Independent and Combined Effects of Dietary Weight Loss and Exercise on Leukocyte Telomere Length in Postmenopausal Women

Objective: Investigate the effects of 12 months of dietary weight loss and/or aerobic exercise on leukocyte telomere length in postmenopausal women. Design and Methods 439 overweight or obese women (50–75 y) were randomized to: i) dietary weight loss (N=118); ii) aerobic exercise (N=117), iii) diet + exercise (N=117), or iv) control (N=87). The diet intervention was a group-based program with a 10% weight loss goal. The exercise intervention was 45 mins/day, 5 days/week of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and 12 months. DNA was extracted from isolated leukocytes and telomere length was measured by quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Mean changes were compared between groups (intent-to-treat) using generalized estimating equations. Results: Baseline telomere length was inversely associated with age (r=−0.12 p<0.01) and positively associated with maximal oxygen uptake (r=0.11, p=0.03), but not with BMI or %body fat. Change in telomere length was inversely correlated with baseline telomere length (r=−0.47, p<0.0001). No significant difference in leukocyte telomere length was detected in any intervention group compared to controls, nor was the magnitude of weight loss associated with telomere length at 12 months. Conclusions: Twelve-months of dietary weight loss and exercise did not change telomere length in postmenopausal women

Is socioeconomic status associated with biological aging as measured by telomere length?

It has been hypothesized that one way in which lower socioeconomic status (SES) affects health is by increasing the rate of biological aging. A widely used marker of biological aging is telomere length. Telomeres are structures at the ends of chromosomes that erode with increasing cell proliferation and genetic damage. We aimed to identify, through systematic review and meta-analysis, whether lower SES (greater deprivation) is associated with shorter telomeres. Thirty-one articles, including 29 study populations, were identified. We conducted 3 meta-analyses to compare the telomere lengths of persons of high and low SES with regard to contemporaneous SES (12 study populations from 10 individual articles), education (15 study populations from 14 articles), and childhood SES (2 study populations from 2 articles). For education, there was a significant difference in telomere length between persons of high and low SES in a random-effects model (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.060, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.002, 0.118; P = 0.042), although a range of sensitivity analyses weakened this association. There was no evidence for an association between telomere length and contemporaneous SES (SMD = 0.104, 95% CI: −0.027, 0.236; P = 0.119) or childhood SES (SMD = −0.037, 95% CI: −0.143, 0.069; P = 0.491). These results suggest weak evidence for an association between SES (as measured by education) and biological aging (as measured by telomere length), although there was a lack of consistent findings across the SES measures investigated here

Is telomere length socially patterned? Evidence from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 study

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is strongly associated with an increased risk of morbidity and premature mortality, but it is not known if the same is true for telomere length, a marker often used to assess biological ageing. The West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study was used to investigate this and consists of three cohorts aged approximately 35 (N = 775), 55 (N = 866) and 75 years (N = 544) at the time of telomere length measurement. Four sets of measurements of SES were investigated: those collected contemporaneously with telomere length assessment, educational markers, SES in childhood and SES over the preceding twenty years. We found mixed evidence for an association between SES and telomere length. In 35-year-olds, many of the education and childhood SES measures were associated with telomere length, i.e. those in poorer circumstances had shorter telomeres, as was intergenerational social mobility, but not accumulated disadvantage. A crude estimate showed that, at the same chronological age, social renters, for example, were nine years (biologically) older than home owners. No consistent associations were apparent in those aged 55 or 75. There is evidence of an association between SES and telomere length, but only in younger adults and most strongly using education and childhood SES measures. These results may reflect that childhood is a sensitive period for telomere attrition. The cohort differences are possibly the result of survival bias suppressing the SES-telomere association; cohort effects with regard different experiences of SES; or telomere possibly being a less effective marker of biological ageing at older ages

Nike marketing plan: the launch of Nike Academy in Portugal

In this master project, the objective is to develop a strategic and operational marketing plan to support the launching of a football academy, designed to ensure the physical, psychological and emotional welfare of its athletes. This football academy will be launched in Portugal, by Nike, during the summer of 2021. In this project, we have identified the potential participants, sponsors and fans, and studied the advantages that this initiative may bring to Nike. To achieve these conclusions, we made a strategic and operational study, that will allow to evaluate the impact the new service for the brand and what resources will be needed to implement this project. We studied the reality in which the current football academies are being developed, to construct terms of comparisons between them, and to understand what the good practices are, and what can be improved in this industry. We defined a marketing strategy and designed marketing-mix components, with the goal of creating a football academy that fulfills the young athletes’ needs, and not only the agents’ and managers’ needs. Our goal was to construct a model of an academy that could be followed by other football clubs, demonstrating the importance that the mental wellbeing of the players has for themselves and for their futures, but also for the clubs where they play in.Este projeto de mestrado tem como objetivo, desenvolver um plano estratégico e operacional de marketing, para apoiar o lançamento de uma academia de futebol, desenvolvida com o intuito de garantir o bem-estar físico, psicológico e emocional dos seus atletas. Esta academia de futebol será lançada em Portugal, pela Nike, durante o verão de 2021. Neste projeto, identificamos os potenciais participantes, patrocinadores e fãs, e estudamos as vantagens que esta iniciativa pode trazer para a Nike. Para chegar a estas conclusões, realizamos um estudo estratégico e operacional, que permitirá avaliar o impacto do novo serviço para a marca e quais os recursos necessários para implementar este projeto. Estudamos a realidade em que as atuais academias de futebol estão a ser desenvolvidas, para elaborar termos de comparação entre elas e para entender quais são as boas práticas e o que pode ser melhorado neste setor. Definimos uma estratégia de marketing e projetamos componentes de marketing-mix, com o objetivo de criar uma academia de futebol que atenda às necessidades dos jovens atletas, e não apenas às necessidades dos agentes e diretores desportivos. O nosso objetivo passou por construir um modelo de academia de futebol que pudesse ser seguido por outros clubes de futebol, demonstrando a importância que o bem-estar mental dos jogadores tem para o presente e para o futuro deles, mas também para os clubes onde jogam

La dictadura franquista

El franquismo fue una larga dictadura que se fundó con el golpe de Estado del 18 de julio de 1936, se ratificó en 1939 y perduró hasta 1977, más allá de la muerte de Franco. Se moldeó a semejanza de los regímenes fascistas, a los que sobrevivió tras la victoria de los aliados en 1945. Fue introduciendo determinados cambios en su ordenación política y económica que le permitieron sobrevivir a una larga posguerra de 20 años, caracterizada por la miseria, el hambre y la represión. En los años 60 experimentó su máximo apogeo al abrir la economía española al gran crecimiento económico occidental lo que permitió un fuerte desarrollo y una profunda transformación social si bien se mantuvo un estricto inmovilismo político. La incapacidad del régimen para atender a las nuevas demandas sociales y a las aspiraciones de cambio democrático de una parte de la sociedad, vertebradas por el antifranquismo, si no era a través de la represión, acentuó sus divisiones internas y le impidió disponer de un proyecto político claro a la muerte del dictador más allá de la simple continuidad. Se iniciaba una incierta transición política.Franquismo was a long dictatorship that was founded with the coup of July 18, 1936, was ratified in 1939 and lasted until 1977, beyond the death of Franco. It was molded in the likeness of fascist regimes, which survived after the victory of the Allies in 1945. It introduced political and economic changes that allowed him to survive 20 years postwar. Franco's dictatorship was characterized by poverty, hunger and repression. In the 60's the regime reached its peak, opening the Spanish economy to the great western economic growth. This allowed a strong development and a deep social transformation, but strict political paralysis remained. The inability of the regime to meet new social demands and aspirations for democratic change of a part of society, vertebrate by antifranquismo, if not through repression, accentuated its internal divisions and prevented him from having a political project clear to the dictator's death beyond mere continuity. An uncertain political transition began.O franquismo foi uma longa ditadura que iniciou com o golpe de Estado de 18 de Julho de 1936, foi ratificada em 1939 e durou até 1977. Foi moldada à semelhança dos regimes fascistas, os que sobreviveram após a vitória dos Aliados em 1945. Introduziu determinadas mudanças em sua ordem política e econômica que lhe permitiram sobreviver a um longo pósguerra de 20 anos, caracterizado pela pobreza, a fome e a repressão. Na década de 60, vivenciou seu auge ao abrir a economia espanhola para o grande crescimento econômico ocidental que permitiu um forte desenvolvimento e uma transformação social profunda, porém manteve uma estrita estagnação política. A incapacidade do regime para atender novas demandas sociais e as aspirações de mudança democrática de uma parte da sociedade, vertebrado por antifranquismo, acentuou suas divisões internas e a impediu de ter um projeto político claro