Recent studies of Alzheimer’s disease in mice has shown that exercise and a compound found in green teas can slow the progression of the disease and may also reverse its effects. Researchers looked at epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which is a green tea extract, and studied its effect on memory function by placing mice in a maze and testing their ability to navigate as well as build a nest with provided materials. After scoring them, the mice with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease tended to build poor nests. Later, the mice were given EGCG in their drinking water and access to exercise wheels. Upon follow-up maze and nesting tests on the mice, there was a visible improvement in cognitive function and behavior of mice that were given EGCG and exercised. These results suggest that dietary polyphenols and exercise may have positive effects on brain health and even help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

A study by University of Pennsylvania provides new insight on specific types of activities that help to improve sleep quality. Participants were asked what type of physical activity they typically do and how much sleep they got in a 24-hour period. All activities except for household/childcare were associated with a decreased likelihood of not enough sleep, as compared to those who didn’t perform any physical activity in the past month.  Specifically, walking, aerobics/calisthenics, biking, gardening, golf, running, weight-lifting and yoga/Pilates were each linked to fewer cases of insufficient sleep, while household chores and childcare were associated with an more cases of insufficient rest. Findings suggest that those who exercise by walking are more likely to have better sleep habits, and that higher-intensity workouts like running and yoga are even better.

Research shows that normalization of low testosterone levels with the use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) helped decrease risk of heart attack, stroke and premature mortality. After performing studies on a group of older men without history of heart attack or stroke and who had below-average testosterone levels were given TRT. There were 47% fewer deaths among the group with normalized testosterone levels compared to men whose hormone levels failed to normalize, and there were 56% fewer deaths than those who did not receive TRT.  Results show that testosterone carries anti-inflammatory and other beneficial effects and that normalization of testosterone levels using TRT is linked to lower mortality, fewer heart attacks and strokes if the dose is adequate to normalize the testosterone levels.

A recent weight loss study for women produced findings of supplementation with vitamin D lowering inflammation. Participants were assigned to an exercise program 5 days a week plus a low calorie diet supplemented with vitamin D every day for one year. At the end of the study, women who took the vitamin saw an increase in serum vitamin D, while those who received a placebo experienced a decline. Among participants who lost 5% – 10% of their weight, the decline in inflammation was significantly better for those who took vitamin D rather than those who received a placebo. The study’s authors say that since weight loss reduces inflammation, it is considered another way to lower cancer risk and that if increasing vitamin D levels can decrease inflammation even more effectively than weight loss alone, that could be an important addition to helping combat cancer risk.

Recent findings suggest that consuming ginger can help give your workouts a boost and speed up recovery time. Offering an abundance of antioxidants, ginger contains elements that simulate the effects of anti-inflammatory drugs. During the study, twenty men and women ingested either ginger or a placebo for 5 days prior to performing a muscle-bearing exercise routine. Results at the 48-hour mark showed that maximum lift was significantly improved among the participants who ate ginger. Study authors concluded that 4 g of ginger supplementation may accelerate recovery of muscle strength after an intense workout but does not have much affect onset muscle soreness.