Physical Activity News and Research

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U.S. obesity rates rose sharply between 1999 and 2023

Obesity rates among U.S. adults and children rose sharply in recent years and by 2023, 40% of adults and 20% of youth met the criteria for obesity, according to new, independent research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

7 Jul 2026

Breaking up long periods of sitting is linked to lower cancer risk

The study highlights that how sedentary time is accumulated affects cancer risk, with prolonged sitting linked to higher risk and activity offering protection.

7 Jul 2026

Study links geography to significant differences in sperm quality

A new nationwide study has found substantial regional differences in sperm quality, with men in the highest-performing region recording almost double the total motile sperm count of those in the lowest-performing region.

6 Jul 2026

Six weeks of shorter sleep increases weight and sedentary time

People who shortened their sleep by around 80 minutes a night for six weeks gained weight-one pound on average-and were more sedentary, researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons have found.

6 Jul 2026

BCU expert reveals why exercise is one of the most powerful tools for managing menopause

Exercise is one of the most effective and underused tools to help navigate the menopause, according to a Birmingham City University (BCU) expert.

3 Jul 2026

Study maps how exercise, sleep, diet, and mood connect in daily life

Researchers followed 79 U.S. adults for 70 days and found that daily lifestyle behaviors clustered with positive and negative affect across same-day, next-day, and between-person patterns. Person-specific networks showed that these daily habits and mood links varied widely, suggesting future lifestyle interventions may need to be more personalized.

2 Jul 2026

Blocking nerve signaling may reduce cancer-associated cachexia

Researchers have uncovered a previously unrecognized pathway linking lung tumor genetics, diet, and the nervous system that drives cancer-associated cachexia, according to a new study in mice.

2 Jul 2026

Study reveals double burden of malnutrition among low-income urban children in India

Children growing up in a low-income urban community in Vellore are now facing two seemingly opposite forms of malnutrition simultaneously: persistent thinness and rising obesity by the time they reach primary school age.

2 Jul 2026

Genetics play a bigger role than pregnancy in childhood obesity risk

Genetic factors primarily explain the link between parental and childhood BMI, with maternal obesity impacting birth weight more than later childhood obesity.

1 Jul 2026

Blood protein clocks flag higher risks of death and chronic disease

Proteomic age clocks applied to two European cohorts linked faster biological aging with smoking, alcohol use, physical inactivity, all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and several cancers. The Global proteomic clock predicted mortality as well as established lifestyle risk factors, while organ-specific clocks showed stronger links with related cancers of the kidney, lung, and stomach.

30 Jun 2026

Obesity makes breathing harder during exercise for young vapers

E-cigarette users with obesity show higher ventilatory demands and breathlessness during exercise, indicating potential long-term respiratory health risks.

30 Jun 2026

Blood metabolism maps how lifestyle tracks function in cognitive aging

A new study used pathway-level blood metabolomics to identify lifestyle-associated metabolic patterns linked to physical, cognitive, and daily functional performance across CN, MCI, and AD. The findings suggest that diet- and activity-linked pathway signals span energy, amino acid, lipid, inflammatory, oxidative stress, and microbiome-related metabolism, but require independent and longitudinal validation.

29 Jun 2026

Faster biological aging may help explain rising cancer rates in younger adults

A new study found that later birth cohorts showed greater biological aging, measured by systemic age-gap clocks. Greater biological aging was associated with higher early-onset solid cancer risk, especially lung, gastrointestinal, and uterine cancers.

29 Jun 2026

Telehealth mindfulness program reduces chronic low back pain

Low back pain affects over 600 million people and is the single leading cause of disability worldwide.

29 Jun 2026

Weak handgrip may not independently predict prostate cancer risk

New research suggests that low handgrip strength alone is not a reliable predictor of increased prostate cancer risk among older men.

28 Jun 2026

New Florida initiative supports healthier lives for cancer survivors statewide

University of West Florida Assistant Professor of Public Health Dr. Karishma Chhabria Unrue has been awarded a nearly $825,000 grant through the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund to lead a statewide initiative focused on improving the health and well-being of breast and prostate cancer survivors.

27 Jun 2026

AI designs personalized burgers balancing taste, nutrition and sustainability

Stanford researcher Ellen Kuhl estimates that there are some 1043 potential burger recipes in the world. And with BurgerAI, a new tool developed in her lab, artificial intelligence can now design the best one for you based on your age, taste, nutritional need, and even your sustainability goal.

26 Jun 2026

Exercise, not liraglutide alone, drives vascular gains after obesity-related weight loss

A prespecified secondary analysis of the S-LiTE trial found that regular exercise reduced carotid artery wall thickness and circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines in adults with obesity who had already achieved substantial diet-induced weight loss. Liraglutide alone did not significantly improve these vascular or inflammatory markers, while exercise plus liraglutide also improved endothelial function biomarkers.

25 Jun 2026

Recognizing perinatal heart failure early reduces life-threatening risks

Early detection and timely treatment of heart failure in pregnant or postpartum women are crucial to prevent serious complications, such as irregular heartbeat, stroke and death, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement, "Heart Failure Occurring in the Perinatal Period."

25 Jun 2026

AACR report highlights unequal burden of cancer in the United States

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) today released its Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2026, a comprehensive analysis of the unequal burden of cancer in the United States.

24 Jun 2026