Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1196907
December 2019/January 2020 11 A 2019 study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that people who exercised before breakfast burned double the fat than people who exercised after breakfast. The researchers believe this is due to lower insulin levels when people have fasted overnight. They use more fat from fat tissue and the fat within their muscles as fuel. The study only looked at men, but future studies will include other groups, including women. "This work suggests that performing exercise in the overnight-fasted state can increase the health benefits of exercise for individuals, without changing the intensity, duration, or perception of their effort," said co-author Dr. Gareth Wallis of the University of Birmingham. healthy living By Laura G. Owens Rock Body YOUR A fter the 2016 election, the growing political divide has made for heated (and often ugly) arguments all across the country. So, what do you do if Aunt Jane insists on having a political battle at your once-peaceful holiday family dinner celebration? First, understand why you react the way you do (besides the obvious, that you vehemently disagree with Aunt Jane's politics). Blame the fight-or-flight response. A recent neuroscience study conducted by Jonas Kaplan, assistant research professor at the Brain and Creativity Institute at USC Dornsife, found that our self- defense mechanism is set off when our political beliefs are challenged. Our primitive brain designed to keep us safe from threats asks, "fight or flee?" as if we're confronting an actual predator in the woods. "The brain is trying to protect the body," says Kaplan. "These reactions have been very useful to us because they have been, throughout the course of evolution, supportive tools for making sure that life prospers. But what we are afraid of and what we should be afraid of are two different things. We should direct our anger toward things that actually deserve it." Kaplan has been trying to figure out how to trigger a change in the brain's responses to bring people together. But in the meantime, he suggests people try to avoid the 'us vs. them' mentality. "If you become aware of how you are feeling, it can help you to keep some distance and awareness about how those automatic reactions can be evoked." EXERCISE BEFORE BREAKFAST TO BURN MORE FAT T he FDA recently approved the CBD-based medication Epidiolex to treat a rare form of childhood epilepsy. But what about the other often touted benefit – chronic pain relief? Results from research are mixed but the future looks good. A lot of studies tend to show that "it's anti-inflammatory and that it does have some analgesic effect," says Kevin Boehnke, Ph.D., research investigator in the department of anesthesiology and the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan. Most of the medical studies tend to look at CBD in combination with THC, the compound in cannabis that makes you high. Researchers think they work better in combination. "It seems like if you take them together, you can tolerate more THC without having the same types of side effects," says Boehnke, meaning, the combination somehow reduces intoxication and impairment while increasing pain relief. The challenge, explains Boehnke is most of the studies are small, limited in duration, and they don't use cannabis products that reflect what people are actually using today. The only Drug Enforcement Agency-approved medical marijuana supplier is the University of Mississippi but it's low quality and more like hemp, a form of cannabis with extremely low levels of THC. The good news is that in 2018 the government reclassified CBD. It's no longer categorized as a dangerous Schedule 1 drug which means clinical studies can be done more easily. If so, expect an even more promising future of CBD-based alternatives. AVOIDING HOLIDAY POLITICAL HOSTILITIES CBD PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FOR CHRONIC PAIN? Clockwise from top: El Roi; Roman Samborskyi; Lightfieldstudios