Brandon Macias, Ph.DMost folks, especially those who do not suffer from bone debilitating diseases, might forget that their skeletons are “alive.”  Yes, the bone that protects your vital organs and works with your muscles to get you out of bed in the morning is constantly remodeling.  Bone cells called osteoblasts lay down new bone matrix, and bone cells called osteoclasts, “eat” or resorb bone tissue.  In a normal healthy human, this bone-forming activity ...

Chang Woock Lee, B.A.Cholesterol is perhaps the most notorious biological molecule of all. To many people, cholesterol is simply a synonym for heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular disease because excessive blood cholesterol and lipid contributes to development of plaque build-up in the arteries and can eventually narrow and clog the blood vessels. Thus, cholesterol has become a nemesis to be overcome and destroyed. People try to eliminate cholesterol from their diet, and the media constantly ...

Jonathan Oliver, Ph.DDue to their intense training and physical abilities, athletes are assumed by many people to be healthy individuals. However, this may not always be the case. Studies have recently shown that football athletes, particularly linemen, are at an increased risk for the development of cardiovascular disease. This is evidenced by the increased morbidity rate of retired professional football players.  In fact, sport scientists have been researching younger ...

Vincent C.W. Chen, B.S.Metabolic syndrome, a condition including insulin resistance (causing diabetes), obesity, hyperlipidemia (high blood lipids), hypertension, and heart disease, is mainly due to high fat diets and lack of physical activity. It has become a major health concern in modern society. Recently, a substance called PPAR-delta has been identified as a potential therapeutic remedy for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. PPAR-delta is the most abundant isoform among the three PPARs (p...

 Teak V. Lee, B.S.  What’s the first thought that comes to mind when the word “cholesterol” is mentioned? More often than not, it’s probably going to be negative. This is probably due to the bad reputation that cholesterol has gained because of its involvement in conditions such as cardiovascular disease. However, before we can make a conclusion, we need to understand the roles cholesterol plays in our bodies and the circumstances when it cau...

 Justin Dobson, Ph.D(c), CSCS, SCCC   Inflammation is a natural response to stress put on the body. It is the first step in the body’s healing process, in which repair cells are directed from the blood into the injured tissue. Acute (short-lived) inflammation is necessary, but problems arise when inflammation persists (chronic inflammation). Besides rheumatoid arthritis or tendonitis, chronic inflammation accompanies many other disease states, such as atherosc...

David Ferguson, Ph.D, RCEP   In today’s sporting environment, great importance is placed on the health education of the athlete. This includes proper nutrition instruction, health assessment, and the application of proper treatments and rehabilitation modalities to injured athletes. However, this is a fairly new development in sport, and athletes who competed 30 years ago did not receive these benefits. Because of this, many former athletes are being diagnosed...