Effect of a Free-Living Ketogenic Diet on Feasibility, Satiety, Body Composition, and Metabolic Health in Women: The Grading Level of Optimal Carbohydrate for Women (GLOW) Study.

OBJECTIVE: The study's purpose was to examine a free-living, ketogenic diet (WFKD) on feasibility, satiety, body composition, and metabolic health in women. METHODS: Twenty-two women (age (yr.) 42.2 ± 8.1, Ht. (cm) 164.2 ± 5.9, BMI 27.3 ± 6.0) participated in a 21-day, free-living dietary intervention. Daily ketone measurements and satiety/craving surveys, weekly diet records, and PRE and POST assessments of anthropometrics, body composition, blood pressure, and fasted capillary-blood glucose (BG) and cholesterol panels were collected. RESULTS: Women maintained calories (PRE: 1938 kcal vs POST: 1836 kcal) and protein (PRE: 17% vs POST: 20%) but decreased carbohydrate (PRE: 36% vs POST: 13%) and increased fat (PRE: 45% vs POST: 65%) PRE to POST (p ≤ 0.05). Daily self-reports suggested no changes in satiety or food cravings between PRE, WK 1, WK 2, and WK 3. Ketones increased (PRE 0.3 ± 0.2 mmol vs POST 0.8 ± 0.6 mmol) PRE to POST with significant differences between PRE and all other time points (p ≤ 0.05). Bodyweight (PRE: 73.9 kg vs POST: 72.3 kg) and body fat (PRE: 28.9 ± 13.4 kg vs POST 27. 4 ± 13.5 kg) decreased but there were no differences in fat-free mass PRE to POST (p ≤ 0.05). Systolic blood pressure decreased (PRE: 119.2 ± 8.9 mmHg vs POST: 109.5 ± 10.9 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure increased (PRE: 74.1 ± 7.5 mmHg vs POST: 78.8 ± 7.4 mmHg), and BG improved (94.0 ± 8.3 mg/dL vs POST 89.9 ± 9.0 mg/dL) PRE to POST (p ≤ 0.05). No differences were observed in total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides (TG) but TC/HDL decreased and low-density lipoprotein increased PRE to POST (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Women were able to maintain calories, improve body composition, blood pressure, and BG, increase ketones, and improve some but not all cholesterol markers after 21 days on a free-living WFKD.

Effectiveness of NexQuest Natural Frequency Technology® on sleep and mood of adults with insomnia symptoms: a randomized, double blind and placebo controlled crossover trial.

OBJECTIVES: The study purpose was to conduct a four-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial on adults with insomnia symptoms to examine the effectiveness of Natural Frequency Technology(®) (NFT), found in Philip Stein Sleep Bracelets, on sleep quality, anxiety/stress levels, and mood. METHODS: Adults (N = 44, M age = 41.9 years) were randomized to the Placebo Bracelet (PB) or NFT Sleep Bracelet (SB) for two weeks and then the alternative bracelet for two weeks. Self-reported mood, anxiety/stress, and sleep quality were completed at Day 0 (PRE) and following each condition; POST PB and POST SB). RESULTS: When the participants wore the SB, compared to the PB, they had improved sleep quality (i.e., Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), anxiety/perceived stress, and mood, p's < .05. DISCUSSION: The SB may be simple, noninvasive, and non-pharmacological intervention to improve sleep quality and daytime mood.

Efficacy of fenugreek seed extract on men's psychological and physical health: a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: Limited research has examined the effects of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) supplementation to improve healthy younger men's aging male symptoms. The study objective was to examine whether a fenugreek seed extract would improve healthy men's aging male symptoms, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), grip strength, and anxiety. METHODS: Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial was employed, using a parallel design, with assessments at baseline, Day 30, and Day 60. Healthy male volunteers (n = 57, mean age = 26.1 years) were randomized to: fenugreek 400 mg/d (n = 19), fenugreek 500 mg/d (n = 19), or placebo group (n = 19). RESULTS: The fenugreek groups reported significant improvements in aging male symptoms, anxiety levels, grip strength, and indicators of HRQoL compared to the placebo group, p's < 0.05. No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: Fenugreek supplementation is an effective nutritional intervention for improving aging male symptoms, anxiety levels, grip strength, and aspects of HRQoL in healthy recreationally active men. Future researchers are encouraged to examine the health and ergogenic effects of fenugreek supplementation in hypogonadal and older populations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT03528538.

Efficacy of Wholetones® 2Sleep and classical music on sleep and health behaviors of adults with insomnia symptoms: A single blind, randomized, controlled, crossover pilot trial.

OBJECTIVES: To conduct a randomized single-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial on adults with insomnia symptoms to examine the efficacy of Wholetones® 2Sleep Music (WM) and Classical Music (CM) on sleep quality, anxiety/stress, fatigue, productivity, and mood. METHODS: Following baseline assessments, 38 adults (M age = 46.6 years) were randomized to either WM or CM conditions for 10 days and then the alternative music for 10 days after a 4 day "wash-out". The outcomes were sleep quality (i.e., Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and psychological measures. RESULTS: Listening to both the WM and CM resulted in significant improvements from baseline for sleep quality, stress/anxiety, fatigue, productivity, and mood (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: WM and CM provides a simple, noninvasive, and non-pharmacological intervention to promote sleep quality resulting in improved daytime mood, fatigue, productivity, and anxiety/stress.

ACTIVE-EYES: an adaptive pixel-by-pixel image-segmentation sensor architecture for high-dynamic-range hyperspectral imaging.

The ACTIVE-EYES (adaptive control for thermal imagers via electro-optic elements to yield an enhanced sensor) architecture, an adaptive image-segmentation and processing architecture, based on digital micromirror (DMD) array technology, is described. The concept provides efficient front-end processing of multispectral image data by adaptively segmenting and routing portions of the scene data concurrently to an imager and a spectrometer. The goal is to provide a large reduction in the amount of data required to be sensed in a multispectral imager by means of preprocessing the data to extract the most useful spatial and spectral information during detection. The DMD array provides the flexibility to perform a wide range of spatial and spectral analyses on the scene data. The spatial and spectral processing for different portions of the input scene can be tailored in real time to achieve a variety of preprocessing functions. Since the detected intensity of individual pixels may be controlled, the spatial image can be analyzed with gain varied on a pixel-by-pixel basis to enhance dynamic range. Coarse or fine spectral resolution can be achieved in the spectrometer by use of dynamically controllable or addressable dispersion elements. An experimental prototype, which demonstrated the segmentation between an imager and a grating spectrometer, was demonstrated and shown to achieve programmable pixelated intensity control. An information theoretic analysis of the dynamic-range control aspect was conducted to predict the performance enhancements that might be achieved with this architecture. The results indicate that, with a properly configured algorithm, the concept achieves the greatest relative information recovery from a detected image when the scene is made up of a relatively large area of moderate-dynamic-range pixels and a relatively smaller area of strong pixels that would tend to saturate a conventional sensor.