Study archive · page 49

Exercise programmes produced a small but significant improvement in working memory in adults with mild-to-moderate depression. Effects on inhibition and cognitive flexibility, two other core executive functions, were not significant.

⚠What it shows: Meta-analysis of only 7 controlled studies (202 men, 457 women, aged 21-51, mild-to-moderate depression); high heterogeneity across trials; the authors say the shortage of high-quality studies precludes firm conclusions.Meta-analysis · Int J Environ Res Public Health

Pooling 54 randomised trials in healthy children, adults and older adults, exercise improved overall cognition and every domain measured, with aerobic work showing the greatest benefit for global cognition, resistance training for executive function and mind-body exercise for memory. Older adults gained the most.

⚠What it shows: Systematic review and meta-analysis of 54 RCTs in healthy people; the type-by-domain comparisons come from moderation analyses across studies rather than head-to-head trials, and the authors say evidence on attention and information processing is still too thin to judge.Meta-analysis · Ageing Res Rev

In a 12-week randomised trial of virtual reality exercise, participants viewing professionally produced 360° waterscapes improved mental quality of life, fat-free mass and BMI, and reported more restorativeness and less VR sickness than those viewing self-recorded landscapes.

⚠What it shows: Single RCT with 40 vs 32 participants over 12 weeks; the groups differed in video production quality as well as scenery type, and outcomes relied partly on self-report questionnaires.Study · J Formos Med Assoc

In a secondary analysis of 1,726 adults treated for alcohol use disorder, those engaging in more alcohol-free activities 6 months after treatment drank heavily less often at 12 months, and the link was stronger among people living in more impoverished communities. It is an observational association within a trial, not proof that adding activities causes less drinking.

⚠What it shows: Secondary observational analysis of 1,726 participants from a randomised alcohol use disorder trial at 10 US research units; associations come from Bayesian multilevel models over 12 months and cannot establish cause, and the sample is people who completed formal alcohol treatment.RCT · J Exp Anal Behav

An 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programme improved quality of life, life satisfaction, mental well-being and sleep quality in a randomised controlled trial of 84 menopausal women, while a no-intervention control group showed no significant change.

⚠What it shows: One single-site RCT in Türkiye, n=84, compared against a no-intervention control rather than a placebo or attention control; outcomes were self-reported and effect sizes were not stated in the abstract.RCT · J Nurs Scholarsh

In a three-arm trial of 122 adults with probable depression, an 8-week multicomponent lifestyle programme delivered either by smartphone app or by booklet cut depressive symptoms more than a waitlist, with clinically significant improvement in 78% of the app group and 55% of the booklet group versus 19.5% of controls.

⚠What it shows: Single randomised trial of 122 adults with probable depression in Hong Kong, compared against a waitlist rather than an active treatment, with follow-up beyond week 9 collected only in the intervention groups.Study · J Affect Disord

Pooling 20 studies in musculoskeletal rehabilitation, low-load training with blood flow restriction produced a moderate strength gain (Hedges' g=0.523) and was more effective and more tolerable than low-load training alone, but heavy-load training still produced the larger effect (g=0.674).

⚠What it shows: Systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 studies, mostly small: ACL reconstruction (n=3), knee osteoarthritis (n=3), older adults at risk of sarcopenia (n=13) and one inclusion body myositis study, not trained athletes. The authors note cuff prescription is not yet individualised.Meta-analysis · Br J Sports Med

A Cochrane review of 121 randomised trials and 6700 older adults found progressive resistance training produced a large improvement in muscle strength and smaller but real gains in physical ability, gait speed and getting out of a chair. Pain fell in participants with osteoarthritis, though not in other trials of bodily pain.

⚠What it shows: Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of 121 RCTs, 6700 participants; the strength effect was large (SMD 0.84) but the gain in physical ability was small (SMD 0.14), and adverse events were poorly recorded, with joint pain and muscle soreness commonly reported where they were tracked.Meta-analysis · Cochrane Database Syst Rev

Across 51 randomised trials, mind-body, resistance, flexibility and coordination exercise were all associated with reduced functional disability from nonspecific neck pain. An exploratory analysis suggested benefits from around 100 MET-min per session, with larger effects around 300-400 MET-min.

⚠What it shows: Network meta-analysis of 51 RCTs (4,140 participants); interventions were heterogeneous and the dose-response analysis is exploratory, study-level data only.Meta-analysis · PeerJ

A meta-analysis of 63 studies found plyometric training significantly improved jumping (SMD 0.648), sprinting (SMD -0.496) and agility (SMD -0.659) in adolescents aged 10-19, with benefits more consistent when programmes ran at least 10 weeks.

⚠What it shows: Meta-analysis of 63 trials in healthy adolescents aged 10-19; between-study heterogeneity, variable testing protocols, and small sex- and sport-specific subgroups limit generalisability.Meta-analysis · PeerJ

Pooling 29 randomised trials in 1,383 people aged 6-45 with overweight or obesity, combining resistance with aerobic training beat aerobic exercise alone for lean body mass and insulin-resistance markers. Body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, blood pressure and lipids showed no consistent difference.

⚠What it shows: Meta-analysis of 29 randomised trials (n=1,383) in people aged 6-45 with overweight or obesity; several outcomes rested on few studies with low-to-very-low certainty evidence, secondary analyses are exploratory, and the age range spans children to middle-aged adults.Study · iScience

Among 354,957 UK Biobank adults followed for a median of 13 years, those drinking 5 or more cups of coffee a day had lower rates of cirrhosis (hazard ratio 0.68), hepatocellular carcinoma (0.53) and liver-related mortality (0.58), with similar patterns for caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. Imaging showed lower liver fat, iron and fibroinflammation with higher intake.

⚠What it shows: Large observational cohort, not a trial: coffee intake was self-reported by questionnaire in UK Biobank volunteers who are healthier than the general population. Models adjusted for demographic, behavioural, metabolic and genetic factors, but residual confounding and reverse causation cannot be excluded, so causation is unproven.Study · Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol

A meta-analysis of whole-food dietary interventions in adults aged 50 and over found they raised daily protein intake by 12.2 g/day compared with controls, with bigger effects when programmes ran longer, used individual counselling and set an absolute protein target.

⚠What it shows: Systematic review of 16 studies (n = 1712, 33% male) with a meta-analysis of 11 controlled trials (n = 1207) in community-dwelling older adults; protein intake was self-reported dietary data, the confidence interval was wide (+5.0 to +19.4 g/day), and muscle or strength outcomes were not the endpoint.Study · Nutr Rev

In 50 obese women, 12 weeks of inulin-enriched tapioca pearls produced significant reductions in body weight, BMI, body fat mass, visceral fat, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol compared with placebo pearls. The abstract reports the direction of change but not the size of it.

⚠What it shows: One randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 50 women aged 20-50 with BMI at or above 27 or waist over 80 cm, run for 12 weeks; small, single-site, women only, and the abstract gives no effect sizes, so the reductions could be modest. One author is affiliated with the company behind the product. Needs larger and independent replication.RCT · J Food Drug Anal

Pooling seven randomised trials in adults aged 60 and over, adding protein or amino acids at breakfast did not improve lean mass, grip strength or lower-limb strength. The evidence was judged very uncertain, and in trials without exercise the extra morning protein was linked to slightly lower total daily energy intake.

⚠What it shows: Systematic review and meta-analysis of only 7 RCTs totalling 305 older adults; the authors rate certainty as very low, effect estimates all crossed zero, and they call for further high-quality trials.Review · Food Sci Nutr

Six weeks of home-based Thai-boxing HIIT improved VO2 max, resting blood pressure, resting heart rate, grip strength, trunk endurance and body fat more than a general health-education programme in 58 sedentary young adults. Muscle mass and fat-free mass did not differ between groups.

⚠What it shows: One 6-week RCT, n=58 sedentary young adults in Thailand; short duration, no long-term follow-up, and the comparison group received a different active programme.Study · J Educ Health Promot

Telling people living with HIV their personal 5- and 10-year cardiovascular risk, plus a brief personalised behaviour intervention, significantly improved heart-disease knowledge and reduced some risk behaviours over 6 months. Smoking and drinking rates fell more than in controls but not significantly.

⚠What it shows: Non-randomised multicentre trial (362 matched pairs after propensity-score matching) in people living with HIV in one Chinese province; behaviour changes were modest and several outcomes were not statistically significant.Study · Infect Dis Ther

Among 442 users of a smart ring, the device's "cardio age" estimate correlated with sleep efficiency, REM sleep, sleep duration and daily steps, measures not fed into the algorithm, and 82.6% of users were rated younger than their actual age. All the authors work for the company selling the feature.

⚠What it shows: Retrospective observational analysis of 442 self-selected ring owners over 12 months, run entirely by employees of the company that sells the feature; correlations were weak (around r = -0.2) and no laboratory fitness comparison was reported.Study · Front Digit Health

In an 8-week randomised trial, resistance-trained men taking 30 g/day whey protein plus 10 g/day collagen gained more muscle mass, lumbar spine bone density and strength than whey alone, collagen alone or placebo.

⚠What it shows: Small double-blind RCT: 40 resistance-trained men across four groups, so about 10 per arm, over only 8 weeks; muscle mass came from bioelectrical impedance rather than a criterion method, and the reported gains, including the spine bone density change, are unusually large and unusually consistent for such a short trial, so independent replication matters.Study · BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil

Pooling 20 randomised trials in 2,445 adults with metabolic syndrome or related conditions, supplements from the mint and sage family produced modest reductions in BMI, weight, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. Directly measured body fat mass did not change significantly.

⚠What it shows: Meta-analysis of 20 RCTs (n=2,445) in adults with metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia or fatty liver; half the trials had unclear allocation concealment, 10% had high performance bias risk, trials were short, body fat was measured indirectly, and the genus-level signals for Salvia and Zataria came from few trials.Review · J Ethnopharmacol

Delaying morning training from 07:00 to 09:00 gave national-level swimmers 1.0 h more sleep per night on average, but recovery and 100 m and 800 m time-trial performance did not measurably improve over the 8-day camps.

⚠What it shows: One cross-over RCT in 27 adolescent national-level swimmers across two 8-day training camps; the extra sleep produced no significant recovery or performance change in that short window, and results may not generalise to older or recreational athletes.Study · Sports Med Open

Machine-learning models classified whether serum miR-210 was raised after exercise training with 90% accuracy, but the entire study was 10 young adults, five per outcome group. Correlations between miR-210 and training frequency or age were weak and non-significant.

⚠What it shows: Exploratory study in just 10 young adults with five people per group, using leave-one-out cross-validation on a tiny sample: accuracy figures from samples this small are highly unstable, and the authors call the work hypothesis-generating.Study · Comb Chem High Throughput Screen

In a Finnish twin cohort followed for a mean 17.5 years, a genetic score for longer lifespan was associated with modestly lower all-cause mortality, largely independent of lifestyle. Smoking 20 or more cigarettes a day and female sex were both stronger predictors than the genetic score.

⚠What it shows: Observational prospective cohort of 5,575 older Finnish twins (mean age 57.4) with 1,405 deaths; associations only, self-reported lifestyle factors, and findings in one national population may not generalise.Study · Geroscience

In a microbiome analysis of adults with mild-to-moderate Crohn's disease on the Crohn's disease exclusion diet, those who sustained remission at both weeks 12 and 24 had a distinct gut profile at baseline, lower alpha diversity and more Alistipes and Faecalibacterium, while Haemophilus and Prevotella were negatively linked to remission.

⚠What it shows: Secondary microbiome analysis of two randomised trials, one in adults and one in children, with no sample size given for the remission comparison; associations between baseline bacteria and later remission are correlational and need prospective validation.Study · Crohns Colitis 360