Hi, it’s Michelle in New York. You may have heard of “Ozempic blindness,” when obesity drugs are linked to rare vision loss. Does this discovery change the risk-benefit analysis for the drugs? More in a moment, but first …
In June, EU regulators said that people with type 2 diabetes taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy, are at risk of developing a rare eye condition that can cause vision loss. This could possibly affect as many as 1 in 10,000 people taking the medicine.
Warner Bros. Discovery renamed its streaming service HBO Max on Wednesday, formally reversing its decision from two years ago to dump the prestigious HBO brand in a bid to make the service more appealing to a mainstream, meat-and-potatoes crowd.
The gambit to chase Netflix with a service called Max didn’t work. Warner Bros. Discovery’s leaders eventually recognized the tremendous value in the HBO name, and sheepishly brought it back for an encore.
The company announced the switch in May.
“The good news is I have a drawer full of stationary from the last time around,” HBO Chairman Casey Bloys said in May, making light of Warner Bros. Discovery’s about-face during the company’s annual programming upfront presentation to advertisers at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The move marks the fifth name for the service in 15 years.
HBO’s first digital offering, introduced in 2010, was called HBO Go. Eventually the company added an HBO Now app. Then, in 2020, when the company launched its comprehensive streaming service with Warner Bros. movies and television shows, executives decided the HBO Max name would play to the company’s strengths while beckoning customers with a souped-up product and moniker to match.
That lasted until Chief Executive David Zaslav stepped in. The company truncated the name to Max because Zaslav and other executives felt the need to create some distance from HBO’s signature shows to make room for the nonscripted fare of Discovery’s channels, including HGTV and Food Network.
Now it’s back to HBO Max.
The company has said the shift was a response to audiences’ desire for quality over quantity.
“No consumer today is saying they want more content, but most consumers are saying they want better content,” the company said in May.
The change also represents a recognition that Warner Bros. Discovery, a medium-sized media company with a huge debt burden, couldn’t compete with Netflix, which tries to offer something for everyone.
And while some of the Max-branded shows, including “The Pitt,” are critically acclaimed, it was the HBO fare, including “The White Lotus,” that has been the most consistent draw for subscribers.
HBO built its legacy as a premium cable channel that required an additional fee on the monthly cable bill. Such groundbreaking series as “The Sopranos,” “Game of Thrones” and “Sex and the City” put the channel at the vanguard of prestige programming.
Most subscribers who currently have Max won’t need to download a new app, company insiders said.
An app update will eventually change the blue Max logo to a black HBO Max one.
Staff writer Stephen Battaglio contributed to this report.
Landing a lead role in a TV series would seem like a dream scenario for an up-and-coming actor. But it can also become a nightmare. Just ask Maggie Q.
The actor, who got her start in Hong Kong action films, scored the title role in the CW’s 2010 spy thriller “Nikita,” where she was able to showcase her athletic prowess while becoming one of the few Asian actors to star in a network drama series.
Although Q was grateful for the experience, she also remembers the project as all-consuming and grueling, prompting her to be more selective about her choices.
Her inner red flag went up when she was first approached about starring in “Ballard,” Prime Video’s new show based on a series of best-selling novels about fictional LAPD detective Renée Ballard by former Los Angeles Times journalist-turned-author Michael Connelly.
“I get a lot of scripts, and a lot of them I don’t like,” said Q, whose real name is Margaret Denise Quigley. “I also wasn’t looking to take on another show. It was like, ‘Is this something I really want to do right now?’ I know what it takes to be No. 1 on a show. It’s a massive output, and it really has to be good enough for me to want to do that again.”
To her surprise, she loved the scripts. After meeting with Connelly and other producers, she said, “I knew I was in a room with people I wouldn’t mind spending years of my life with.”
Maggie Q wasn’t looking to work on another TV show, but after reading the scripts and meeting with Michael Connelly, she changed her mind.
(Tyler Golden / Prime Video)
Q is now back at the No. 1 slot on the call sheet in “Ballard,” premiering Wednesday with 10 episodes. The new TV series is a spinoff of “Bosch: Legacy,” which wrapped its third and final season in March.
Ballard first appeared in Connelly’s 2017 book “The Late Show,” and she has continued to solve crimes in five other novels. The detective joins quirky attorney Mickey Haller (known as the “Lincoln Lawyer”) and world-weary police detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch in the gallery of Connelly’s colorful characters to jump from the bestseller list to the TV screen.
Q felt an instant admiration for Ballard’s dedication to her job as well as her strong personality, which often puts her at odds with her male colleagues. She was also impressed that the character was inspired by real-life investigator Mitzi Roberts, who worked in LAPD’s elite Robbery-Homicide unit.
In the series, the investigator has been newly demoted from Robbery-Homicide after clashing with her male partner and has been reassigned to head up the underfunded cold case unit, supervising a staff of reserves and volunteers. Titus Welliver, who played Bosch in the eponymous series and in “Legacy,” will appear periodically during the season.
Connelly has been a longtime fan of Q, whose more prominent roles include the only female member of the Impossible Mission Force headed by Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in “Mission Impossible III” and a dogged FBI agent in ABC’s “Designated Survivor.”
“She has a relentless aura about her,” said Connelly in a phone interview. He was also thrilled that Q and Roberts share similarities: “They both have a confidence and a fierceness in their eyes. They have matching histories — they both grew up in Hawaii and they surf. It’s like it was fated to be.”
Michael Connelly based Renée Ballard on LAPD investigator Mitzi Roberts. “They both have a confidence and a fierceness in their eyes,” he said.
(Tyler Golden / Prime Video)
“Ballard” is a sharp reversal from Q’s last series — the 2024 Fox comedy “Pivoting,” about three close-knit women who are trying to cope with the death of another friend. Q played a doctor who decides to make a life change and work in a grocery store. The show only lasted one season.
In a separate interview, Roberts, who is a consulting producer on the new show, said Q was her first choice among the actors being considered to play Ballard.
“She has played so many realistic, strong female characters,” she said. “When Maggie got the part, I was ecstatic. When we first met to have coffee, it was like we’ve known each other our whole lives. During several days of physical training before production, I thought there might be things that would be hard for her to work on. But it was never an issue. She approached everything so professionally.”
During a video interview from her home in Hawaii, Q discussed the new series, her raw memories of “Nikita” and why she doesn’t go to Hollywood parties. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Were you familiar with Michael Connelly or his books before you became involved with the show?
My first exposure were those first six or seven scripts, which I read on a plane to New Zealand. I was aware of Michael Connelly, but only peripherally. I’m an avid reader and I wish I had more time to read fiction, but I don’t. So I wasn’t schooled on Mike’s massive success. After I read the scripts and liked them, I then dove into who Michael was and found it really interesting that he parlayed being a journalist into this wildly successful fiction career.
How important was it when you learned that Renée was based on a real detective?
When I finally met Mitzi, we got on in a way that was very unpredictable. She felt like a sister. She ended her career in cold cases, and it was there that she was really able to connect the DNA in crimes that were completely unrelated.
Although you’ve done so many kinds of projects, this still strikes me as an unlikely Maggie Q vehicle.
I agree. I have to feel something; there has to be an emotion that resonates down the line. I need to feel longevity with it. A lot of consultants working on this show were or are people who are retired. I can see and feel in their stories and the lives they live now that they still haven’t let go of cases they were not able to close. The peace they haven’t been able to bring to a certain family still bothers them. The quality of these people is extraordinary. I felt it was an honor to tell their stories.
Harry Bosch and the Lincoln Lawyer are very dynamic. Renée is a lot more reserved and closed off. She does not connect easily with others. Was that a challenge to make her feel alive?
In terms of Renée, being in Robbery-Homicide was her dream job. She wanted to get the bad guys. To be demoted the way that she was — there’s a certain amount of bottling up that comes with that. She then has to prove herself in a department that she doesn’t want to be in and never asked for. In doing that, maybe they will again see in her the detective that she was and bring her back to the job she loved so much.
“In terms of Renée, being in Robbery-Homicide was her dream job. She wanted to get the bad guys. To be demoted the way that she was — there’s a certain amount of bottling up that comes with that,” Maggie Q said on her character.
(Greg Gayne / Prime Video)
This show is a sharp pivot from your last TV series, “Pivoting.” It was jarring to see you in a comedy.
That show was a dream job. It was a huge departure for me, and that was what was fun about it. Nobody expected me in that role. It was a gift to me. The show did not perform like we hoped. Fox offered to save the series by moving it to another country, and I was not willing to do that.
I’m very curious about your ordeal with “Nikita.” You once described it as an experience that almost killed you.
It really did. Up to that point, I had done only films. I had never done a TV show, and I was very naive. I remember going into it with positive energy. David Solomon, one of the producers in the first season, took me to lunch. He had been on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for seven years and watched how Sarah Michelle Gellar killed herself being the title character. “Maggie,” he said, “do you know what it will take to lead this show?” I said, “No, but I work really hard.” He said, “I appreciate that, but can you even conceptualize the output you will need on this show? I watched Sarah Michelle suffer for seven years. Everything was on her shoulders.”
I have never been so wrong about what it would take to do a show like that. I’m pretty optimistic, but nothing in my bag of tricks was working when I was on that show. It’s not just about the job. You have to deal with people’s personalities, writers, schedules. And I was in Canada on my own, with no support, leading a show that I thought I would be able to sustain for 10 months during the year because of my work ethic. I have never been so wrong. Because I had done action movies, there was a level I wanted to reach that people had never seen before. I was doing my own stunts, working with choreographers at the top of their game. I’m really proud of the level of action we did bring to the small screen.
People may find it surprising that you live in Hawaii. I know you were born and raised there.
My husband and I live in a couple of different places, but we spend a lot of time here because there is peace here. There’s no traffic, it’s low crime, the air is clean. For a lot of Hollywood actors, they do the work and then want to get as far away from the industry as possible. I work in the industry but have never immersed myself in it. I don’t go to parties; I don’t hang out. I do my job and go home, and that’s the way I like it. I never thought being seen had any real value. I just want to be at home, be with my dogs and be in nature. That’s what grounds me. Then when I’m back in Hollywood and on the clock, I have a peace that no one can take away.
From our first encounter, in her studio in central London, I noticed that Burton was in the habit of saying “off the record,” even when nothing was being recorded. We negotiated around what I took to be her nervousness. It was understandable—among other things, the years after McQueen’s death made her aware of the British press’s notorious thirst for copy—but as I traced the pattern of Burton’s expressions over time, I realized that she was most uneasy when she thought she might betray a confidence, or be seen to lean on someone else for her own advancement. Dressing someone, she explained, “is a very personal and intimate thing. For me, it’s a real privilege. And I think privacy is one of the last luxuries we have.” In this safeguarding of what others had entrusted to her, I began to see what she had built at McQueen: a fortress of intimacy.
This is what Burton has brought to Givenchy, in a move that will not only enrich the world of fashion but seems set to free her, after many years, from the orbit of emotional debt.
At the north London home she shares with her husband, David; their 12-year-old twins, Cecilia and Elizabeth; and their nine-year-old daughter, Romilly, Burton leads me upstairs to a living room with rich, Holbein-green velvet-lined walls. Above the sofa is a large gold-framed photograph by the Dutch photographer Hendrik Kerstens, and on a high shelf, protected by Perspex, is a pair of armadillo shoes from Plato’s Atlantis, the last collection McQueen finished. Burton and I sit in sunlight, and our conversation stretches out with ease throughout the afternoon.
“Family came first, I suppose,” she reflects. Burton—then Sarah Jane Heard—grew up as the second of five siblings. They lived in a small village outside Manchester, between rolling hills and wild moors, with Burton always more drawn to the latter. Her mother taught music and English, and took them to museums regularly; her father was an accountant. Their house was full of books. As a child, she drew all the time—people, nature, dresses. When the Heard clan needed to go somewhere en masse they traveled, with friends in tow, in a white van. Burton remembers that locals referred to them as “the orphanage.”
Photographed by Ruby Pluhar
Photographed by Ruby Pluhar
Burton knew what she wanted to do from the age of eight, and after a foundation year in Manchester she studied at Central Saint Martins in London, the famous incubator for art and fashion. “Sarah didn’t look like the other fashion students,” her tutor there, Simon Ungless, recalls. “It was so refreshing for somebody just to come in in a great pair of jeans, rather than their knickers on their head.”
It was Ungless who introduced her to his good friend Lee McQueen. “Everyone wanted to work for him,” Burton recalls. “You’d be on a mission to get into those shows or be backstage.” McQueen had graduated from Saint Martins three years before Burton got her first gig as a backstage dresser on his infamous Highland Rape show in 1995. She saw none of it: She was frantically pulling shoes off one model to make sure there were enough for the next. A year later, McQueen took her on. “I think Sarah was the only member of staff we had,” says Verkade, who ran their tiny company.
As Burton learned from McQueen—a man she describes as a “genius”—she took on whole areas of the operation, building categories around his sketches, doing all the knitwear and all the leather. Eventually, she became the head of womenswear. “There’s a big chunk of that brand that has always been Sarah, as long as we’ve been looking at it,” says Verkade.
In her living room, Burton pulls out some sketchbooks from her early days at McQueen.
They’re beautiful—collages of photographic references and sketches with swatches of fabric—but what’s striking is how structured her drawings were then: architectural indications of the collar on a jacket, the seams on a dress, or the buttons on a cape. Decades later, Burton’s sketches have become much looser—she and her pattern-cutters know each other so well by now that she only needs to suggest a design.
One of the most active infostealer strains targeting Apple’s operating system for desktops has evolved to become a more dangerous tool, according to Moonlock, a cybersecurity division of MacPaw.
In a recent update, the developers of Atomic macOS Stealer (AMOS) have added an embedded backdoor, delivered alongside the infostealer during an infection.
The backdoor allows attackers deploying AMOS to maintain persistent access to a victim’s Mac, run arbitrary tasks from remote servers and gain extended control over compromised machines.
According to a Moonlock report on July 4, it is only the second known case of backdoor deployment at a global scale targeting macOS users. The other is deployed by North Korean threat actors.
Typical AMOS Attack Chain
Moonlock stated that the threat group behind AMOS is believed to be based in Russia and is known for targeting Apple users with data-stealing malware.
Until now, their stealer mainly focused on data exfiltration from cryptocurrency-related browser extensions and cold wallets.
The delivery process has followed two main paths:
Through websites offering cracked or fake software
Through spear phishing campaigns targeting high-value individuals like large crypto owners
Spear phishing begins with the delivery of Atomic macOS Stealer during a staged job interview process, typically targeting artists or freelancers. The victim is asked to enter their system password to enable screen sharing. Once executed, the stealer can extract sensitive data such as passwords and seed phrases and install a persistent backdoor that awaits remote commands.
Backdoored AMOS: Significant Escalation in Capability and Intent
The addition of a backdoor to AMOS means that the threat is no longer limited to stolen credentials or documents but extends to complete system compromise on macOS.
In practice, this means that, alongside the execution of AppleScript as the primary AMOS payload, the stealer includes new logic for setting up persistence, which resides in a function called installBot.
Additionally, the overall communication between AMOS payloads and the threat actor’s command-and-control (C2) infrastructure has changed from one-shot data draining to more complex assignments of unique identifiers to each infected host.
“The upgrade to AMOS represents a significant escalation in both capability and intent, whether the changes were made by the original malware authors or by someone else modifying the code,” the Moonlock researchers wrote.
Following the North Korean Playbook
However, Moonlock found that the functionalities of the latest backdoored AMOS implant are still limited compared to those developed by North Korean hackers, which use a dozen C2 commands to perform multiple tasks on the infected device.
These actors utilize backdoors for a range of tasks, such as long-term surveillance, re-infection and broader exploitation opportunities, including keylogging.
The researchers assessed that the AMOS developers will likely work on new features.
This was confirmed to the researchers by an anonymous cyber threat researcher known as @g0njxa on social media, who shared internal chats showing that the group behind AMOS was working on adding keylogging functionalities.
“The addition of a backdoor to the Atomic macOS Stealer marks a pivotal shift in one of the most active macOS threats. What was once a smash-and-grab data theft tool is now evolving into a platform for persistent access to a victim’s Mac,” the Moonlock researchers concluded.
Pile on the Personality With Layered Charm Necklaces
Exaggerated proportions add dimension to a clean, preppy look—bold charm-adorned necklaces up top, flowing culottes below. Mary Janes and a wicker basket complete the look.
Chloé
gold-tone beaded necklace
Lié Studio
The Laura gold-plated necklace
Shop more colorful jewels and Bermuda shorts:
Lizzie Fortunato
Toga Beach pearl beaded necklace
The Frankie Shop
Bilbao pleated bermuda shorts
Photo: Fior – Dragone / Gorunway.com
Layered Tees and Flowy Trousers Make for Easy Daytime Polish
Even basics like a ringer tee layered over another simple white one feel fresh when styled with crisp coordinating trousers and a contrasting belt.
Cos
clean cut regular t-shirt
Toteme
Garderob pleated tapered pants
Shop more loose tees and trousers:
Frame
x Ritz Paris embroidered t-shirt
Dries Van Noten
Pamplona pleated wide-leg pants
Massimo Dutti
wide-leg trousers with double dart
Photo: Fior – Dragone / Gorunway.com
Elevate the Rugby Shirt With Leggings and Loafers
An oversized rugby shirt paired with slim pants and a turtleneck makes for a sharp, unexpected combination. Tucking white socks underneath the pants creates a more refined, streamlined silhouette.
Vince
long-sleeve turtleneck top
Shop more rugby sweatshirts:
Mango
striped cotton polo sweatshirt
J.Crew
rugby shirt with striped placket
Miu Miu
striped polo top with logo embroidery
Photo: Fior – Dragone / Gorunway.com
Anchor Your Look Around Classic Summer Accessories
Accessories are the easiest way into the look—extra-large market totes and slim Keds-like slippers add instant impact.
Vince
cropped flare-leg pintuck pants
Keds
The Mini slip on sneakers
Shop more slim sneakers and market totes:
The Row
Vasko textured-leather loafers
Photo: Fior – Dragone / Gorunway.com
Add Flair to a Cropped Kick Pant With a Pendant Necklace
Pendant necklaces remain a key statement, styled here with a slouchy knit and subtle kick flares.
High Sport
Kick cropped flared pants
Toteme
recycled cotton-twill sneakers
Shop more pendant necklaces and kick flares:
Toteme
onyx and Swarovski crystal necklace
Leset
Rio high waist flare pants
Photo: Fior – Dragone / Gorunway.com
Reimagine How You Tie a Silk Scarf
Rider introduced silk scarf styling throughout, nodding to the Philo-era. Try it with a rich brown suit and a tailored button-down.
Celine
heritage silk twill bandana
Róhe
pleated wool and mohair-blend pants
Shop more patterned scarves:
Prada
medium printed silk scarf
Bottega Veneta
Italian Postcard silk foulard
Gucci
printed silk twill carré
Photo: Fior – Dragone / Gorunway.com
Layer a Simple Sweatshirt Over a Cheery Polo
A simple gray sweatshirt can be refreshingly elevated when layered over a red polo and worn with fluid, wide-leg trousers. Echoes of Phoebe Philo resonate strongly here.
Research has identified key mechanisms driving aging and actionable targets for promoting longevity. A promising strategy is to preserve the cell’s ability to produce energy, repair DNA, and stress resilience, with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) playing a central role. Here, Dr. Rebecca Crews presents a multi-target approach to support healthy aging
Decades of research have uncovered key mechanisms driving the aging process, identifying actionable targets to support longevity. One of the most promising strategies is preserving the cell’s capacity for energy production, DNA repair, and stress resilience. Central to all of these processes is nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a coenzyme that fuels hundreds of metabolic reactions, including mitochondrial ATP production and sirtuin-mediated cellular maintenance.
It is known that NAD+ levels significantly diminish with age. This decline is tightly linked to the hallmarks of aging, contributing to mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired repair, cellular senescence, and age-related damage. Restoring NAD+ levels closer to youthful norms has, therefore, become a major focus within longevity science.
However, simply boosting NAD+ with precursors addresses only one aspect of a complex issue. A truly effective strategy tackles the root causes of NAD+ decline and maximizes outcomes. Therefore, a thoughtful strategy involves a multi-pronged approach: slowing NAD+ degradation, supporting its synthesis, and improving how NAD+-dependent pathways function (Sharma et al., 2023).
The foundation: NAD+ precursors
The most straightforward way to boost NAD+ levels is by supplying the body with its molecular precursors.
The two most widely used options are:
Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) or Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN): Both convert efficiently into NAD+ via the salvage pathway. Human trials consistently report 40–60% increases in blood NAD+ at daily doses of 250–1,000 mg (Conlon & Ford, 2022).
Choosing between NR, NMN, or using both typically depends on individual goals and cost. Consistent, daily dosing is key to maintaining elevated NAD+ levels.
Enhancing efficiency: Sirtuin activators
Many of NAD+’s health benefits stem from its role in fueling sirtuins, a family of NAD+-dependent enzymes that drive DNA repair, metabolic balance, stress resilience, and inflammation control. Sirtuin Activating Compounds (STACs) amplify these protective functions:
Resveratrol:
A grape polyphenol that directly stimulates SIRT1. Its poor bioavailability is improved when taken with dietary fat or via advanced delivery systems (e.g., liposomal encapsulation, and solid-lipid nanoparticles).
Pterostilbene:
A blueberry-derived analog of resveratrol that achieves higher plasma levels and may exert stronger SIRT1 activation.
Combining NAD+ precursors with STACs ensures both ample substrate and maximized sirtuin function (Sharma et al., 2023).
Protecting the pool: CD38 Inhibitors
CD38 is a major NADase whose activity increases with age and chronic inflammation, accelerating NAD+ depletion. Inhibiting CD38 conserves existing NAD+, keeping it available for beneficial pathways like sirtuin mediated repair.
Natural flavonoids have emerged as promising CD38 inhibitors:
Apigenin:
Abundant in chamomile, parsley, and celery, apigenin blocks CD38 in preclinical models, elevating NAD+ and downstream sirtuin activity. It also delivers anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits (Kramer & Johnson, 2024).
Quercetin:
A common flavonoid found in onions, apples, and berries, quercetin inhibits CD38 and offers potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and senolytic benefits (Chini et al., 2018).
Flavonoid CD38 inhibitors offer multiple benefits: they simultaneously preserve NAD+, reduce oxidative stress, and curb inflammatory signaling.
Clearing the way: Senolytics
Senescent cells accumulate with age, acting as cellular “zombies” that resist death while secreting pro-inflammatory factors (SASP). This SASP, in turn, boosts CD38 in nearby cells, leading to faster NAD+ depletion.
Key senolytics (compounds that selectively eliminate these “zombie” cells) include:
Fisetin: Found in strawberries and apples, this flavonoid has demonstrated the ability to reduce senescent cell burden, enhance health span, and extend lifespan in aged mice (Yousefzadeh et al., 2018).
Spermidine: This polyamine, present in fermented foods and legumes, induces autophagy and may support the clearance of senescent cells. It’s associated with improved cardiovascular health and lifespan in mice (Hofer et al., 2022).
Calming the storm: Anti-inflammatory support
Chronic inflammation, a hallmark of aging, further depletes NAD+ by increasing CD38 activity. Resolving this inflammation is key to preserving the NAD+ pool and creating a healthier cellular environment:
Curcumin: The active compound in turmeric, suppresses NF-κB and COX-2 signaling and may indirectly support sirtuins. Due to poor absorption, high-bioavailability formulations are essential (Hegde et al., 2023).
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA & DHA): These fish oil–derived fats integrate into cell membranes to reduce inflammatory signals and serve as building blocks for specialized pro resolving mediators (SPMs) that actively shut down inflammation (Kavani et al., 2022).
Synergistic anti-inflammatory effects have been observed when curcumin and omega-3 fatty acids are administered together (Saw et al., 2010).
Integrating the stack: Synergy and practical considerations
This multi-component stack represents a strategic and comprehensive approach to NAD+ metabolism. NAD+ precursors ensure ample substrate supply, STACs optimize its efficient use, CD38 inhibitors protect against its premature breakdown, senolytics reduce the detrimental burden of senescent ‘zombie’ cells, and targeted anti-inflammatory compounds re- establish cellular homeostasis. The goal is a synergistic effect that promotes overall cellular resilience.
However, implementation requires attention:
Lifestyle first: Supplements cannot replace a foundation of a healthy diet, regular exercise, quality sleep, social connection, and stress management.
Gradual introduction: Start supplements one by one (“start low, go slow”) to gauge individual tolerance.
Quality is key: Opt for reputable brands that provide third-party testing for purity and potency.
Personalization: Monitor biomarkers and subjective well being.
Conclusion: A balanced perspective on NAD+ optimization
Supporting NAD+ levels is a promising strategy in the effort to maintain cellular function and health with age. The approach outlined here – boosting NAD+ production, reducing its breakdown, improving how it’s used, and supporting the broader cellular environment – reflects the current understanding of NAD+ as a dynamic and interconnected system.
NAD+ boosting strategies should be seen as a flexible starting point, not a one-size-fits-all solution. As research advances, more personalized strategies will likely become available, guided by individual health data and deeper insights into NAD+ biology.
Importantly, NAD+support works best as part of a bigger picture. Lasting health and longevity depend just as much on diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, and social connection. Keeping these foundations strong while staying informed about new science is the most practical way to approach NAD+ optimization today.
Can you build serious strength without heavy weights? A clinical trial comparing resistance training and blood flow restriction methods highlights options for those seeking gains without joint stress.
Study: Comparative analysis of high-intensity resistance training and blood flow restriction training on enhancing upper limb muscle strength and mass. Image credit: Ground Picture/Shutterstock.com
A recent paper published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology compares the effects of two types of exercise training on upper limb muscle mass and strength. The results could help redirect people unsuitable for high-intensity training to another alternative.
Introduction
High-intensity resistance training (HIRT) is an effective way to achieve upper limb muscle growth, but at a higher risk of damaging the joints, ligaments, or tendons in this injury-prone area. Low-intensity training uses a low training load with more repetitions, increasing the time required. Though it is safer than HIRT, it is also less effective, reducing the final muscle hypertrophy.
Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFRT) is a low-intensity alternative to HIRT. Also known as KAATSU training, BFRT is a novel method of strength training in which external pressure is applied to the limbs using specially designed pressure equipment. This pressure obstructs venous blood flow completely and arterial flow partly. The outcome is more intense body stimulation at each load level, the goal being to increase muscle strength and size and boost endurance.
BFRT could be a safe middle path that confers muscle growth and strength comparable to that with HIRT, but with less risk of injury. BFRT combined with short-term intensive strength training improved body composition and cardiac performance, enhancing cardiovascular fitness. This is the case in young and elderly participants after a short-term intervention.
BFRT has also been demonstrated in the rehabilitation of post-surgical patients, for instance, after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Here, it improves muscle thickness and strength, helping the patient regain function. BFRT also prevents injury in older adults by increasing bone strength and exercise capacity.
BFRT can be optimized by using an exercise intensity of 20% to 40% of one-repetition maximum strength (1RM) with a high number of repetitions, during two or three sessions per week. Pressure is applied to achieve 50% to 80% vessel blockade, though there is no consensus on whether to use absolute vs progressive pressure. Each of these affects upper limb training adaptation, but they have not been directly compared with each other or with HIRT, prompting the research in the current study.
This study was a randomized controlled trial involving 34 participants, who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the HIRT, BRTF with fixed pressure (BFRT-F), or BFRT with progressive pressure (BFRT-P).
Study findings
The 1RM increased significantly in all groups, with the best results in the HIRT group, followed by the BFRT-P group.
The HIRT protocol increased all isokinetic muscle strength parameters. The highest was an increase of over 55% in the triceps extension. Peak torque increased significantly at the shoulder and elbow joints in the HIRT group compared with BFRT-F.
The BFRT-P group experienced comparable increases in strength of between 30% and 40%. Though increases occurred in the BFRT-F group, the gains were significantly below those in the other groups. With the trunk and back muscle groups, the gains in peak torque were highest for HIRT (~3%) compared to both other groups. Still, the BFRT-P group showed a marked improvement in peak torque compared to BFRT-F.
Despite being inferior to the other groups’ outcomes, the BFRT-F also showed significantly higher peak torque in several joint extensors and flexors.
The HIRT and BFRT-P groups, but not the BFRT-F group, demonstrated increased arm muscle circumference, especially during muscle contraction, signaling muscle hypertrophy. The most significant increase occurred in the HIRT group.
Muscle mass increased in both the HIRT and BFRT-P groups. In the HIRT group, this increase was about 15.1% and 22.6% in the left and right arms, respectively, and 5.2% and 10.6% in the BFRT-P group, for the left and right arms, respectively. The BFRT-F group failed to show any significant change.
These findings followed the predicted pattern, probably because progressive pressure with BFRT-P causes greater metabolic stress. This, in turn, induces more hypoxia and results in the accumulation of metabolites in the muscle, the probable reason for its superiority to BFRT-F.
Conclusion
The study presents the first direct and controlled comparison of high-intensity resistance training with two blood flow restriction training modalities. It demonstrated that the best results were obtained with HIRT, confirming, as expected, “HIRT’s role as the gold standard for mechanical tension-driven adaptations”. In contrast, the BFRT-F group had the lowest gains.
Notably, the BFRT-F group used a lower load at 30% 1RM but still showed strength gains, indicating that BFRT does play a role in improving strength. Certain studies suggest that BFRT can build muscle strength comparably to HIRT, but possibly only in trained individuals. BFRT may be especially important in training among older men, where it has sometimes been shown to be nearly as effective as HIRT, though the results are conflicting.
The authors noted that using fixed, absolute pressures instead of individualized arterial occlusion pressures may have limited BFRT’s full potential. They also acknowledge the absence of a low-intensity resistance training group with BFRT, which limits comparisons between BFRT and conventional low-load training. Additionally, muscle strength was estimated using an indirect 1RM formula rather than measured directly, introducing possible error.
“While HIRT is optimal for strength and hypertrophy, BFRT-P is a viable alternative for individuals contraindicated to high-intensity training.” The findings suggest that pressure progression may be crucial in maximizing results with BFRT. Future studies should explore the role of personalized arterial occlusion pressures and include a low-intensity control group to provide controls for low-load training without the effect of BFRT.
As ice sheets thin in volcanic regions, scientists warn that eruptions could increase, potentially speeding up climate change and ice melt in a dangerous feedback loop.
Bob Berwyn reports for Inside Climate News.
In short:
New research in the Chilean Andes shows that melting glaciers during the last ice age unleashed volcanic eruptions by reducing pressure on magma systems.
More than 100 volcanoes lie beneath Antarctica’s West Antarctic Ice Sheet, where melting could destabilize ice from below and send ash and gases into the atmosphere.
Rising sea levels from ice melt may also increase seismic activity by adding water weight, a phenomenon observed around large reservoirs.
Key quote:
“When you take the load off, it’s just like opening a Coca-Cola bottle or a champagne bottle.”
— Brad Singer, University of Wisconsin–Madison geoscientist and leader of the research
Why this matters:
Glacial melt is often seen as a symptom of climate change, but it may also be a driver of it. As thick ice sheets retreat from volcanic regions, they lift the heavy lid that has kept pressure on underground magma systems. This sudden release can trigger explosive eruptions, sending heat-trapping gases and ash into the atmosphere and, in Antarctica, melting ice from below. That dual effect not only accelerates global warming but threatens sea level rise on a much faster timeline. Volcanoes beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could destabilize a region already vulnerable to warm ocean currents.
Read more: Scientists document the global disappearance of glaciers
