Wellness Check: Nutrition

Daily matcha consumption may improve resistance training-induced adaptation in muscle

1. In this randomized controlled trial, participants who consumed matcha green tea daily had increased leg press strength after 8 weeks of resistance training and increased skeletal muscle mass after 12 weeks of resistance training compared to control groups.

2. Furthermore, daily matcha consumption during resistance strength training was associated with lower subjective fatigue levels at 1 week of training compared to the control group.

Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent)

Resistance training results in adaptive changes in skeletal muscles, such as muscle fiber hypertrophy, which leads to improved muscle strength and increased muscle mass. Dietary nutrition is an important component of optimizing muscle adaptation to resistance training. Matcha green tea contains several compounds, such as catechins, carotenoids, and antioxidants, that may promote adaptive changes in skeletal muscles. This study investigated whether daily consumption of matcha green tea modulated resistance training-induced fatigue and muscle changes.

The study combined two randomized controlled trials that included a total of 36 healthy men. Participants who had any prior chronic diseases, a smoking history, or who were using medications or supplements at the time of the study were excluded. Participants were randomized to either the matcha (daily beverage containing 2.5g of matcha green tea powder) or placebo (daily tea-flavored beverage) group. In trial one, participants followed a resistance training program twice a week for 8 weeks. In the second trial, participants underwent resistance training for 12 weeks. Body composition and maximum muscle strength were measured one week prior to the study and during the last week of the training period in both trials. The level of experienced fatigue was also measured during the first exercise day and on an exercise day during the final week of training for the 8-week resistance training group. The primary outcome was the difference in muscle changes and fatigue between the matcha green tea and control groups.

The results demonstrated that the change in leg press strength was higher in the matcha group following 8 weeks of resistance training compared to the control group. In the 12-week training group, skeletal muscle mass was significantly increased in the matcha green tea group compared to the control. Furthermore, subjective fatigue was lower in the matcha group after exercise at 1 week of training. However, this study was limited in its generalizability, given that all participants were young, healthy males. Nonetheless, the results suggested that matcha could play a role in modulating muscle adaptation and fatigue in resistance training.

Inflammatory diets may be associated with infertility in women

1. In this cross-sectional study, the odds of infertility in participants with a diet in the highest inflammatory index (DII) quartile were significantly higher than those in the lowest quartile (anti-inflammatory diet).

2. Furthermore, the prevalence of infertility was highest in participants with light daily physical activity compared to those with intense daily physical activity.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

Infertility is a growing issue affecting 10-15% of women worldwide. Recent studies have looked at modifiable factors in treating infertility. Growing evidence suggests that dietary inflammation may be linked to infertility. However, the exact role that diet and lifestyle factors play in infertility remains poorly understood. Therefore, this study sought to evaluate the association between diet-related inflammation and infertility.

This cross-sectional study within the Ravansar non-communicable diseases (RaNCD) cohort consisted of 4,437 female participants living in Iran. All participants from the RaNCD cohort study aged 20-50 years who consented to participate were included in the study. Participants who had a malignancy, were following a special diet, or had neurological, hepatic, or endocrine diseases were excluded. Inflammatory diet assessments were determined using the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), which was calculated using a 118-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The level of physical activity was assessed using a 22-item questionnaire. Details about infertility were based on a fertility history questionnaire administered to all participants. The primary outcome was the association between DII score and infertility.

The results demonstrated that among the 4,437 women in this study, 411 were infertile. The odds of infertility in the highest DII quartile (pro-inflammatory diet) were significantly higher than in the lowest quartile (anti-inflammatory diet). The prevalence of infertility was highest in participants with light daily physical activity compared to those with intense daily physical activity. However, the study was limited by its cross-sectional design, which prevented the ability to draw conclusions about causality between inflammatory diet and infertility. Nonetheless, the results suggested that modifiable lifestyle changes such as diet and physical activity could affect fertility.

Mediterranean diet adherence may be associated with improved cardiovascular health in adult women

1. In this cross-sectional study, a higher Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) score was associated with improvements in several cardiovascular outcomes, including cardiovascular risk score, blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI) in adults.

2. However, women demonstrated a significant association between MedDiet scores and multiple cardiovascular outcomes, while men only showed a significant association between MedDiet scores and lower BMI.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

Cardiovascular diseases affect a large proportion of the aging population and have high morbidity and mortality. Diet is an important component of managing cardiovascular disease risks, and studies have suggested that the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is beneficial in improving cardiovascular risk, particularly in men. This study sought to further evaluate the effect of MedDiet adherence on cardiovascular risk factors in adult men and women.

This cross-sectional study included 533 adult participants living in the UK (60% women) from the PREVENT Dementia cohort. Participants were included in the PREVENT cohort if they consented to participation and did not have dementia at baseline. Participants were excluded from analyses if they had missing exposure, outcome, and covariate data. Baseline data was collected from the PREVENT dataset. MedDiet adherence was assessed using 3 different scores: the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) score, the MEDAS continuous score, and the Pyramid score. Scores were determined based on self-reported food consumption of 175 foods over the last 2-3 months using the Scottish Collaborative Group Good Frequency Questionnaire (SCG-FFQ). Cardiovascular outcomes included the cardiovascular risk score using the Framingham Risk Score and the QRisk3 scoring method, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), fasting blood glucose level, triglycerides, and cholesterol level. The primary outcome was the association between MedDiet adherence and cardiovascular risk.

The results demonstrated that higher MedDiet scores were associated with lower blood pressure, BMI, and cardiovascular risk scores. Women demonstrated significant associations between MedDiet scores and lower blood pressure, BMI, and glycemia, while men only demonstrated a significant association between MedDiet scores and lower BMI. However, this study was limited by the self-reported nature of MedDiet adherence, which may have introduced social desirability bias and the lack of diversity in the study participants, which limited its generalizability. Nonetheless, the results suggested that MedDiet adherence may be associated with an improved cardiovascular risk profile, especially in adult women.

Image: PD

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