Background: Telomere length is inversely associated with the senescence and aging process. Parallelly, obesity can promote telomere shortening. Evidence suggests that physical activity may promote telomere elongation. Objective: This study’s objective is to evaluate the effects of combined exercise training on telomere length in obese women. Design and Methods: Twenty pre-menopausal women (BMI 30–40 kg/m², 20–40 years) submitted to combined training (strength and aerobic exercises), but only 13 finished the protocol. Each exercise session lasted 55 min/day, three times a week, throughout 8 weeks. Anthropometric data, body composition, physical performance (Vo_2max), and 8-h fasting blood samples were taken before and after 8 weeks of training. Leukocyte DNA was extracted for telomere length by RT-qPCR reaction, using the 2^−ΔΔCt methodology. Results: After the training intervention, significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in telomere length (respectively before and after, 1.03 ± 0.04 to 1.07 ± 0.04 T/S ratio), fat-free mass (46 ± 7 to 48 ± 5 kg), Vo_2max (35 ± 3 to 38 ± 3 ml/kg/min), and waist circumference (96 ± 8 to 90 ± 6 cm). In addition, an inverse correlation between waist circumference and telomere length was found, before (r = − 0.536, p = 0.017) and after (r = − 0.655, p = 0.015) exercise training. Conclusion: Combined exercise promoted leukocyte telomere elongation in obese women. Besides, the data suggested that greater waist circumference may predict shorter telomere length. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrails.gov, NCT03119350. Retrospectively registered on 18 April 2017

Based on the fact that taurine can increase lipid metabolism, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of different doses of acute taurine supplementation on lipid oxidation levels in healthy young men after a single bout of fasting aerobic exercise. A double-blind, acute, and crossover study design was conducted. Seventeen men (age 24.8 ± 4.07y; BMI: 23.9 ± 2.57 kg/m²) participated in the present study. Different doses of taurine (TAU) (3 g or 6 g) or placebo were supplemented 90 min before a single bout of fasting aerobic exercise (on a treadmill at 60% of VO₂ max). The subjects performed three trials, and each one was separated by seven days. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after the exercise protocol of each test to analyze plasma levels of glycerol and taurine. Lipid and carbohydrate oxidation were determined immediately after exercise for 15 min by indirect calorimetry. We observed that TAU supplementation (6 g) increased lipid oxidation (38%) and reduced the respiratory coefficient (4%) when compared to the placebo (p < 0.05). However, no differences in lipid oxidation were observed between the different doses of taurine (3 g and 6 g). For glycerol concentrations, there were no differences between trials. Six grams of TAU supplementation 90 min before a single bout of aerobic exercise in a fasted state was sufficient to increase the lipid oxidation post-exercise in healthy young men.

Article: Performance of muscle strength and fatigue tolerance in young trained women supplemented with caffeine - The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2018 March;58(3):249-55 - Minerva Medica - Journals

Background: Bitterness perception seems to be related to an enhanced intake of dietary fat and to a tendency to the development of diseases such as obesity. However, the exact factors for this possible contribution still need to be better investigated. So, gustatory perception of the bitter taste is a promising area of study because of its importance regarding food choices and consequently feeding behavior. Therefore, this short review focused on recent papers reporting correlations between bitter taste, anthropometric variables, obesity and other chronic diseases, age, gender, ethnicity, and genetics. Methods: A survey was performed in MEDLINE (PubMed) and Scielo from September 2015 to January 2017. Only review articles, observational studies and clinical trials published in English and Portuguese over the last 15 years which met the objectives of the present study were considered. A total of 40 papers were evaluated. Results: Two papers showed a positive correlation between bitter taste and obesity, one indicated that this correlation is influenced by the subject’s age, one suggested a negative correlation, and two found no association. Age seems to be negatively correlated with the bitterness perceived, and female gender was associated with a stronger perception of bitterness. Genetics, mostly due to differences in TAS2R38 expression, influences sensitivity to the bitter taste, feeding behavior and also alcohol intake. Ethnicity, not only the subject’s phenotypic or genotypic characteristics, seems to play a role in taste perception and nutritional diseases. Conclusions: Age, gender, genetics and ethnicity seem to play a role in bitterness perception. Data about associations between bitterness perception and anthropometrics are conflicting.