Dr. Hanjabam Barun, Medical-Clinical & Interventional Physiologist

26/08/2026

Conclusions
Our secondary analysis of substrate oxidation data published by Christensen (16) confirms the importance of high rates of fat oxidation to achieve world-record Ironman triathlon performance. Even in the presence of a high rate of CHO ingestion in the simulation, rates of fat oxidation increased progressively during exercise (Figures 1, 2), providing 55% of the total energy expenditure during the final 135 min of the simulation. The RCOP, defined here as the point at which fat oxidation exceeded CHO oxidation, was observed after 285 min of exercise. Notably, this occurred prior to the final 10.5-km lap of the run, during which the athlete recorded his fastest segment. While this temporal association suggests that high fat oxidation was not detrimental to performance, no causal inference can be drawn from this case study.

The study also shows that in the absence of high rates of exogenous CHO ingestion, it is difficult to explain total CHO oxidation during the Ironman Triathlon based on known total CHO stores present in liver and skeletal muscles at the start of exercise. However, as this is a single-subject case study, these findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating, warranting further research to determine the prevalence, physiological underpinnings, and performance implications of the RCOP across broader athlete populations.

Graphical Abstract Introduction: The cross-over point (COP) refers to the increase in CHO oxidation with increasing exercise intensity (Brooks and Mercier, 1...

25/08/2026

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2853253?guestAccessKey=bc46f66c-050b-47e8-8767-5a6488189b91&utm_source=fbpage&utm_medium=social_jama&utm_term=21659582608&utm_campaign=article_alert&linkId=1000501400&fbclid=IwdGRleAT6YW5wZG9mBWZkaWQWUNLz7yXWCYXjr3m18FqpLAqGnDMaO2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR4dc04DDvs-XVx-m601l2TKVGmYVQDkGvj90Uv3iohSVuFA4qKOW3xr7DN0NQ_aem_jmoxD7UKHWPW8uxBBVnjXg

25/08/2026

You may have heard about the new study linking a specific gut microbe with stronger muscles as we age.

It’s interesting science. But this is also a good example of where Reality Meets Science® matters.

Researchers found that older adults who had detectable Roseburia inulinivorans had substantially greater grip strength. In mice, giving the organism also improved grip strength and was associated with larger, more fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Very intriguing.

But here’s the reality:

The human study was small and observational. It cannot tell us whether the microbe caused greater strength, whether healthier and stronger people simply had more of the microbe, or whether both were consequences of something upstream — such as diet, exercise, body composition or overall metabolic health.

The mouse study adds biological plausibility. It does not yet give us a human treatment.

And this distinction matters because microbiome science is especially vulnerable to getting the sequence backwards.

A healthier dietary pattern — particularly one rich in fermentable fiber — may help create a healthier microbiome. Exercise and better metabolic health may influence it too. So sometimes the bacteria we measure may be part of the mechanism, but they may also be a marker of the healthier environment that produced them.

Could this eventually lead to useful microbiome-based therapies? Absolutely.

Are we anywhere near replacing the fundamentals?

Not even close.

For maintaining muscle as we age, the heavy hitters remain remarkably unsexy: resistance training, adequate protein, regular physical activity, good overall nutrition and metabolic health.

The microbiome is fascinating.

Just don’t confuse an exciting new piece of the puzzle with the whole picture.

Reality Meets Science®

24/08/2026

Successful Conclusion of Workshop on “Exercise Prescription as Lifestyle Intervention” at AIIMS Kalyani

The Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Kalyani, in association with the Indian Society of Sports and Exercise Medicine (ISSEM – www.issem.in), successfully conducted a one-day academic workshop on “Exercise Prescription as Lifestyle Intervention” on 23 August 2026 at AIIMS Kalyani.

The programme witnessed enthusiastic participation from around 40 faculty members and students, representing institutions from different parts of West Bengal as well as neighbouring states, including Odisha. The multidisciplinary participation and active academic interaction made the workshop a highly enriching and successful programme.

The workshop was designed to strengthen understanding of evidence-based exercise prescription as a physiological and lifestyle intervention, particularly in the prevention and management of non-communicable and lifestyle-related disorders.

The scientific programme covered several clinically and practically relevant areas, including:

• Exercise as Medicine: Scientific Basis and Public Health Perspective – Dr. Tandra Ghosh, Additional Professor & Head, Department of Physiology, AIIMS Kalyani
• Principles of Exercise Prescription – Dr. Arnab Das, Department of Sports Sciences & Yoga, RKMVERI
• Basics of Exercise – Demonstration – Dr. Saikot Chatterjee, Kalyani University
• Assessment of Physical Fitness – Dr. Hanjabam Barun Sharma and Dr. Jean Fredrick
• Exercise Medicine for Lifestyle-Related Chronic Musculoskeletal Conditions – Dr. Hanjabam Barun Sharma
• Exercise Prescription for Non-Communicable Diseases – Dr. Jean Fredrick
• Role of Inflammatory and Metabolic Biomarkers in Monitoring Lifestyle Intervention – Prof. Jyotsna Kailashiya
• An interactive Panel Discussion involving experts from the workshop faculty.

Dr. Hanjabam Barun Sharma, Current General Secretary and Founding President of ISSEM, is a Sports & Exercise Medicine Specialist (Physician) and Medical & Clinical Physiologist (Physician-Physiologist/Iatrophysiologist) associated with the Sports-Exercise Medicine & Sciences: Lifestyle & Performance Medicine (Health & Physiological Medicine: Clinical & Interventional Physiology) Lab., Department of Physiology, IMS, BHU, Varanasi.

Prof. Jyotsna Kailashiya is a Medical & Clinical Biochemist (Physician-Biochemist/Iatrobiochemist) associated with the Medical-Clinical & Performance Biochemistry and Metabolic Medicine Lab., Department of Biochemistry, IMS, BHU, Varanasi, while Dr. Arnab Das is a Sports and Exercise Physiologist from the Department of Sports Sciences and Yoga, RKMVERI; and Dr. Saikot Chatterjee is a professor in the Department of Physical Education, Kalyani University, Kalyani.

The workshop provided a valuable platform for connecting physiology, exercise medicine, clinical assessment, metabolic monitoring and practical exercise prescription. Such initiatives are increasingly important at a time when physical inactivity, sedentary behaviour, low physical fitness and lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases represent major health challenges.

The Indian Society of Sports and Exercise Medicine (ISSEM) congratulates the Department of Physiology, AIIMS Kalyani, the Patron and Co-Patrons, Dr. Tandra Ghosh, Organising Chairperson, Dr. Jean Fredrick, Organising Secretary, the Executive Committee, invited faculty, and all participants for making the programme a success.

ISSEM remains committed to promoting education, awareness and capacity building in Sports–Exercise Medicine & Sciences, and to advancing the scientific use of exercise as medicine and physiological intervention for health, fitness, disease prevention, rehabilitation and human performance.

Congratulations to the entire organising team and all participants for a successful and academically meaningful workshop.

Indian Society of Sports and Exercise Medicine
ISSEM – www.issem.in

21/08/2026

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/838658/

Linear increase in aerobic power induced by a strenuous program of endurance exercise

Eight subjects exercised for 40 min/day, 6 days/wk for 10 wk. For 3 days/wk they performed six 5-min intervals of bicycling on an ergometer against a resistance that elicited VO2 max, separated by 2-min intervals of exercise requiring 50-60% of Vo2 max. On the alternate 3 days, they ran as far as they could in 40 min. Our purpose was to obtain information regarding the time course and magnitude of the increase in Vo2 max and endurance that occur in response to strenuous exercise when the training stimulus is kept approximately constant relative to maximum aerobic capacity. Average Vo2 max increased 5% (P less than 0.05) during the 1st wk. Endurance, Vo2 max, and time to attainment of peak heart rate all increased linearly during the 10 wk. The average weekly increase in Vo2 max was 0.12 l/min. The total increase in Vo2 max averaged 16.8 ml/kg per min (44%). Four of the eight subjects attained Vo2 max levels approaching or exceeding 60 ml/kg per min. It appears from these results that aerobic work capacity can increase more rapidly and to a greater extent in response to training than has generally been thought.

21/08/2026

21/08/2026

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10205591/
Parasympathetic function during deep breathing in the general population: relation to coronary risk factors and normal range

Abstract
Objectives: To examine the association between the parasympathetic function assessed by deep breathing-induced heart rate variability (HRV) and coronary risk factors and to establish a reference range for deep breathing-induced HRV.

Design: Cross-sectional population-based study.

Setting: The municipality of Horsens, Denmark.

Subjects: One hundred and ninety-four individuals aged 40-67 years without diabetes, atrial fibrillation or a pacemaker randomly selected from the population.

Main outcome measures: During deep breathing at 6 respiratory cycles min-1, an ECG was taken and in three consecutive cycles the longest R-R interval during expiration (E) and the shortest during inspiration (I) were selected. The mean ratio (E/Iratio) and the mean difference in instantaneous heart rate (E/Idiff) were taken as expressions of the parasympathetic function.

Results: In multivariate analysis, E/Idiff was reduced with increasing age (P < 0.0005) and left ventricular mass (P = 0.008), with ECG sign of probable previous myocardial infarction (P = 0.020) and the use of cardiac medication (P = 0.018) and positively correlated to heart rate (P = 0.030). The E/Iratio was diminished with increasing age (P = 0.001), left ventricular mass (P = 0.003), waist-hip ratio (P = 0.044), with ECG sign of probable previous myocardial infarction (P = 0.012) and use of cardiac medication (P = 0.020), but no association was found with heart rate (P = 0.92). In both E/Idiff and E/Iratio, no correlation was found to lipids, blood pressure or alcohol consumption. In the group not on cardiac medication, without left ventricular hypertrophy or ECG sign of probable myocardial infarction, E/Idiff and E/Iratio were still independently correlated to age and left ventricular mass. In this group, equations defining the age-corrected 5th percentile were calculated.

Conclusions: The parasympathetic function as assessed by deep breathing-induced HRV in the general population is reduced in older people, and in individuals on cardiac medication, with left ventricular hypertrophy or ECG signs of myocardial infarction. Even in healthy persons the parasympathetic function is inversely associated with age and left ventricular mass. Values of E/Idiff above (4.39-0.033 x age)2 and readings of E/Iratio above 1 + exp (-1.12-0.0198 x age) can be regarded as normal.

19/08/2026