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The Effects of Nutrition on Physical Activity and Human Health

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Sports Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2021) | Viewed by 17303

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Anita Lill Hansen

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Guest Editor

Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, 5015 Bergen, Norway
Interests: nutritional interventions; cognition; psychophysiology; stress resilience; cognitive behavior therapy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Physical activity is regarded as one of the most important resilience-enhancing strategies. Recently, it was found that nutritional interventions also improve resilience to stress. The question of whether nutritional interventions can improve or increase the frequency of physical activity remains unanswered. It has been found that different types of diet (e.g., diet with vs. without fatty fish) throughout wintertime influenced levels of physical activity in different ways. However, more knowledge about the relationship between nutrition and physical activity, as well as the mechanisms involved, is needed. Increased understanding of how regular physical activity can be maintained has important implications for health behavior and health promotion. Importantly, mental health is an integrated and essential part of health. The effect of different forms of physical activity such as aerobic and strength training, but also hard physical work, on stress resilience mechanisms (e.g., psychophysiology, serotonin, cortisol, and executive functioning) and health also needs to be addressed.

We therefore invite authors to submit original and review articles investigating the relationship between nutrition and physical activity and effects on both objective (e.g., human biological factors) and subjective factors (e.g., self-reported mental health). We also invite authors investigating the effects of specific forms of physical activity on human health-related variables to submit their research. Case studies can also be considered for publication.

Dr. Anita Lill Hansen
Guest Editor

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Keywords

nutrition
nutrients
physical activity
stress resilience
biological markers
health

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 757 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does Regular Physical Activity Improve Personal Income? Empirical Evidence from China

by Xinlan Xiao, Youping Yu, Qiang He, Dingde Xu, Yanbin Qi, Li Ma and Xin Deng

Nutrients 2022, 14(17), 3522; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14173522 - 26 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2449

Abstract

A lack of adequate exercise threatens human health, weakening human capital accumulation. The relationship between exercise and income has become the focus of attention in health economics. In terms of reducing body weight and improving physical fitness, diet and physical exercise are intertwined and become effective ways to shape a healthy state. Based on individual-level survey data from China, this study quantified the economic returns of habitual exercise behavior by using an endogenous switching regression model (ESRM) to eliminate selection bias. The study shows that (1) participants in the group with regular exercise behavior increased their income by 3.79% compared with those not exercising regularly; (2) for the group with no regular exercise behavior, regular exercise increased their income by 13.36% compared with those not exercising regularly. Additionally, empirical evidence shows that both drinking and smoking can significantly increase individual income, despite unhealthy habits. These results suggest that the habit of regular physical activity plays a vital role in increasing individual income and improving overall national health, and the effect of individual behavior on income is affected by national culture. The outcomes are empirical evidence for the Chinese government to promote Healthy China Action and support developing countries worldwide to enable habitual exercise, stimulating a policy of exercise behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Nutrition on Physical Activity and Human Health)

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14 pages, 279 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physical Education and Its Importance to Physical Activity, Vegetable Consumption and Thriving in High School Students in Norway

by Nora Wiium

Nutrients 2021, 13(12), 4432; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124432 - 10 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3248

Abstract

Earlier research indicates that physical education (PE) in school is associated with positive outcomes (e.g., healthy lifestyle, psychological well-being, and academic performance). Research assessing associations with resilience and thriving indicators, such as the 5Cs of Positive Youth Development (PYD; competence, confidence, character, caring, and connection) is limited and more so in the Norwegian context. The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between PE grade (reflecting students’ effort in theoretical and practical aspects of the subject) and the 5Cs as well as healthy behaviors (physical activity (PA), fruit and vegetable consumption), using cross-sectional data collected from 220 high school students in Norway (M_age = 17.30 years old, SD = 1.12; 52% males). Results from structural equation modelling indicated positive associations between PE grade and four of the 5Cs (competence, confidence, caring, and connection; standardized coefficient: 0.22–0.60, p < 0.05) while in logistic regressions, a unit increase in PE grade was associated with higher likelihood of engaging in PA and vegetable consumption (OR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.18–3.18 and OR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.08–2.63, respectively). These significant findings suggest the need for policies and programs that can support effective planning and implementation of PE curriculum. However, further research is needed to probe into the role of PE on youth health and development with representative samples and longitudinal designs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Nutrition on Physical Activity and Human Health)

12 pages, 545 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Vitamin D Status and Physical Activity during Wintertime in Forensic Inpatients—A Randomized Clinical Trial

by Anita L. Hansen, Gina Ambroziak, David M. Thornton, James C. Mundt, Rachel E. Kahn, Lisbeth Dahl, Leif Waage, Daniel Kattenbraker and Bjørn Grung

Nutrients 2021, 13(10), 3510; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103510 - 05 Oct 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2134

Abstract

This study aimed to gain deeper knowledge about the relationship between vitamin D and physical activity in a sample of forensic inpatients. Sixty-seven male forensic inpatients participated. Participants were randomly assigned into an Intervention group (vitamin D) or a Control group (placebo). The Physical Activity–Rating (PA-R) questionnaire was used to measure physical activity from January to May. Vitamin D status was measured as 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) pre- and post-intervention. The results revealed that vitamin D status at post-test was positively correlated with physical activity, but there was no effect of vitamin D supplementation looking at the two randomized groups. However, controlling for body mass index (BMI), the results showed an effect of BMI and a main effect of groups with a higher level of physical activity in the Intervention group. No interaction effects were found. Participants were also assigned into High and Low vitamin D groups based on the vitamin D status at post-test; i.e., the upper (75.1 nmol/L) and lower quartile (46.7 nmol/L). T-tests revealed that participants with a vitamin D status above 75 nmol/L showed significantly higher levels of physical activity than participants with a vitamin D status below 46.7 nmol/L. Thus, a vitamin D status above 75 nmol/L seems to be an optimal level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Nutrition on Physical Activity and Human Health)

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12 pages, 1747 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Physical Fitness in the Relationship between Nut Consumption and Body Composition in Young Adults

by Miriam Garrido-Miguel, Vicente Martínez-Vizcaíno, Rubén Fernández-Rodríguez, Isabel Antonia Martínez-Ortega, Luis Enrique Hernández-Castillejo, Bruno Bizzozero-Peroni, Marta Carolina Ruiz-Grao and Arthur Eumann Mesas

Nutrients 2021, 13(6), 2126; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13062126 - 21 Jun 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3415

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to estimate the association between nut consumption and body composition-related measures and to examine whether this relationship is mediated by cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and the muscle strength index (MSI) in young adults. A cross-sectional study involving college students (n = 354) aged 18–30 years from a Spanish public university was conducted. Body composition and fitness components were assessed using standard methods. Nut consumption was evaluated using a Food-Frequency Questionnaire. ANCOVA models were used to assess the mean differences in physical fitness and body composition by nut consumption categories. Hayes’s PROCESS macro was applied for mediation and interaction analyses adjusted for the main confounders. Young adults with high nut consumption (≥5 portions of 30 g/week) showed significantly higher values of physical fitness components and fat-free mass and lower values of adiposity-related measures than their peers in the lowest categories of nut consumption (˂1 portion/week) (p < 0.05). No significant interaction between CRF and nut consumption on body composition was found. In the mediation analysis, CRF and MSI acted as full mediators of the relationship of nut consumption with fat-free mass and waist circumference/height index. Otherwise, CRF and MSI partially mediated the relationship between nut consumption and body mass index and percent of fat mass. Finally, nut consumption, per se, does not appear to have a significant impact on body composition indicators because these associations have been shown to be partially (for BMI and %BF) or entirely (for ratio WC/height and fat-free mass) explained by CRF and MSI. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Nutrition on Physical Activity and Human Health)

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14 pages, 2908 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cardiometabolic Associations between Physical Activity, Adiposity, and Lipoprotein Subclasses in Prepubertal Norwegian Children

by Tarja Rajalahti, Eivind Aadland, Geir Kåre Resaland, Sigmund Alfred Anderssen and Olav Martin Kvalheim

Nutrients 2021, 13(6), 2095; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13062095 - 19 Jun 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2138

Abstract

Lipoprotein subclasses possess crucial cardiometabolic information. Due to strong multicollinearity among variables, little is known about the strength of influence of physical activity (PA) and adiposity upon this cardiometabolic pattern. Using a novel approach to adjust for covariates, we aimed at determining the “net” patterns and strength for PA and adiposity to the lipoprotein profile. Principal component and multivariate pattern analysis were used for the analysis of 841 prepubertal children characterized by 26 lipoprotein features determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a high-resolution PA descriptor derived from accelerometry, and three adiposity measures: body mass index, waist circumference to height, and skinfold thickness. Our approach focuses on revealing and validating the underlying predictive association patterns in the metabolic, anthropologic, and PA data to acknowledge the inherent multicollinear nature of such data. PA associates to a favorable cardiometabolic pattern of increased high-density lipoproteins (HDL), very large and large HDL particles, and large size of HDL particles, and decreasedtriglyceride, chylomicrons, very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), and their subclasses, and to low size of VLDL particles. Although weakened in strength, this pattern resists adjustment for adiposity. Adiposity is inversely associated to this pattern and exhibits unfavorable associations to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) features, including atherogenic small and very small LDL particles. The observed associations are still strong after adjustment for PA. Thus, lipoproteins explain 26.0% in adiposity after adjustment for PA compared to 2.3% in PA after adjustment for adiposity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Nutrition on Physical Activity and Human Health)

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14 pages, 2940 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Crossing the Antarctica: Exploring the Effects of Appetite-Regulating Hormones and Indicators of Nutrition Status during a 93-Day Solo-Expedition

by Bjørn Helge Johnsen, Guttorm Brattebø, Terry M. Phillips, Rune Gjeldnes, Paul T. Bartone, Hans-Olav Neteland Monsen and Julian F. Thayer

Nutrients 2021, 13(6), 1777; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13061777 - 23 May 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2861

Abstract

Future deep space astronauts must maintain adequate nutrition despite highly stressful, isolated, confined and dangerous environments. The present case-study investigated appetite regulating hormones, nutrition status, and physical and emotional stress in a space analog condition: an explorer conducting a 93-day unsupported solo crossing of Antarctica. Using the dried blood spot (DBS) method, the subject drew samples of his blood on a regular basis during the expedition. The DBSs were later analyzed for the appetite regulating hormones leptin and adiponectin. Energy intake and nutritional status were monitored by analysis of albumin and globulin (including their ratio). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was also analyzed and used as an energy sensor. The results showed a marked reduction in levels of the appetite-reducing hormone, leptin, and the appetite stimulating hormone, adiponectin, during both extreme physical and psychological strain. Nutrition status showed a variation over the expedition, with below-normal levels during extreme psychological strain and levels abutting the lower bounds of the normal range during a phase dominated by extreme physical hardship. The IL-6 levels varied substantially, with levels above the normal range except during the recovery phase. It was concluded that a daily intake of 5058 to 5931 calories seemed to allow recovery of both appetite and nutritional status between extreme physical and psychological hardship during a long Arctic expedition. Furthermore, IL-6 may be a sensor in the muscle-liver, muscle-fat and muscle-brain crosstalk. These results may help guide nutrition planning for future astronaut crews, mountaineers and others involved in highly demanding missions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Nutrition on Physical Activity and Human Health)

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