Partner of the day

Hello. It’s Sunday, May 5. You’re about to discover 9 ways to improve your gut health…if your hearing loss can be reversed…foods to NEVER eat before you run…5 poses to calm your mind…the best make-ahead burritos for breakfast…and more…

3,600 Steps a Day May Reduce Heart Failure Risk

You may have heard aiming for 10,000 steps a day is important for good health, which can sound overwhelming. Now, a recent study published in JAMA Cardiology has found that even 3,600 steps a day may provide significant benefits for your health—including reducing your heart failure risk.

Researchers analyzed data collected from nearly 6,000 women aged 63 to 99 who were free of heart failure. The participants wore an activity tracker on their hips for up to seven days, kept sleep logs, and provided details about their medical history and lifestyles.

What they found is that spending more time doing light intensity activity during the day was linked to a 12% lower risk of developing heart failure for every 70 minutes spent doing them. Meanwhile, for every 30 minutes spent on moderate-to-vigorous activities, the risk decreased by 16%. On the flip side, each hour-and-a-half spent sitting was associated with a 17% higher risk of getting heart failure.

Translating this into steps, the researchers found that even at 2,500 steps per day there was a significant reduction in heart failure risk. But at 3,600 per day, the risk dropped by 25% to 30%. Interestingly, it didn’t matter whether the activity was low or high intensity; what mattered most was the total number of steps taken.

Scientists Reveal Why Some Foods Taste Bitter

Did you know adults typically have between 2,000 to 10,000 taste buds? These tiny structures on our tongues perceive the flavors of everything we eat—including salty, sweet, sour, savory, and bitter foods. Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine decided to home in on bitterness specifically to see why certain foods leave us with that bitter taste in our mouths.

For this study published in Nature, the researchers focused on a taste receptor called TAS2R14. This receptor, found on our tongues, can detect more than 100 substances we commonly experience as bitter foods. When a bitter food touches a TAS2R14 receptor, it changes shape. This change activates its attached G-protein, which sends an almost instantaneous alert to our brain, letting it know we’re tasting something bitter.

Interestingly, the researchers also found that cholesterol plays an important role in helping to activate the TAS2R14 taste receptor. Plus, they found evidence suggesting that bile acids may also have a role to play, possibly binding to the same receptor site as cholesterol.

The next time you eat bitter food, you will know your TAS2R14 taste receptors are doing their jobs. Plus, this research is helping scientists with medication development, enabling them to directly regulate certain G-proteins without causing unwanted side effects.