Exercise – Fitness
05 Mar Is Youth Football Safe? An Analysis of Middle School Football Head Impact Data
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_53400" align="alignleft" width="160"]
Robert F. Heary, M.D.Co-Director, Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory
Director, Spine Center of New Jersey
Professor, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Newark, New Jersey[/caption] Robert F. Heary, M.D. Co-Director, Reynolds Family Spine Laboratory Director, Spine Center of New Jersey Professor, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Newark, New Jersey MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: This article was written to assess the relative danger versus safety of youth football. As this is a hot-button topic in the world of neurosurgery and neurology, we decided to look into this issue. In a suburban town, middle school football players were studied. They wore helmets with accelerometers mounted inside the hemet to measure how many hits the player absorbs and the magnitude of the force behind the hits. Also, soft “guardian caps” we worn over the outside of the helmets during practices. For all football activities (practices and games), the helmets were worn and data were accumulated. In addition, specialized coaching related to safe tackling techniques was provided.
08 Jan Just Training for a Marathon Can Reverse Some Cardiovascular Aging
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52632" align="alignleft" width="80"] Dr. Manisty[/caption]
Dr Charlotte Manisty PhD MRCP
Senior Lecturer Consultant Cardiologist
Barts Heart Centre and University College
University College Hospitals, London
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The normal ageing process results in vascular stiffening which in turn contributes to adverse cardiovascular events including heart attacks and strokes. We know that trained athletes have more compliant blood vessels than their peers, and previous small studies of supervised exercise training have shown that such interventions can reduce blood pressure.
We aimed to assess the impact of unsupervised exercise training on cardiovascular physiology in novice runners preparing for a first-time marathon using advanced noninvasive imaging in order to better understand whether it is possible to ‘reverse’ vascular ageing.
18 Dec More Concussions Occur Off Playing Field Than On
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52509" align="alignleft" width="133"] Dr. Breck[/caption]
John Breck, DO, CAQSM
Medical Services at University of Colorado, Boulder
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: To date, most concussion research has focused on sport-related concussion, though it is known that a substantial number of concussions occur outside of participating in sport.
Focusing solely on sport-related concussion may result in an underestimation of the underlying incidence and prevalence of concussion in the general population and leads to the widely held perception that most concussions are sport-related. An understudied population at risk for concussion are United States undergraduate college students.
16 Dec Weekly Yoga Improved Reduced Nausea and Improved Well-Being in Breast Cancer Patients on Chemotherapy
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_52481" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Chen[/caption]
Tiffany Won-Shau Chen MD
Internal Medicine Residency
Mount Sinai Beth Israel
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The research I presented on details a randomized, prospective study done to evaluate whether it would be feasible and effective to implement a yoga program for breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy that could reduce patients' chemotherapy-related symptoms and improve their quality of life.
50 patients were recruited, half of whom underwent a 12-week long yoga program with weekly courses, while the other half did not participate in the program.
Surveys were completed at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks assessing patients' functional wellbeing, sleep quality, and anxiety/depression levels.
28 Oct Exercise Linked to Reduced Hip Fractures in Post-Menopausal Women
Posted at 14:43h
in Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Heart Disease, Hip Fractures, JAMA, Menopause
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_51934" align="alignleft" width="140"] Dr. Wactawski-Wende[/caption]
Jean Wactawski-Wende PhD
Dean, SUNY Distinguished Professor
Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
School of Public Health and Health Professions
University of Buffalo
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: This study included data from the Women’s Health Initiative, a prospective study of postmenopausal women from across the United States. We assessed physical activity in 77,206 women over an average of 14 years of follow-up. Approximately 1/3 of these women (average age 63.4 years) had at least one fracture occur.
Higher physical activity levels were associated with lower risk of hip and total fracture. Even levels of activity that were moderate, including regular walking and doing household chores, were beneficial.
22 Oct No Link Found Between Adolescent Contact Sports and Cognitive or Mental Health in Early Adulthood
Posted at 19:55h
in Author Interviews, Cognitive Issues, Exercise - Fitness, Mental Health Research, Pediatrics
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_51914" align="alignleft" width="165"]
Dr. Bohr[/caption]
Adam Bohr, PhD
Postdoctoral researcher
Department of Integrative Physiology
University of Colorado Boulder
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Recent population studies of former football players from the 1950's did not observe a relationship between participation in football and adverse cognitive outcomes in late adulthood.
We were able to replicate this finding in a more recently ascertained cohort from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). We did not observe a relationship between participation in contact sports/football in the mid-1990s and impaired cognitive ability or mental health in early adulthood.
24 Sep Sports Specialization Hurts Girls More Than Boys
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_51581" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Prof. Field[/caption]
Alison E. Field, ScD
Professor and Chair of Epidemiology
Brown University School of Public Heath
Providence, RI
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Over past couple of decades there has been a large change in youth sports from playing different sports in each season to more and more specialization where children are playing the same sport for three or more seasons. The concern with that change is that specialization at young ages will lead to more injuries, as well as athlete burnout.
23 Aug Every Little Step Helps – Any Physical Activity Linked to Decreased Mortality
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_50978" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Prof. Ekelund[/caption]
Prof. Ulf Ekelund PhD
Professor in Physical Activity and Health
Department of Sport Medicine
Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Oslo, Norway
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We know that physical activity of a moderate or vigorous intensity (such as brisk walking) is good for your health. More recently, it has also been shown that prolonged sitting is also linked to an increased risk for many chronic diseases and premature death.
Current physical activity recommendations suggest that all adults should participate in at least 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity and that prolonged sitting should be avoided. However, how much sitting is too much? This is not specified and is widely debated. In addition, are levels of physical activity below those recommended still beneficial for health and does light intensity physical activity still count? Answering these questions have huge relevance for health promotion.
We therefore performed a study analysing data from eight studies in which physical activity was assessed precisely with an activity monitor in about 36000 individuals followed for about six years during which more than 2500 died.
11 Aug Football: One Season of Play Linked to Midbrain Damage, Even Without Concussion
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_50651" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Dr. Hirad[/caption]
Adnan Hirad, PhD
MD Candidate, Medical Scientist Training Program
University of Rochester
School of Medicine and Dentistry
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Concussion is defined based on the manifestation of observable signs and symptoms (e.g., dizziness, difficulty with concentration, loss of consciousness, inter alia). A non-concussive head injury is when someone hits their head but does not exhibit the signs and symptoms of concussion -- IE concussion is defined by observable signs, and sub-concussive is defined as sustaining head impacts similar (in magnitude and mechanism) to those sustained with concussion without observable signs and/or symptoms. These hits are a problem not only in football, but also with IED/bomb blasts experienced during war and potentially rugby.
31 Jul Americans Still Exercising Too Little, Sitting Too Much
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_44215" align="alignleft" width="130"] Dr. Wei Bao[/caption]
Wei Bao, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology
College of Public Health,
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242
and Yang Du
University of Iowa
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: In 2008, the US Department of Health and Human Services released the first federal Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which recommended that people should do at least 150 minutes moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. This key recommendation has been reaffirmed in the 2018 recently updated Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. In addition, the new 2018 Guidelines for the first time discussed health risks of sedentary behaviors.
Insufficient physical activity and long sitting time have long been recognized as risk factors for major chronic diseases and mortality. Therefore, we were curious whether there have been a significant changes in adherence to the Physical Activity Guidelines in US adults since the release of the first edition of the federal guidelines in 2008 and whether sedentary behavior in US adults changed during the same period.
26 Jul Increased Atrial Fibrillation Found in Former NFL Players
Posted at 21:44h
in AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Cleveland Clinic, Exercise - Fitness, Heart Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_50454" align="alignleft" width="159"]
Dr. Phelan[/caption]
Dermot Phelan, MD, PhD
Director of the Sports Cardiology Center
Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: It is well recognized that long-term elite endurance athletes are at higher risk of atrial fibrillation. We wished to evaluate whether this held true for primarily strength-type athletes. We had the opportunity to screen almost 500 former NFL athletes. It became clear that we were seeing more atrial fibrillation than one would expect during the screenings.
15 Jul Music Makes High Intensity Exercise More Enjoyable
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_50296" align="alignleft" width="178"] Dr. Stork[/caption]
Matthew J. Stork, PhD
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Postdoctoral Fellow
The University of British Columbia
School of Health & Exercise Sciences
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves multiple brief, high-intensity efforts, separated by periods of recovery. Research shows that several weeks of HIIT can elicit meaningful physical health benefits that are similar to those of traditional, long-duration aerobic exercise. While HIIT is time-efficient and can induce important health benefits, one major drawback is that people may find it to be unpleasant – especially those who are insufficiently active and not meeting recommended physical activity guidelines. The potentially unpleasant nature of HIIT may deter people from beginning or adhering to a HIIT program.
Consequently, researchers have begun to investigate the use of music as a potential strategy to enhance people’s pleasure during HIIT. However, the current research evidence is quite limited and, in particular, insufficiently active individuals have been understudied.
27 Jun Even With Reduced Permits, Hiking Yosemite’s Half Dome Just as Dangerous
Trailhead quotas are often used in national parks to limit the number of visitors and provide opportunities for solitude, but it’s less common for permit policies to be created in order to protect the health of hikers and backpackers...
05 Jun Home Based Physical Therapy Can Help Prevent Falls in the Elderly
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_49471" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Liu-Ambrose[/caption]
Teresa Liu-Ambrose, PT, PhD
Canada Research Chair (Tier II), Physical Activity, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience
Director, Aging, Mobility, and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory
University of British Columbia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Falls in older adults are the third-leading cause of chronic disability and the leading cause of hospitalization for adults over age 65. Older adults who experience multiple falls are at increased risk for disability, loss of independence, and even death. How to best prevent falls in this high risk group is not well established.
02 Jun Mortality: Number of Steps Matter, Up To a Point
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_49426" align="alignleft" width="133"]
Prof. I-Min Lee[/caption]
I-Min Lee, MD, ScD
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Professor of Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: While we have many studies showing that physical activity is beneficial for health, there are few data on steps and health, particularly long-term health outcomes. An expert committee – the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, which reviewed the scientific evidence to support the recently released Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition – noted this (i.e., the relation between steps and health outcomes) to be a critical gap in knowledge, since many individuals are using wearables and monitoring their step counts.
We often hear the number 10,000 steps cited as a daily goal, but the basis for this number is unclear. It likely originated as a marketing tool: in 1965, the Yamasa Clock and Instrument Company, Japan sold a pedometer called “Manpo-kei” – “ten thousand steps meter” in Japanese.
For many older people, 10,000 steps/day can be a very daunting goal; thus, we wanted to investigate whether this was necessary for lower mortality rates in older women. Additionally, steps taken can be fast or slow, and there are no published studies on step intensity and long-term health outcomes. Note that walking pace and step intensity are not the same concept: walking pace gauges intensity when walking purposefully (e.g., for exercise or transportation), while step intensity assesses an overall best natural effort in our daily life.
29 May Team Sports Benefits Teens With a Troubled Childhood
Posted at 11:25h
in Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, JAMA, Mental Health Research, Pediatrics, UCLA
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Molly C. Easterlin, MD
Fellow, UCLA National Clinician Scholars Program
Clinical Instructor, Pediatrics, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Adverse childhood experiences or ACEs (including physical or emotional neglect or abuse, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, exposure to household substance misuse or mental illness, parental separation or divorce, and parental incarceration) are common with about half of children experiencing 1 and one-quarter of children experiencing 2 or more.
Children exposed to adverse childhood experiences have worse mental health throughout life, including higher rates of depression and anxiety. However, little is known about what factors improve long-term mental health in those exposed to ACEs. Additionally, as far as we are aware, no studies have looked at team sports participation as a potential factor that may be associated with improved mental health among those with adverse childhood experiences.
16 May Walking Pace Addresses Fit versus Fat Debate
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:Francesco Zaccardi, MD, PhD
Clinical Epidemiologist
Assistant Director Leicester Real World Evidence Unit
Leicester Diabetes Centre
UK
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: The role of excess body weight on mortality has been extensively investigated during the last decades. Studies from several countries have also shown, however, that the risk of death in persons who are overweight or obese is lower if their fitness, a parameter indicating cardio-pulmonary health, is higher.
Most of these studies reported the beneficial effect of fitness in terms of relative risk reduction, for example 20% reduction of risk of death. Relative estimates, though, are difficult to interpret.
14 Apr Suboptimal Physical Activity in Women Associated With Increased Healthcare Spending
Posted at 21:41h
in Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Gender Differences, Heart Disease, JAMA, Johns Hopkins, Women's Heart Health
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Erin D. Michos, MD, MHS, FACC, FAHA, FASE
Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology
Associate Director of Preventive Cardiology
Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Victor Okunrintemi, MD, MPH
Department of Internal Medicine
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Women are less physically active than men on average, and the lack of regular physical activity has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and poorer health outcomes. Although recommendations encouraging regular physical activity has been in place for decades, we do not know how much of these recommendations are met, particularly among high risk women with established cardiovascular disease for secondary prevention.
This study was therefore designed with the aim of describing the 10-year trends for the proportion of women with cardiovascular disease who do not meet these recommend physical activity levels, overall and by key sociodemographic groups, and the associated cost implications.
10 Apr Parkinson’s Disease: Mindfulness Yoga and Stretching To Reduce Anxiety and Depression
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Jojo Kwok R.N., BN(Hons), MPH, Ph.D. School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine The University of Hong Kong MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Before the study, we knew that mind-body exercises such as yoga and stretching improves the physical health of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), however the benefits to their mental health was not known. This study concludes that mindfulness yoga alleviates psychological distress, improves spiritual well-being and quality of life, not to mention motor symptoms and mobility. When it comes to managing the stress and symptoms of Parkinson Disease, what is exciting, is that yoga has now been proven to be a better strategy than just stretching. Yoga draws together body, mind and spirit through mindful practice of 1) yoga posture, 2) breathing and 3) meditation. These form the three core components of our Mindfulness Yoga Program. Mindfulness is non-judgemental awareness of the present moment - of one’s physical sensations and thoughts, be they positive or negative. By adopting a mind-body approach, patients are much better positioned to reframe their illness journey than through physical training alone. By learning to relate non-judgmentally to their physical symptoms and emotions, they develop new coping skills that cultivate openness, acceptance and resilience to these symptoms. They feel better.
29 Mar Exercise: A Non-Pharmaceutical “Drug” To Reduce Heart Disease in Breast Cancer Patients
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_48187" align="alignleft" width="179"] Dr. Dieli-Conwright[/caption]
Christina M. Dieli-Conwright, PhD, MPH, FACSM, CSCS
Assistant Professor of Research
Director, Integrative Center for Oncology Research in Exercise
Division of Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy, Ostrow School of Dentistry
Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90033
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: This study was designed to assess the effects of an aerobic and resistance exercise on metabolic dysregulation in sedentary, obese breast cancer survivors, however we further examined the effects on cardiovascular disease risk measured by the Framingham Risk Score, reported here.
Our findings indicated that exercise, indeed, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in this population.
05 Mar Is Behavioral Change Among Overweight Diabetics Feasible and Sustainable?
Posted at 18:17h
in Author Interviews, Diabetes, Exercise - Fitness, JAMA, Lifestyle & Health, Weight Research
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Giuseppe Pugliese, MD, PhD
for the Italian Diabetes and Exercise Study 2 (IDES_2) Investigators
Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine
‘‘La Sapienza’’ University
Diabetes Unit, Sant’Andrea University Hospital
Rome, Italy
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: There is a growing epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes worldwide,
which are causally related to the increasing prevalence of “physical
inactivity”, i.e., an insufficient amount of moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity according to current guidelines, and
“sedentariness”, i.e., too many hours, especially if uninterrupted,
spent in a sitting or reclined position. These two unhealthy
behaviors exert their detrimental effects independently of each other
and are very common among people suffering from type 2 diabetes, who
would therefore benefit from increasing physical activity and reducing
sedentary time, as recommended by current guidelines.
However, such a behavior change is generally difficult for a number of
internal and external barriers and requires behavioral interventions
targeting both physical activity and sedentary habits. Unfortunately,
there is no definitive evidence that this is indeed feasible and,
particularly, that, if adopted, change in behavior can be maintained
in the long term.
25 Feb Tai Ji Quan Effective in Reducing Injurious Falls
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_47520" align="alignleft" width="142"]
Dr. Li[/caption]
Fuzhong Li, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
Oregon Research Institute
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Injurious falls among community-dwelling older adults are a serious public health and cost-bearing problem worldwide.Exercise has been shown to reduce falls and injurious falls among older adults. However, evidence is limited with regard to the type of exercise interventions that are most effective, without exacerbating the risk in some individuals, in reducing injurious falls.
This study addresses this knowledge gap in the field of falls prevention. Findings from this study showed that a six-month Tai Ji Quan program reduced the incidence of injurious falls among frail elderly by 53% compared to a regular (multimodal) exercise intervention. The effect of the Tai Ji Quan intervention was shown to be robust, and still evident at follow-up examinations six months after the study.
25 Feb Interval Training: Time-Efficient Body Fat Management
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr Paul Gentil
Faculty of Physical Education and Dance
Federal University of Goias
Goiania, Brazil
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Although being overweight and/or obese are associated with numerous health risks, the prevalence of both are continuing to increase worldwide. The treatment would include anything that results in an increase in energy expenditure (exercise) or a decrease in energy intake (diet). However, our metabolism seems to adapt to variations in physical activity to maintain total energy expenditure. Although lower-than-expected weight loss is often attributed to incomplete adherence to prescribed interventions, there are other factors that might influence the results, such as, metabolic downregulation.
So, instead of making people spend more calories, maybe we have to think on how to promote metabolic changes in order to overcome these physiological adaptations above-mentioned. In this regard, high intensity training might be particularly interesting as a strategy to promote fat loss. Irrespective the amount of calories spent during training, higher intensity exercise seems to promote many physiological changes that might favor long-term weight loss. For example, previous studies have shown that interval training is able to promote upregulation of important enzymes associated with glycolysis and beta oxidation pathways, which occurs in a greater extent than with moderate intensity continuous exercise.
Our findings suggest that interval training might be an important tool to promote weigh loss. However, I t might be performed adequately and under direct supervision in order to get better results.
24 Feb Excessive Inorganic Phosphate Food Additives May Make Us More Sedentary
Posted at 02:30h
in Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Kidney Disease, Nutrition, UT Southwestern
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_34742" align="alignleft" width="132"] Dr. Vongpatanasin[/caption]
Dr. Wanpen Vongpatanasin, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Norman & Audrey Kaplan Chair in Hypertension
Fredric L. Coe Professorship in Nephrolithiasis and Mineral Metabolism Research
Director, Hypertension Section,
Cardiology Division,
UT Southwestern Medical Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Increased sedentary activity is commonly seen in people who regularly consume fast food but previously studies have not identified potential mechanisms beyond increased obesity and lack of motivation. Our study seeks to determine if inorganic phosphate, a commonly used food additives that are present in up to 70% of foods in the American diet, maybe the culprit. These food additives (which may come in the form of monocalcium phosphate, phosphoric acid, or tetrasodium phosphate, etc. are used to make the food taste better and/or last longer. It is found mostly in prepackaged foods, cola drinks, and bakery items (cookies, cake, and bread). This is very different from organic phosphates that are found naturally in many healthful foods, such as fruits and vegetables, which are not not readily absorbed from the GI tract.
In the Dallas Heart Study, a multiethnic population-based study, we found that serum phosphate is significantly associated with sedentary time and increased time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity which was measured by wrist actigraphy device. This is not explained by reduce cardiac function as ejection fraction remains normal at higher serum phosphate.
22 Feb Effects of Morning Exercise With/Without Breaks in Sitting on Blood Pressure
Posted at 02:08h
in AHA Journals, Author Interviews, Blood Pressure - Hypertension, Exercise - Fitness
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_47606" align="alignleft" width="200"] Michael J. Wheeler[/caption]
Michael J. Wheeler
Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We conducted this study because separate lines of inquiry have determined that a bout of exercise can acutely lower blood pressure, and more recently that prolonged sitting can increase blood pressure over the space of a day. We wanted to know whether the blood pressure lowering effects of an exercise bout would be diminished by a subsequent period of prolonged sitting or enhanced by a subsequent period of sitting that is regularly interrupted with short walking breaks.
We found an additive blood pressure lowering effect when exercise was combined with breaks in sitting as opposed to exercise plus prolonged sitting. However, this was only true for women. Men had equal blood pressure lowering effects following exercise regardless of whether-or-not subsequent sitting was interrupted
18 Feb Higher Protein, Lower Calorie Diet Can Improve Function and Weight Loss in Older Adults
Posted at 13:23h
in Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Geriatrics, Nutrition, Protein, Weight Research
[caption id="attachment_47536" align="alignleft" width="200"] Dr. Beavers[/caption]
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Kristen M. Beavers PhD, MPH, RD
Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Exercise Science
Department of Biostatistical Sciences
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Winston-Salem, NC
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Weight loss recommendation for older adults with obesity is controversial, in part because overall weight loss is accompanied by loss of muscle and bone, which may exacerbate age-related risk of disability and fracture. Identification of interventions that can preserve muscle and bone while promoting fat loss should maximize cardiometabolic benefit, while minimizing potential harm to the musculoskeletal system.
This randomized controlled trial was originally designed to test whether a higher protein, nutritionally complete meal plan could preserve lean mass and mobility in older adults undergoing a six month intentional weight loss program. Four publications have resulted from this study: * “Effect of an Energy-Restricted, Nutritionally Complete, Higher Protein Meal Plan on Body Composition and Mobility in Older Adults with Obesity,” Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, published online in advance of print June 21, 2018 * “Effect of a Hypocaloric, Nutritionally Complete, Higher-Protein Meal Plan on Bone Density and Quality in Older Adults With Obesity,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, published online in advance of print Jan. 9, 2019 * “Effect of Intentional Weight Loss on Mortality Biomarkers in Older Adults With Obesity,” Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, published online in advance of print Aug. 20, 2018 * “Effects of a Hypocaloric, Nutritionally Complete, Higher Protein Meal Plan on Regional Body Fat and Cardiometabolic Biomarkers in Older Adults with Obesity,” Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, published online in advance of print Feb. 11, 2019
Across the four publications, we found that:
* Participants lost about 18 pounds, most of it fat (87 percent), and preserved muscle mass. The control group lost about half a pound.
* Even when participants lost weight, they maintained bone mass. In fact, trabecular bone score, a measure of bone quality which predicts fracture risk, seemed to improve.
* Fat was lost in the stomach, hips, thighs and rear, which is important for preventing or controlling cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes and stroke.
* Participants’ score on the Healthy Aging Index, which measures biomarkers that predict mortality and longevity, improved by 0.75 points.
13 Feb Poor Fitness and Obesity in Early Life Linked to Greater Disability as Adult
Posted at 11:49h
in Annals Internal Medicine, Author Interviews, Exercise - Fitness, Heart Disease, Karolinski Institute, Weight Research
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_47415" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Henriksson[/caption]
Pontus Henriksson | PhD and Registered Dietitian
Postdoctoral Researcher | SFO-V Fellow
Department of Biosciences and Nutrition
Karolinska Institutet
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: In many countries, disability pensions are granted to working-aged persons who are likely to never work full-time again because of a chronic disease or injury diagnosed by a physician. In addition to serving as an important indicator of chronic disease, disability pensions are associated with high societal costs.
Hence, we examined whether cardiorespiratory fitness and obesity (two potentially modifiable factors) were associated with disability pension later in life.
Our main findings were that low physical fitness and/or obesity during adolescence, were strongly associated with disability pension later in life due to a wide range of diseases and causes.
07 Feb Sport-Related Concussion: Sub-threshold Exercise May Speed Recory
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_47249" align="alignleft" width="133"] Dr. Leddy[/caption]
John J. Leddy, MD
Clinical Professor
Department of Orthopaedics
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
University of Buffalo
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Sport-related concussion (SRC) is a significant public health problem without an effective treatment. Recent International Guidelines have questioned the efficacy of recommending complete rest to treat concussion and have called for prospective studies to evaluate early active treatments for sport-related concussion.
04 Feb Exercise Prevents Falls
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:Cathie Sherrington FAHMS
Professor, NHMRC Senior Research Fellow
Institute for Musculoskeletal Health
The University of Sydney
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What types of exercise were tested or indicated?
Response: Falls are a very common problem with at least one in three people aged 60+ falling each year. This review included all types of exercises delivered to people aged 60+ in the general community i.e., not those living in supported accommodation and not among people with particular health conditions such as a stroke or Parkinson’s disease.