The understanding that fluid ingestion attenuates thermoregulatory and circulatory stress during exercise in the heat was based on studies conducted in relatively dry (∼50% RH) environments. It remains undetermined whether similar effects occur during exercise in a warm and more humid environment, where evaporative capacity is reduced. Nine well-trained, unacclimatised male runners were randomly assigned to perform four experimental trials where they ran for 60 min at an intensity of 70% VO2max followed by an incremental exercise test until volitional exhaustion. The four trials consisted of non-fluid ingestion (NF) and fluid ingestion (FI) in a warm-dry (WD) and warm-humid condition (WH). Time to exhaustion (TTE), body temperature (Tb), whole body sweat rate, partitional calorimetry measures, heart rate and plasma volume were recorded during exercise. There was no significant difference in Tb following 60 min of exercise in FI and NF trial within both WD (37.3°C ± 0.4 vs. 37.4°C ± 0.3; p > 0.05) and WH conditions (38.0°C ± 0.4 vs. 38.1°C ± 0.4; p > 0.05). The TTE was similar between FI and NF trials in both WH and WD, whereas exercise capacity was significantly shorter in WH than WD (9.1 ± 2.8 min vs. 12.7 ± 2.4 min, respectively; p = 0.01). Fluid ingestion failed to provide any ergogenic benefit in attenuating thermoregulatory and circulatory stress during exercise in the WH and WD conditions. Consequently, exercise performance was not enhanced with fluid ingestion in the warm-humid condition, although the humid environment detrimentally affected exercise endurance.
The role of micronutrients in health and disease has increased the curiosity and interest among researchers. The prime focus of this review is the significance of trace elements- calcium, vitamin D, selenium and zinc with cardiovascular health. WHO identified cardiovascular diseases (CVD) as the leading cause of deaths globally. Identifying the risk factors that could be modified and creating new treatment strategies remains to be the main concern for CVD prevention. The data that showed the relationship between trace elements and various ways in which they may contribute to cardiovascular health and disease from clinical trials and observational studies were collected from databases such as PubMed and Embase. Based on these collected data, it shows that either high or low circulating serum levels can be associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases. Micronutrients through diet contribute to improved cardiac health. However, due to our current lifestyle, there is a huge dependency on dietary supplements. Based on the observational studies, it is evident that supplements cause sudden increase in the circulating levels of the nutrients and result in cardiovascular damage. Thus, it is advisable to restrict the use of supplements, owing to the potent risks it may cause. In order to understand the exact mechanism between micronutrients and cardiac health, more clinical studies are required.
The overarching aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of chocolate milk consumption (500 mL) with 8-week of resistance training on muscle hypertrophy, body composition, and maximal strength in untrained healthy men. A total of 22 Participants were randomly divided into two experimental groups: combined resistance training (3 sessions per week for 8 weeks) and chocolate milk consumptions (include 30 g protein) Resistance Training Chocolate Milk (RTCM) (Age: 20.9 ± 0.9 years old) and resistance training (RT) only (Age: 19.8 ± 0.7 years old). Muscle thickness (MT), using a portable ultrasound, body composition, body mass, maximal strength (one repetition maximum (1 RM), counter movement jump (CMJ) and peak power (PP) were determined at baseline and 8 weeks later. In the RTCM, finding showed a significant improvement in the outcomes compared to the RT group, besides the main effect of time (pre and post). The 1 RM total increased by 36.7% in RTCM group compared to 17.6% increased in the RT group (p < 0.001). Muscle thickness increased by 20.8% in the RTCM group and 9.1% in the RT group (p < 0.001). In the RTCM group, the PP increased by 37.8% compared to only 13.8% increase in the RT group (p = 0.001). The group*time interaction effect was significant for MT, 1RM, CMJ, and PP (p < 0.05), and it was observed that the RTCM and the 8-week resistance training protocol maximized performance. Body fat percentage (%) decreased more in the RTCM (18.9%) group than in the RT (6.7%) group (p = 0.002). In conclusion, chocolate milk (500 mL) with high protein content consumed in addition to resistance training provided superior gains in terms of MT, 1 RM, body composition, CMJ, and PP. The finding of the study demonstrated the positive effect of casein-based protein (chocolate milk) and resistance training on the muscle performance. Chocolate milk consumption has a more positive effect on muscle strength when combined with RT and should be considered as a suitable post-exercise nutritional supplement. Future research could be conducted with a larger number of participants of different ages and longer study durations.
Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the main cause of morbidity and mortality in Malaysia and worldwide. This is mainly due to an increase in the prevalence of CVD risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, and obesity. Increased physical activity has been recommended as a modality to improve CVD risk. Pulse wave velocity (PWVCF), augmentation index (AI), and finger photoplethysmography fitness (PPGF) index have been introduced to assess the vascular functions related to CVD risk factors. The effects of long-term exercise on PPGF index are not established. Materials and Methods: A total of 70 young men who were sedentary with two or more cardiovascular risk factors were recruited. Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group (CG) (n = 34; no change in walking) and pedometer group (PG) (n = 36; minimum target: 8,000 steps/day). PWVCF and AI were measured via the Vicorder system. The PPGF index was obtained via the finger photoplethysmography method. All parameters were measured at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks. Results: After intervention, the PG had significant increased step count from 4,996 ± 805 to 10,128 ± 511 steps/day (p < 0.001). The PG showed significant improvement in anthropometric variables, lipid, PWVCF, AI, and PPGF index (time and group effect p < 0.001). No changes were observed in CG. Conclusion: This signifies that pedometer-based walking program is beneficial in improving markers of vascular functions among young working sedentary men with CVD risk factors. Pedometer-based exercise should be encouraged to improve cardiovascular health.