Friday, February 6, 2015

Top Ten Brain Posts 2015

Brain Posts on diet and exercise lead the list of topics with the most page views in 2014.

Here are the top five most viewed blog posts. Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for a productive and peaceful 2015.

Clicking on the title will link you to the full Brain Post blog on the topic.

5. Aging, Exercise and Brain Plasticity

This post examined a review of the effects of aging and exercise on the brain. Exercise appears to reduce the rate of atrophy of the brain hippocampus with age. Enhanced brain blood flow with exercise may provide a boost in brain plasticity needed to deal with vascular degeneration.

4. Lo Carb-Mediterranean Diet Combo Sheds Fat in Trial

A research team from Greece published results of a trial of a very low carbohydrate diet alternating with low carbohydrate Mediterranean style diet. Over one year subjects in this study lost an average of 35 pounds. Metabolic changes including lower cholesterol levels were favorable in the study subjects.

3. Alternate Day Fasting for Weight Loss and Cardioprotection

A small study compared a 12 week program of alternate day fasting with control who continued their typical diet. The alternate day fasting group was allowed to eat an evening meal of about 500 calories. The alternate day fasting group lost an average of a pound per week and showed evidence of reduced inflammation including lower CRP levels.

2. Varenicline for Smoking Cessation

In this post, I reviewed four manuscripts relevant to varenicline (Chantix in U.S.) treatment in smoking cessation. Varenicline appears an effective options for treatment of smoking cessation and may be combined with other drug agents such as bupropion. It also appears promising for smokers suffering from a psychiatric disorder when used under the supervision of a physician.

1. How the Body Blocks Effect of Exercise After Weight Loss

The number one post for 2014 examined a study of how the body compensate to weight loss. Weight loss results in a dialing back of resting energy expenditure promoting weight regain. This effect contributes to poor long-term maintenance of weight loss and underscores the needed for continued exercise following weight loss.

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Photo of Christmas Lights at Rhema Church in Tulsa from the author's files. 


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