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PURPOSE : Before the introduction of social media, researchers had already found that the traditional media had a negative impact on body image in young women because of a constant comparison of self vs. others or societal ideals. Now that social media platforms have become so prevalent, beginning with the introduction of Facebook in 2004, the question arises: since many young women spend substantial time on various social media, has body image become worse in the last 20 years? METHODS: College students at a southern university were given a body image questionnaire, the Body Self-Image Questionnaire (Rowe, 1991) in both 2000 (n=72) and 2020 (n=62). The BSIQ measures 9 separate components of body image: Overall Appearance Evaluation, Fatness Evaluation, Health/Fitness Evaluation, Health/Fitness Influence, Social Dependence, Negative Affect, Attention to Grooming, Height Dissatisfaction, and Investment in Ideals. The BSIQ does not report a composite body score, but rather scores from the individual components. RESULTS: In five of the components of body image, there was no significant difference from 2000 to 2020 (Overall appearance evaluation, p=0.7072; Health/Fitness Evaluation, p=0.8197; Health/Fitness Influence, p=0.0522; Height Dissatisfaction, p=0.7404; and Negative Affect, p=0.2858. In four of the categories, however, body image changed over the 20-year period: Fatness Evaluation decreased, p=0.0364; Attention to Grooming decreased (p=0.0004); Social Dependence decreased (p=0.0435); and Investment in Ideals decreased (p=0.0006). CONCLUSIONS: These results are somewhat surprising, given that researchers hypothesized the social media occurrence would correspond with worsened body image. However, the more recent sample of females did not seem to subscribe to a great extent to societal ideals, as evidenced by the decline in II, SD, and AG. And although the 2020 sample was significantly higher in percent body fat, their Fatness Evaluation score was lower than that of the 2000 group. These results suggest that in spite of social media use, body image societal norms have relaxed in the past 20 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary nitrates have been shown to increase vasodilation, mitochondrial efficiency, muscle contractility, and reduce ATP turnover which has led to improvements in measures of athletic performance in previous work. PURPOSE: To observe the effects of dietary nitrates in the form of red spinach extract (RSE) on Division I collegiate baseball players following off-season training on health and performance measures. METHODS: Division I male baseball athletes (N=16; 20.5 ± 1.7y; 90.4 ± 10.5kg; 1.82 ± 0.61m) participated in this doClinuble-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study. Before and after 11-weeks of offseason training, athletes were tested for body composition via dual x-ray absorptiometry, muscle thickness (MT) of the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL) via muscle ultrasonography, resting heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP) in addition to a one-repetition maximum (1RM) on bench press and a maximal Wingate anaerobic cycle test (WAnT) to evaluate physical performance. After random assignment, participants consumed 2g of RSE, or a placebo (PL) (n = 8) daily for 12 weeks. Training consisted of 2-3 days per week of a triphasic undulating resistance training program in addition to sport specific activities. Changes were analyzed using a two factor (Time x Group) between-subjects repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: There were no significant time x group interactions observed for any measure of body composition, physical performance, or health (all p > 0.05). However, a trend for increased peak power in the WAnT was found for the RSE group (p = 0.095; η² = 0.200). A main effect for time was observed for training improvements in bench press 1RM (p < 0.001; η² = 0.688), increased fat-free mass (p < 0.001; η² = 0.737) and MT for the RF and VL (p < 0.001), as well as a decrease in fat mass (p = 0.005; η² = 0.449) and body fat percentage (p = 0.002; η² = 0.512). Systolic BP exhibited an increase with both groups combined (p = 0.044; η² = 0.258) with no other significant changes in HR or BP were found. Compliance for supplement intake averaged 94.9% and no significant differences between groups were observed for macronutrient or calorie intake. CONCLUSION: Chronic dietary nitrate supplementation in the form of RSE may not improve indices of health, performance, or body composition in collegiate baseball athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary nitrates have become a popular dietary supplement to improve overall health and exercise performance, in part, due to their proposed ability to improve blood flow to active musculature. However, current data regarding increased muscle blood flow following dietary nitrate consumption have been equivocal. PURPOSE: To assess the impact of 6 days of dietary nitrate loading, in the form of red spinach extract (RSE), on muscle oxygenation during a fatiguing barbell bench press protocol. METHODS: Ten resistance-trained males (22.7 ± 3.2 yrs, 80.5 ±3 .9kg, 1.79 ± 7.4m, 7.4 ± 3.2 yrs of training experience) participated in this randomized, cross-over, placebo-controlled, double-blind investigation. Each participant completed 6 days of either RSE (2g) or a maltodextrin placebo (PL) before reporting to the lab for testing in a counterbalanced fashion with a 14-day washout period between treatments. Upon reporting to the lab, participants were provided their last dose of RSE or PL 40 minutes before beginning a standardized warm-up and then completing 5 sets of the barbell bench press exercise at 75% of a predetermined 1-repetition maximum with 2-minute rest intervals. Participants were instructed to complete as many repetitions as possible until muscular failure. Percentage of oxygen saturation loss (Δ%SmO2) during each bench press set, reoxygenation slope of the first 30 seconds of recovery following each set (SmO2slope), and total reoxygenation time (SmO2recT) in recovery following each set were assessed using a near-infrared spectroscopy device (NIRS). Data were analyzed via separate repeated measures analyses of variance. RESULTS: There were no significant time by group interactions for Δ%SmO2 (p = 0.143), SmO2recT (p = 0.368), or SmO2slope (p = 0.719) indicating similar responses between treatments. A trend for a main effect for time was observed for SmO2slope (p = 0.055; η² = 0.137) with the recovery slope declining over the 4 rest periods between bench press sets. No other main effects for time were observed (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: It appears that 6 days of dietary nitrate loading did not alter NIRS derived muscle oxygenation measures of the anterior deltoid during the bench press exercise in resistance- trained males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]