The Rundown

Brain Boost. Clinical researchers from Pacific Neuroscience Institute’s Brain Health Center have found an interesting link between regular exercise and better brain health. Their paper, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, demonstrated that being physically active is related to increased size of brain areas that are important for memory and learning.

The team examined the MRI brain scans of more than 10,000 people and discovered that those who regularly exercised (walking, running, playing sports) had larger brain volumes in key areas, including gray matter, which helps with processing information and white matter, which connects brain regions important for memory.

The research supports earlier studies that show exercise not only lowers the risk of dementia but also helps maintain brain size, which is crucial as we age.

How much exercise is necessary to see benefits? According to study co-author, David Merrill, M.D., “even moderate levels of physical activity, such as taking fewer than 4,000 steps a day, can have a positive effect on brain health.”

Pass the Caffeine. Does caffeine impact soccer players’ passing accuracy, problem-solving and decision-making skills? In a new study, researchers at Staffordshire University, UK and Iran’s Shiraz University decided to find out by recruiting 12 male soccer players aged 16 to 17 with at least four years experience playing soccer in the Iranian Youth Tier 1 League.

Each player was given 3 mg/kg body mass of either caffeine or flour powder in gelatin capsules and then their decision-making abilities, short and long pass accuracy and pass ability were evaluated.

After consuming caffeine, the players were 1.67% more accurate with short passes and 13.48% more accurate with long passes, compared to those taking the placebo. Their decision-making was 7.14% lower and their passing ability was 3.49% lower after caffeine.

The researchers don’t recommend that soccer players avoid caffeine completely and note that a number of parameters can be involved when exploring performance metrics in training, including the dosage of caffeine relative to body weight, the frequency of caffeine intake and certain positions of players or their playing styles.

Calling All ELITE Athletes. Fit Cult aims to keep you up to date on the latest in exercise science research. But why just read about it? Here’s your chance to be part of it. Stanford University has begun the ELITE Study (Exercise at the Limit—Inherited Traits of Endurance) and you can participate. The goal is to further the understanding of high performance by diving into the extreme biology of athletes.

The study defines fitness by VO2max, the maximum amount of oxygen someone can extract from the air. The criteria for men is 65+ mL/kg/min and for women, 55+ mL/kg/min. While VO2max is not the entire story of athletic performance, it is the most universal and easily measurable indicator of aerobic fitness.

The researchers plan to recruit an ethnically and geographically diverse cohort of 10,000 athletes with the above VO2max numbers (validated from a testing facility) and then conduct whole genome sequencing to look for genetic variation predictive of high VO2max. Recruitment is through a web portal and requires consent followed by a basic survey and submission of a saliva sample.

The team believes that the work will contribute to the development of “precision exercise health” by providing a roadmap for a world where athletes can receive personalized training programs based on their unique genetic makeup, optimizing their performance and minimizing their risk of injury.

If you’re interested in participating, you can find more information here.

Extra Point

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Captains of the World. This docuseries follows six football captains and their teams as they compete for a qualifying spot in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Rather than focusing on in-depth analysis of the matches, the series looks at the emotional aspects of the tournament. Captains of the World is streaming on Netflix.

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The Business of Wellness. Host Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN debunks diet myths, explores wellness trends, and discusses science-based strategies and insights in this podcast that aims to “guide you through today’s noisy, cluttered wellness economy.”

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Are You Fit For Your Age? Try Our New Year’s Tune-Up to Find Out. Nothing like a fitness test to start off 2024! This piece from the Washington Post gives easy, DIY ways to test five of the essential elements of fitness. See how you measure up.