Login | October 27, 2026
Physiology new tidbits
PETE GLADDEN
Published: October 26, 2026
Part of my weekly reading regime involves several of the better known physiological journals, and when I find a topic that might interest the ALN readership, I bring it forward as a column.
But today, rather than concentrate on just one topic I thought I’d offer a potpourri of shorter, yet nonetheless interesting topics.
So here we go.
Strength training: How much to increase your lifespan?
According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, individuals performing around one-two hours of strength training a week just might reap the biggest long-term health benefits.
The study tracked more than 147,000 people across 30 years, and it found that the one-two-hour/week timeframe was linked to lower risks of death overall, most notably from cardiovascular and neurological diseases.
They further found that by combining strength workouts with aerobic exercise the long-term health benefits improved even more.
Back pain and knee pain - maybe it’s weak glutes.
Ever heard of “Gluteal Amnesia?”
It refers to weak gluteal muscles (gluteus minimus, medius and maximus).
And the more you sit and the less you exercise, the higher the likelihood that your glutes will be small, weak, and poorly functioning.
Not a good scenario, because over time those weak gluteal muscles pass their load-management duties to the lower-back muscles, a muscle group definitely not meant to handle such intense forces.
Eventually those poor low back muscles revolt and respond in kind with low back pain.
And even if you are physically active, if you posses weak gluteal muscles you could be cruising down the road to chronically sore knees, or possibly even ACL injuries - all because your glutes are inefficient as stabilizing muscles.
The fix?
Address those glutes in your weekly workout routines with exercises like the clamshell, side-lying hip abduction and the fire-hydrant.
Osteopenia is a silent malady.
Most all of us know that osteopenia entails the loss of bone mineral density, but did you also know that this bone wasting process is so pervasive that it affects nearly 40% of the world’s population?
That startling statistic is because osteopenia occurs across many years, until suddenly there’s a prevalence of bone breaks and/or fractures, or when we receive a bone density test result that reveals severe bone loss.
Once past our mid-20s to early-30s the amount of bone loss begins to exceed the amount of bone formation.
And as if that’s not bad enough, there’s additional factors which can further accelerate osteopenia.
Things like hormonal changes and negative lifestyle choices (smoking, excess alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and poor diet) are all accelerators of bone loss.
But there’s some good news here.
Engaging in weight-bearing exercises like running, walking, jogging etc, and embarking on a strength training program along with taking supplements like calcium and vitamins D can stimulate bone formation and maybe even partially reverse bone mineral decline.
Two common fats and their relation to type 2 diabetes
A study published in the June 2026 issue of “Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism” found that palmitic acid, a saturated fat commonly found in vegetable oils, animal products and in ultra-processed foods, just might promote insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
At the same time the researchers found that foods high in oleic acids - nuts, avocados, olive oil, sunflower oil and dairy products - just might assist in protecting one’s insulin function, and maybe even counteract the harmful effects of palmitic acid.
The study’s researchers believe that this is a good first step in dietary scientists figuring out exactly how different fats affect our metabolic health.
Is cartilage regeneration on the horizon?
Recently at Stanford University scientists have formulated a treatment to regrow new cartilage, a discovery which in the world of orthopedic medicine is considered the “Holy Grail.”
Their treatment, targeting a protein linked to aging, has thus far restored lost knee cartilage in older mice and prevented arthritis from developing after serious joint injuries.
Better yet, the researchers also found promising results in human tissue, this when tissue samples collected during knee replacement surgeries were introduced to the treatment they subsequently began producing functional cartilage.
Closer now is the possibility that damaged cartilage might one day be repaired with an injection or an oral medication, all of which would reduce the need for knee and hip replacement surgeries.