Exercise News and Research

Latest Exercise News and Research

Tai Chi can reduce falls in the elderly

According to researchers in South Korea, a structured Tai Chi program improved the balance and physical strength in a group of older people with an average age of 78.

30 Jun 2005

Viagra's non-blood pressure effect successfully mimics vasopressin action

Normally your kidneys filter about 50 gallons of blood a day, remove such waste as salts and minerals, and concentrate it into urine. When you exercise or don't take in water, your blood "thickens" and instead of removing water, the kidney reverses the process, pulls in water from the body that would normally go into the urine, and puts it into the blood, thus maintaining water balance.

29 Jun 2005

Medical experts say that yearly checkup not necessary - doctors and patients disagree

Though you and your doctor might think that yearly checkup is just a routine part of staying healthy, that practice isn't endorsed by a panel of experts.

29 Jun 2005

Saturated fats combined with genetic trait may make people more susceptible to type 2 diabetes

A University of Alberta team of researchers has discovered an additional 2 million Canadians who have a high fat diet or are overweight may be at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes if they carry a particular type of common specific genetic trait known as a polymorphism.

29 Jun 2005

Exercise helps find genetic regions linked to prediabetes

People's bodies respond to exercise in different ways, and their genetic makeup is partly responsible.

28 Jun 2005

Researchers recommend pelvic floor disorders be part of routine physical exams for all women

While most women suffer from pelvic floor disorders (PFD), the majority don’t seek help until they are incontinent.

28 Jun 2005

Modernising Care for Patients Undergoing Major Surgery

Hospitals could improve survival rates following major surgery by streamlining their critical care units, according to a new report launched recently at a London conference. As well as saving lives, hospitals could save an estimated £2 million each by implementing some of the report's key recommendations to help reduce hospital stay times.

27 Jun 2005

Study shows that low-intensity exercise such as Tai Chi has great potential for health promotion in older people

Older people who took part in a structured programme of Tai Chi found that their balance and physical strength improved, reducing the risk of falls, according to a paper in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

27 Jun 2005

Half a million in U.S. could die in flu pandemic

A report from the Trust for America's Health, says the United States only has 965,256 staffed hospital beds, and in the event of a pandemic, half a million Americans could die and more than 2 million could end up in the hospital with serious complications.

27 Jun 2005

Unknown factors make Scots people more prone to heart disease

The findings, which are published in the current edition of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, conclude that although successful campaigns to get Scots to live a healthier lifestyle will reduce rates of heart disease in Scotland, they will not do much to narrow the gap in heart disease rates between Scotland and England.

26 Jun 2005

AMA tackles childhood obesity with new directives

The American Medical Association (AMA) has issued several new directives to help fight childhood obesity and promote healthier lifestyles in schools across the country.

23 Jun 2005

Athletes boosted by caffeine

Scientists at the University of Birmingham say that caffeine can help athletes by boosting the body's absorption of carbohydrates.

23 Jun 2005

BMA calls for tough action to tackle childhood obesity in Scotland

School meals should adhere to strict guidelines on sugar and fat content, all unhealthy food and fizzy drinks vending machines in schools should be banned and there should be no junk food advertising or sponsorship. These are the some of the recommendations in the BMA’s report Preventing Childhood Obesity, launched yesterday [22 June 2005].

22 Jun 2005

Folic acid improves memory and protects the brain from aging

According to scientists in Holland high doses of folic acid might help slow the cognitive decline of aging.

22 Jun 2005

Wearing a continuous positive airway pressure device helps heart failure patients with obstructive sleep apnea get a good night's rest

Wearing a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device not only helps heart failure patients with obstructive sleep apnea get a good night's rest, it lowers blood pressure and heart rate well into the morning, apparently, by reducing sympathetic nervous system activity, according to a new study (PDF) in the June 21, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Jun 2005

Vascular disease most common cause of male erectile dysfunction

A preeminent cardiologist reports, for the first time in a large prospective study, that certain of his patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) and heart problems can now safely use erection drugs that help up to 80% of men restore function and quality of life.

21 Jun 2005

New research tool replicates extreme environmental conditions to help understand the human body's response to everyday stresses

A new research tool will allow University of Oregon scientists to replicate an extreme range of environmental conditions in their quest to test and understand the human body's response to everyday stresses.

21 Jun 2005

New book asks if obesity 'crisis' is justified

Although increasing obesity levels are currently extremely topical, very few people have stopped to think carefully about what this trend means.

21 Jun 2005

Research suggests that children with a neuropsychiatric disease may be at risk for type 2 diabetes, and vice versa

As many as one in five children with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes may also have a neuropsychiatric disorder, according to a new study. The illnesses include depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, developmental delay, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

20 Jun 2005

Patients who need PET/CT scans should avoid drinking coffee

Patients who need a positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) procedure to evaluate known or suspected malignancies should lay off the java, according to research by Medhat M. Osman, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of internal medicine's division of nuclear medicine and director of PET at Saint Louis University Hospital.

20 Jun 2005