association between self-perceived body image and body composition in the sexes and in different age classes. ⋯ The Williamson's figure scale silhouettes appear to be a suitable technique to screen for adiposity in epidemiologic studies and for routine applications.
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Caffeine is a well-established ergogenic aid, with its performance-enhancing effects demonstrated across a variety of sports and exercise types. As a result of these ergogenic properties, caffeine is widely used by athletes at all levels around both competition and training. Caffeine exerts its performance benefits through a variety of mechanisms, each of which may be of increased importance at a given stage of training or competition. ⋯ Here we propose a framework for the periodization of caffeine through the sporting year, balancing its training and competition performance-enhancing effects, along with the need to mitigate any negative effects of habituation. Furthermore, the regular use of caffeine within training may support the development of positive beliefs toward caffeine by athletes-potentially serving to enhance future performance through placebo and expectancy mechanisms-as well as allowing for the optimization of individual athlete caffeine strategies. Although future work is required to validate some of the suggestions made, the framework proposed here represents a starting point for athletes to maximize caffeine's performance benefits across the sporting year.
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Amino acids are not only the building blocks of proteins, but also can be metabolized to energy substances or function as signaling molecules. The aim of this study was to profile whether amino acid treatment (essential amino acids and alanine) affects the energy metabolism (glycolysis, mitochondrial respiration) of cultured hepatocytes. ⋯ The findings from the present study complement basic knowledge of the effects of amino acid treatment on energy metabolism in cultured hepatocytes and indicate that phenylalanine and phenylpyruvate inhibit glycolysis.
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Review Meta Analysis
Effectiveness of oral vitamin D supplementation in improving disease severity among patients with psoriasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Many treatment modalities have been used to manage psoriasis; however, there is, to our knowledge, no pooled estimate for the effectiveness of oral vitamin D supplements in patients with psoriasis. Hence, the aim of the present study was to systematically review and meta-analyze the efficacy of oral vitamin D supplementation in lessening disease severity of patients with psoriasis. ⋯ A favorable effect of oral vitamin D supplementation in patients with psoriasis could not be verified. More randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes are needed to produce robust results.
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Review Meta Analysis
An updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of the effects of α-lipoic acid supplementation on glycemic markers in adults.
This systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis was conducted to summarize data from available clinical trials on the effects of α-lipoic acid (ALA) supplementation on glycemic markers including glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), HOMA-β, and quantitative insulin check index in adults. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest, Embase and SCOPUS from inception to February 2020. Among all of the eligible studies, 28 articles were selected. ⋯ No evidence of departure from linearity was observed between dose and duration of the ALA supplementation on other markers. The subgrouping revealed that ALA dosage and duration of ALA supplementation, health status of participants, geographic locations and the studies' quality are possible sources of heterogeneity. In summary, ALA supplementation improves serum insulin and insulin resistance in a two-class and duration dependent non-linear analysis.