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The Rundown

Solar Earbuds. Urbanista has announced a new set of earbuds called “Phoenix” that charge in the case with Powerfoyle solar cell material produced by Exeger. The earbuds feature active noise cancellation, a noise reducing microphone, IPX4 water resistance and multipoint connectivity. The case can be charged with any indoor or outdoor light, which powers a total battery reserve of 32 hours, plus eight hours in the earbuds. Phoenix is expected to ship during the fourth quarter of 2022 and should retail for $149.

Intermittent Fasting, Again. Another intermittent fasting study has been published and this one has delivered positive results regarding weight loss. The problem is the research was unable to clearly show whether the weight loss benefits were due to much more than the study participants simply eating less.

For the study, researchers recruited 90 obese subjects and split them into two groups. Both groups had to eat a hypocaloric diet (equal to between 1,000 and 1,500 calories per day depending on individual resting state energy expenditure). One group was only allowed to eat between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. The trial lasted for 14 weeks.

The time-restricted eating (TRE) group lost 2.3 kg or 5 lb more than the control group. But did they lose more weight because they were eating less?

Study author Courtney Peterson says it’s possible. While those in the TRE group did not eat fewer meals than the control group, she says they may have ate less during those meals.

So the question remains: Is intermittent fasting more effective than calorie restriction when it comes to losing weight? The evidence suggests that it’s hard to say with certainty, so the choice is an individual one. If you find that an intermittent pattern of eating works with your lifestyle and preferences, it’s one option for reducing overall calorie intake.

Everything in Moderation. A new study from researchers at DZNE, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, has found that even moderate physical activity has a positive effect on the brain.

Using data from the Rhineland Study, a large-scale population-based study in the Bonn city area, the researchers looked at physical activity data and MRI brain images from 2,550 volunteers aged 30-94 years. Physical activity was measured by an accelerometer the volunteers wore for seven days and the MRI scans gave information on brain volume and cortex thickness. Larger brain volumes are thought to provide better protection against neurodegeneration than smaller ones.  

The team found that physical activity had a noticeable effect on almost all brain regions, including the hippocampus, which is considered the control center of memory. The more intense the physical activity, the larger the brain regions were in terms of volume, but a large volume increase was also discovered when comparing inactive and only moderately active study participants, particularly those over 70.  

The head of the research group noted that “even small behavioral changes such as walking 15 minutes a day or taking the stairs instead of the elevator may have a substantial positive effect on the brain and potentially counteract age-related loss of brain matter and the development of neurodegenerative diseases.”

Replay

This week’s vintage moment in fitness culture is brought to you by stretching, 1940’s style. Photo credit: Getty Images.