Health News: Epigenetics, Sedentary Behavior, Overindulgence, Microbiome, and Time-Restricted Feeding

Periodically I will be sharing links to news items related to health and fitness. This is the first installment.

The first and most interesting story here is a validation of prior studies on the epigenetics and parental nutrition prior to conception. We have known this is true in mothers, but this reports shows the same is true in fathers. From the article:

Although the link between a mother's preconception activities and the health of her offspring is well-documented, the effects of paternal diet and lifestyle on his progeny are less so. Researchers studied the offspring of male rodents that were exercised for 12 weeks and found that the fathers' exercise regimen programmed the offspring to be able to burn calories more efficiently, "like [an] energy efficient car which uses less gas to run the same distance" lead author Alexander Murashov said. Instead of a leaner body, however, when fed a high-fat diet the offspring had "increased body weight and adiposity, impaired glucose tolerance and elevated insulin levels," wrote the research team.

We are only beginning to understand the power of epigenetics, but this can be valuable information for anyone who is considering becoming a parent.

Dad’s preconception exercise may increase obesity, insulin resistance risk in offspring

Date: November 4, 2016
Source: American Physiological Society (APS)
Summary: Fathers who exercise regularly before their children are conceived may program their offspring's genes with an increased risk for metabolic disorders, according to new research. The surprising results point to the identification of epigenetic markers that may change the process of diagnosis and management of chronic disease.

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Regular exercisers still face health risks from too much sitting

Sedentary behavior raises disease risk, mortality rates for physically active, too 

Date: November 4, 2016
Source: American Physiological Society (APS)
Summary: People who meet recommended weekly physical activity guidelines are still at risk of developing chronic disease if they spend too much non-exercising time sitting. Researchers found that women sit more as they grow older, raising their risks even more.

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Exercise may shield against the health fallout of a weeklong overindulgence

Date: November 4, 2016
Source: American Physiological Society (APS)
Summary: Previous studies show that as little as one week of overeating can impair glycemic control and insulin sensitivity. Just in time for holiday feasting, a new study finds that exercise can protect fat tissue from changes in inflammation levels and fat metabolism caused by a brief period of eating too many calories.

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Intestinal cells 'remodel' in response to a fatty meal

Date: November 2, 2016
Source: Carnegie Institution for Science
Summary: New light has been shed on how form follows function for intestinal cells responding to high-fat foods that are rich in cholesterol and triglycerides.

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Eating dinner early, or skipping it, may be effective in fighting body fat

Date: November 3, 2016
Source: Obesity Society
Summary: The first human test of early time-restricted feeding found that this meal-timing strategy strategy reduced swings in hunger and altered fat and carb burning patterns, which may help with losing weight. In early time-restricted feeding (eTRF), people eat their last meal by the mid-afternoon and don’t eat again until breakfast the next morning.