A study of 420 people who followed a 20-week weight-loss treatment found that late lunch eaters lost less weight.
Approximately half the people ate lunch before 3pm and half afterwards. Energy intake, dietary composition, energy expenditure, appetite hormones, and sleep duration were similar in both groups. Late eaters were more likely to be evening types, had less energetic breakfasts, and skipped breakfast more frequently that early eaters. However, neither sleep duration nor CLOCK SNPs were independently associated with weight loss.
Eating patterns have changed considerably over the last few centuries.
A meta-analysis of swine flu studies from 19 countries found that between 20% and 27% of the population showed antibodies consistent with swine flu infection within a year of the start of the pandemic in 2009.
The results varied significantly by age. The infection rates were highest in children aged 5–19 years (39% to 55%) and 0–4 years (30% to 43%), while 8% to 24% of people older than 65 had some preexisting immunity.
A new study has shown that lightning triggers headaches in people who suffer from migraines.
The researchers used daily headache diaries from 90 patients in two previous clinical trials that were conducted in Cincinnati and St Louis, combined with data from sensors that detect electromagnetic radiation and can identify cloud-to-ground lightning strikes with 90% efficiency and determine the location of lightning strikes within 500 meters.
A study that looked at Australian patients over a 15-year period found that regular use of aspirin was associated with an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration.
However a comment piece questioned whether the study had done enough to show that the association is causal.
The standard model of the sense of smell is that molecules are recognized by their shape, as odourant molecules bind to specific sites on olfactory receptors. However a controversial new study shows that trained people can distinguish between molecules that differ only in vibrational mode.
The BBC has an article on the research as part of their Quantum Biology programme.
Scientists at the University of California found that sleep disruption in the elderly contributes to age-related cognitive decline
Age-related regional brain atrophy was associated with reduced slow wave activity (SWA) during non–rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, the consequence of which is impaired long-term memory.