Ditch the Plastic Water Bottle

In this week's Rundown, it's harder to get lost in the great outdoors, aerobic exercise is good for your memory and researchers say you might want to rethink reusable plastic water bottles.

This week, there’s more Fit Cult to love with the launch of Extra Point. It features recommendations on what to watch, read and listen to in the world of fitness culture. You’ll see it in your inbox on Thursdays.

Lost & Found. Garmin has updated its pocket size line of two-way emergency satellite communications beacons. The inReach Mini 2 is the same weight and size as the original (3.5 oz., 4x2x1-in.) but offers more runtime. In the 10-minute tracking mode, it gives up to 14 days of usage, with up to 30 days of usage in the 30-minute tracking mode. The device has weather forecasts specific to a location and it passively tracks the user’s route using GPS, GALILEO, QZSS and BeiDou satellite networks, which means more coverage. If there is an emergency, the user sends out an SOS to Garmin’s International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC). Thanks to the Mini 2’s two-way interface, the IERCC can send a message that help is on the way and the user is able to communicate back and forth to help the rescue process.

Memory Movement. Episodic memory is the ability to remember details of past personal events and experiences and it’s one of the earliest memory systems to weaken with age. A study from the University of Pittsburgh suggests that regular physical activity helps to stop the decline in later adulthood.

For the study, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of more than 1,279 papers, narrowing those down to 36 that met specific criteria. This allowed for data from 2,750 male and female participants without dementia, age 55 years or older. With that large pool of participants, the team was able to demonstrate a link between exercise and episodic memory and discover who benefits.

The analysis found greater improvements among adults age 55-68 compared to those age 69-85, suggesting that the earlier the aerobic intervention the better. What’s the bare minimum to see improvement? While the team could not uncover how exercise intensity affects the memory benefits and has more to learn about the mechanics behind the link, lead author Sarah Aghjayan says that exercising three times a week for at least four months showed the most improvement.

Plastic Precaution. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have raised concerns over the potential health effects of drinking water from the soft plastic reusable bottles commonly used in sports and exercise. Their study found that reusable plastic bottles release hundreds of chemicals into water, particular after they have been put through a dishwasher.

In the experiment, bottles were filled with ordinary tap water for 24 hours, both before and after being run through a dishwashing cycle and after being rinsed five times (to approximate hand washing). Using mass spectrometry and a liquid chromatograph to analyze the water, the researchers found that it contained more than 400 different substances originating from the plastic material and over 3,500 substances that came from dishwasher soap.

Most of the substances are unknown. For those that were identified, the toxicity of at least 70 percent is unknown. The substances that the scientists were able to identify included plastic softeners, antioxidants and release agents used in plastic manufacturing, along with Diethyltoluamide, more commonly known as DEET. The team believes that only a small number of the detected substances were deliberately added to the bottles during manufacturing and most of them probably formed during use or production.

While the research does not yet indicate whether the substances found in reusable plastic bottles affect our health, study author Selina Tisler urges caution. She notes that of the known substances manufacturers do add to reusable plastic bottles, only a small fraction of the toxicity has been studied.