Research Reviews

Do your intestines need redecorating? A little paint, a little wallpaper, maybe a new lining and some happy dancing bacteria? We tackle the “14-day probiotic challenge” and find out how probiotics can really spruce up the place.

What’s the secret to getting lean? Well, it might be as simple as… keeping it simple.

Thermogenesis literally means the making (genesis) of heat (therm). In our body, muscle thermogenesis helps keep us warm. Thermogenesis also helps burn calories. How does this work… and could we eventually harness its power to stay lean?

You’re a calorie-conscious eater. You read nutrition labels. So you should be safe, right? Wrong. A new study shows that nutrition labels on processed foods seriously underestimate the food’s calorie counts. Just one more reason to avoid that Denny’s Grand Slam breakfast.

In general everybody is gung ho for any type of efficiency. You never hear, “I’m trying to be as inefficient as possible this year.” Nope. It’s all about efficiency… until you start talking about losing weight.

You may have heard the old-timers at your gym say, “If you want big arms, squat.” They mean that the hormonal release generated by large exercises improves overall muscle gain results. But is that true?

Oh, the agony of the post-squat waddle, or the post-bench-press tooth brushing. Wouldn’t it be nice to find a way to alleviate delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)? Well, one new supplement shows promise. (That is, if you can make your post-superset-row arms work well enough to open the jar.)

Fast food is cheap. But metabolic syndrome — a consequence of poor diet and inactivity — is expensive. Luckily, the solution to metabolic syndrome is also pretty cheap… at least, if it doesn’t involve drugs.

Does adding something potentially good to a junky food make the junky food better? Does it turn French fries into broccoli? Well, ask yourself: are “light” cigarettes a health supplement?

Increasingly, evidence shows that our children and even grandchildren can inherit non-genetic elements — stuff that’s not our DNA, but rather changes in the way our DNA can be expressed. And as it turns out, feast or famine can affect the fatness of future generations. If you’re struggling with your weight, perhaps it means your grandma survived a tough winter.

It’s a truism that exercise helps with stress. But have you ever wondered… why? Could it be your DNA? A gang of swimming rats takes the plunge to find out.

The “turkey coma” is a common occupational hazard of holiday dinners. The tryptophan in turkey converts to 5-HTP and serotonin, which helps relax us and make us feel fuller. Could 5-HTP also help us lose fat? Possibly, although not if we consume it in the form of a buffet…

Years ago, exercise physiologists thought that anyone who could run a marathon would never have heart disease. They were wrong. Really wrong. In fact, if you’re a middle-aged man concerned about heart health, this week’s study suggests that you may want to run away from marathons.

We know that having carbohydrates during prolonged exercise helps performance. But what if you didn’t actually have to eat the carbohydrate? What if the taste of carbohydrate were enough to boost performance? A new study suggests that this might be the case.

We’re starting to hear more about how vitamin D is an important nutrient. But are our vitamin D levels affected by our genes?

Ever sit down with a big bowl of ice cream after a bad day? Well, that might not be the best thing to do. Poor eating habits may damage more than your waistline — they might affect your mental health too.

Two recent studies have shaken up the weight lifting and athletic world with respect to protein intake. But is all the hoopla doing healthy eaters a service? Click here to find out if we should all just limit our intake of protein to 20-30g. Or if there’s a smarter approach.

When AC/DC sang, “We’ve got the biggest bars of them all!” (what? those aren’t the right lyrics?) were they referring to the improved grip strength and muscular activation from thick barbell training? This week’s study finds out!

Good news: You can lose weight and keep it off. Bad news: You have to put in more effort in than a lifelong skinny person. But why do people have to put in more effort in the first place? Are these successful weight losers different biologically than those who gained back the weight?

Winter’s on its way in the Northern Hemisphere. For some of us, less sunlight and colder temps means Seasonal Affective Disorder — we’re sad with SAD. This week’s Research Review looks at the relationship between exercise and depression. Turn that frown upside down by grabbing your running shoes!

As Will Ferrell opined in Talladega Nights, “I wanna go fast!” Don’t we all? Is a big squat the secret to a fast sprint?

Conjugated linoleic acids, or CLAs for short, are produced during ruminant (aka cows and sheep) digestion and thus found in meat and dairy. CLAs may help you lose body fat… that is, if everything else is perfect. (Or you’re Danish.)

Rest intervals. They give you time to sip water, catch your breath, silently curse your trainer, stare off into space a bit, maybe leaf through a People magazine. But how long should you zone out between sets? It might be less time than you’d think, especially if muscle mass gain is your goal. Drop the People mag and pick up a timer.

Food X cures cancer! Food Y causes cancer! Food Z caused no cancer in lab rats despite being banned in 38 countries! With all the information out there, how do you determine the truth? According to one group, start by following the money trail.

Many parents know all too well the immediate, manic, screamy, tantrumy consequences of feeding sugar to a toddler. But what about later in life? Do over-sugared kids become over-fat adults?

If you ski, jump, run, or skate, you’ve probably injured your knee, or know someone else who has. How can you keep yourself safe? Look behind you.

So, according to Time magazine, exercise alone — without nutritional change — probably doesn’t make you skinny. Well, duh. But what about diet alone? Sure, it might help you lose weight if you eat less… but this week’s study shows that exercise has some unexpected (and very beneficial) effects too.

Broccoli is broccoli, right? Wrong. Whether it’s organic or conventionally grown, what matters most for nutritional content is that it’s fresh… and in season. Hey you — buying tomatoes in January! Listen up!

Recently, the mainstream media reported “Organic Food No Better Than Conventionally Grown Food!” Oh really? Not surprisingly, there is more to the story than the headline suggesting organic consumers are suckers. Research Review investigates.

Research shows that people eat more while watching TV. But does this “TV munchie effect” persist even hours afterwards? The results may surprise you…

Check out a new online service for fitness professionals that will help you incorporate the latest science into your client interactions. It’s called the Research Review Service and you can check it out by clicking here.

Many decisions are shaped by your belief that you have control over your own life and behaviour… regardless of whether you ACTUALLY have control. So, are you the boss of you?

When it comes to fat loss, men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Or, more precisely, men are from planet Viscera and women are from planet Subcutaneous. But they can agree on losing the same amount of fat overall.

What I did on my summer vacation: Found out all about muscles as molecular and metabolic machines. Beats Disneyland any day!

When it comes to muscle building, leucine is the rock star of amino acids. It has its own VIP entrance to the cells, and the DJs mTOR and Rheb start the protein synthesis party when it arrives. But is leucine on its own better than whey?

Are you the kind of person who loves a good marathon? Or are you the kind of person who prefers to watch the marathon on TV as you lie on the couch? Is there such thing as a “natural” exerciser or non-exerciser?

If you’re given more food than normal, would you notice? And would you eat the same amount you normally eat… or would you eat more? Researchers show that you might end up doing a Garfield and devouring a tray of lasagne without realizing…

Exercise provides a form of “good stress” that helps the body compensate and get stronger. But what happens when you “block” that natural stress process with antioxidant vitamins C and E? Is it good or bad? Well, this study suggests it might be both… and that if you’re concerned about insulin sensitivity, maybe you should hold off on that multivitamin for a little while.

What we eat can affect the way we feel, think, and behave. Indeed, the gastrointestinal tract has often been called the “second brain”. You’ve probably heard the phrase “gut feeling”. Actually, we don’t often feel our guts, until it’s too late. Here’s how to identify common GI disorders, and what to do about them.

Whether you want to make like Rocky IV or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, sled pulling is a great way to help you run faster and improve your performance in many sports. But if you want to improve your sprints in particular, how fast should you run, and how heavy should the sled be?