Health news and research for the summer: The Middle East’s first UFC Gym and Octagon and more

A look at the latest health news and research including a new gym next to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the benefits a burst of activity can give you.

The Burj Club has opened next door to Dubai’s Burj Khalifa. One level is exclusively for women, while the spa is housed over two floors. Courtesy The Burj Club

Making a debut

A-Tone Fitness Lounge has opened in Business Bay, Dubai. It's a collaboration between Bollywood celebrity trainer Yasmin Karachiwalla and founder Anjali Chandiramani. The gym offers yoga and Yasmin's Body Image Pilates and Cross-Cuit, a hybrid of CrossFit and circuit training, with elements of HIIT, weightlifting and callisthenics. Visit www.a-tone.ae.

With five levels of health, fitness, leisure and wellness amenities, The Burj Club has opened next door to Dubai's Burj Khalifa. One level is exclusively for women, while the spa is housed over two floors. Members and non-members are welcome. Visit www.burjkhalifa.ae.

The Middle East's first UFC Gym and Octagon (fighting cage) has opened in Bay Square, Business Bay, Dubai. The 22,000-square-foot facility is an extension of the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand and combines mixed martial arts and functional fitness classes, group and private training and youth programmes. Among the classes are Muay Thai, women's self defence, Zumba, yoga, Cycle Circuit and more. Visit www.ufcgym.me

Paracetamol impairs empathy

Taking the common painkiller paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, can also reduce your empathy, according to a new study by researchers at Ohio State University in the United States.The results, which were published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, showed that when study participants taking the drug learnt about the misfortunes of others, they were more likely to believe these individuals experienced less pain and suffering.

“These findings suggest other people’s pain doesn’t seem as big of a deal to you when you’ve taken acetaminophen,” said Dominik Mischkowski, co-author of the study, who is with the National Institutes of Health.

Researchers are now looking into other painkillers, particularly ibuprofen, to see if the effects are similar.

Benefit from a burst of activity

If time is your usual excuse for not making physical activity a part of your day, then prepare to be challenged. Researchers at a Canadian university have found that one minute of very intense exercise produces health benefits similar to endurance training.

Researchers at McMaster University recruited 27 sedentary men and had them perform three weekly sessions of either intense or moderate training for 12 weeks. A control group did no exercise.

Those completing intense exercise – sprint interval training – did 10-minute cycle workouts including a two-minute warm-up, three-minute cool down and two minutes of easy cycling in between three 20-second “all-out” cycle sprints (a total of one minute of very intensive activity). The results, which were published in the journal Plos One, were compared with a group who performed 45 minutes of continuous cycling at a moderate pace, with the same warm-up and cool down.

After 12 weeks of training, the results were similar, despite the moderate group completing five times the amount of exercise. “Most people cite lack of time as the main reason for not being active,” said Martin Gibala, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University. “Our study shows that an interval-based approach can be more efficient – you get health and fitness benefits comparable to the traditional approach, in less time.”

He said the basic principles could apply to many forms of exercise. “Climbing a few flights of stairs on your lunch hour can provide a quick and effective workout. The health benefits are significant.”