Physical Activity News and Research

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Physical activity may reduce risk of prostate cancer

Men with higher levels of physical activity may reduce their risk of dying from prostate cancer and slow the progression of the disease, according to a study in the May 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 May 2005

Metabolic syndrome costing four times that for all other patients

It is well known that hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are each taking a toll on Americans' health, but according to a new analysis, metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized by a combination of these and/or other risk factors, is fast becoming one of the nation's costliest health concerns.

9 May 2005

Turning off the box a good start for healthy kids

South Australian researchers have found that just 23 per cent of SA children are meeting the recommended daily activity requirements on any given day, as outlined in the Australian Government’s new physical activity guidelines.

4 May 2005

Burden of cardiovascular disease will shift to the developing world

In a paper published this week in the premier open-access global health journal PLoS Medicine, Majid Ezzati and colleagues from Harvard School of Public Health conclude that a large proportion of the world's population who live in low-income and middle-income countries should be the focus for intervention against risk factors for cardiovascular disease because major cardiovascular risk factors will increasingly be concentrated in these populations.

3 May 2005

Exercise training in ordinary people affects the activity of 500 genes

A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm shows that hundreds of genes in the thigh muscle are activated in regular cycle training. The study also reveals that great differences in training response may be due to the ability in some people to activate their genes much more forcefully. The study is published May 2 in FASEB Journal.

2 May 2005

African Americans disproportionately faced with stroke says the American Stroke Association

There are many faces of stroke. This year, 700,000 Americans of all ages, genders and ethnicities will have a new or recurrent stroke.

2 May 2005

Report reveals urgent need to improve physical health of people with Schizophrenia

People with schizophrenia often die prematurely. However researchers from the University of Glasgow and NHS Greater Glasgow assert that much of the excess mortality of schizophrenia is preventable through lifestyle changes and the treatment of common diseases.

27 Apr 2005

Moderate alcohol consumption enhances the formation of new nerve cells

Moderate alcohol consumption over a relatively long period of time can enhance the formation of new nerve cells in the adult brain. The new cells could prove important in the development of alcohol dependency and other long-term effects of alcohol on the brain. The findings are published by Karolinska Institutet.

26 Apr 2005

Physical activity appears to inhibit Alzheimer's

Physical activity appears to inhibit Alzheimer's-like brain changes in mice, slowing the development of a key feature of the disease, according to a new study.

26 Apr 2005

Despite knowledge, very few follow a healthy lifestyle

New research has shown that despite access to advice on healthy lifestyles and government campaigns to encourage people to adopt a healthier way of life, very few Americans are applying that knowledge to themselves.

25 Apr 2005

Few US adults report having a healthy lifestyle

Despite clear evidence of the health benefits, few U.S. adults conform to four common healthy behaviors that together characterize a healthy lifestyle, according to the April 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

25 Apr 2005

Fatness, despite fitness, is linked with cardiovascular risk factors

Body fatness was associated with more cardiovascular disease risk factors even among healthy, aerobically fit men, according to a report today in an obesity-themed issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

23 Apr 2005

Obesity and insulin resistance fuels cardiovascular risk factors in teens

Obesity and insulin resistance are a menacing tag team that fuels cardiovascular risk factors in teens, according to a study reported in an obesity-themed issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

23 Apr 2005

Obesity sends Type 2 diabetes rates in children soaring

Research results revealed at the Diabetes UK Annual Professional Conference, show 22 children under 16 have Type 2 diabetes in East London alone. Past estimates suggest there were only around 100 children diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the UK but this figure now appears to be a vast underestimate.

23 Apr 2005

Federal food pyramid redesigned

The US Department of Agriculture has released a new version of the Food Guide Pyramid, the drawing it uses to show people how to follow federal dietary guidelines. The new pyramid has vertical bands for each food group, instead of the horizontal ones used in the last version of the food guide, and includes a figure climbing steps along the side of the pyramid to emphasize exercise.

23 Apr 2005

MyPyramid has a mixed response from experts

MyPyramid, the updated version of the U.S. Agriculture Department's, (USDA), familiar food pyramid, is getting a mixed response from nutritionists and other experts, who say some consumers might find the new model even more confusing than the old one.

20 Apr 2005

USDA new Food Guide Pyramid not rated by all experts

The U.S. Agriculture Department, (USDA), in an attempt to combat the obesity epidemic has updated its well-known Food Guide Pyramid with a triangular symbol that emphasizes exercise and urges consumers to use an Internet site to design a personalized plan for healthy eating.

19 Apr 2005

If MyPyramid can assist people in effectively adopting the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines, it will be a great success

The ultimate value and success of the new “MyPyramid” Food Guidance System graphic will be measured by whether it can serve as an effective tool to help people eat according to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Time will tell if MyPyramid will convey to consumers the vital nutritional messages of balance, variety, moderation and adequacy.

19 Apr 2005

Drugs targeted at muscle cells can be of use in the treatment of diabetes patients with insulin resistance

Type 2 diabetes is a clinical disease characterised by disruption to the metabolism of glucose and lipids as well as to the production of and physiological reactions to insulin.

19 Apr 2005

Exercise variety - not intensity - appears to reduce some Alzheimer's disease risk

The variety of leisure and physical activity one engages in -- and not its intensity in terms of calories expended - may reduce dementia risk in older people, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins.

19 Apr 2005