Decreased Serum Levels of C-Terminal Agrin in Postmenopausal Women Following Resistance Training.

Elevated circulating C-terminal agrin fragment (CAF) is a marker of neuromuscular junction degradation and sarcopenia. This study sought to determine if resistance training (RT) impacted the serum levels of CAF in perimenopausal (PERI-M) and postmenopausal (POST-M) women. A total of 35 women, either PERI-M or POST-M, participated in 10 weeks of RT. Body composition, muscle strength, and serum estradiol and CAF were determined before and after the RT. The data were analyzed with two-way analysis of variance (p ≤ .05). Upper body and lower body strength was significantly increased, by 81% and 73% and 86% and 79% for the PERI-M and POST-M participants, respectively; however, there were no significant changes in body composition. Estradiol was significantly less for the POST-M participants at pretraining compared with the PERI-M participants. CAF moderately increased by 22% for the PERI-M participants in response to RT, whereas it significantly decreased by 49% for the POST-M participants. Ten weeks of RT reduced the circulating CAF in the POST-M women and might play a role in attenuating degenerative neuromuscular junction changes.

Efficacy of L-leucine Supplementation Coupled With Resistance Training in Untrained Midlife Women.

Objective: This study investigated the effects of leucine supplementation with resistance training (RT) in untrained peri- and postmenopausal women on fat free mass, strength, and select anabolic-related hormones.Method: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, in which 36 untrained women were randomly assigned to either a leucine or placebo supplement group coupled with 10 weeks of RT, performed thrice weekly, while ingesting either 5 g of placebo or leucine. Before and after RT, body composition and muscle strength were assessed and venous blood samples obtained to determine the levels of estradiol, testosterone, insulin-like growth factor-1, growth hormone, and cortisol. Data were analyzed by utilizing separate 2 × 2 [group × time (pretest and posttest)] factorial analyses of variance with repeated measures (p ≤ .05).Results: There were no significant changes or differences between groups in fat free mass or with any of the serum hormones assessed in response to supplementation. However, there were significant increases in strength in both groups in response to RT, but not supplementation.Conclusions: Peri- and postmenopausal women had significant increases in strength following 10 weeks of RT, with no additional effects from supplementing with leucine. There were no significant changes in either group regarding fat free mass or serum hormones.

Prevalence of metabolic disease and correlation to body composition and cardiovascular fitness in adults undergoing fitness assessments.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in participants who voluntarily participated in a fitness assessment, and to examine associations with routine nutrition intake and overall body composition. One hundred and six participants were recruited. Anthropometric measurements were taken with blood analyses completed for fasting glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and lipid panel. A 24-hour diet recall and a dietary screening survey was used to assess nutrient intake, in a sub-set of 36 participants. Statistical analyses utilized partial Spearmans' rank correlations, risk ratios, and Kendall's Tau correlations, with significance level at p < 0.05. Twenty five percent of this sample had ≥ three risk factors for MetS, with elevated fasting glucose and blood pressure being the most prevalent. Twenty percent of the participants had HbA1c levels elevated at the prediabetes range, with no previous diagnosis. Four percent of participants had HbA1c levels elevated at the T2DM range. Two nutrients of interest were correlated to BMI status. Percent kcal from carbohydrate (τ -0.207, p<0.05) had a negative correlation with BMI status and percent kcal from fat intake had a positive correlation (τ 0.217, p<0.05). Findings from this small sample of adults indicate the need for routine assessment of: clustering of MetS risk factors, risk of prediabetes and T2DM and treatment of same. Many participants would benefit from increasing their participation in physical activity, weight loss in regard to overall health improvement, and education to improve diet quality.

Amount of Genetics Education is Low Among Didactic Programs in Dietetics.

Nutritional genomics is a growing area of research. Research has shown registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) have limited knowledge of genetics. Limited research is available regarding how didactic programs in dietetics (DPDs) meet the genetics knowledge requirement of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND®). The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the study of nutritional genomics is incorporated into undergraduate DPDs in response to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position statement on nutritional genomics. The sample included 62 DPD directors in the U.S. Most programs (63.9%) reported the ACEND genetics knowledge requirement was being met by integrating genetic information into the current curriculum. However, 88.7% of programs reported devoting only 1-10 clock hours to genetics education. While 60.3% of directors surveyed reported they were confident in their program's ability to teach information related to genetics, only 6 directors reported having specialized training in genetics. The overall amount of clock hours devoted to genetics education is low. DPD directors, faculty, and instructors are not adequately trained to provide this education to students enrolled in DPDs. Therefore, the primary recommendation of this study is the development of a standardized curriculum for genetics education in DPDs.