Physical Activity News and Research

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Americans cutting back on healthy activities

Yet another negative result of the bad economy: Americans are cutting back on healthy activities such as eating fresh foods and exercising regularly.

17 May 2009

Obese, older and poorer Australians get more chronic diseases

According to researchers at the University of Adelaide, in the past 15 years chronic diseases among older, lower income and obese Australians have increased significantly.

15 May 2009

Healthy living helps older, overweight cancer survivors reduce functional decline

A home-based diet and exercise program reduced the rate of functional decline among older, overweight long-term survivors of colorectal, breast and prostate cancer, according to a study in the May 13 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical.

12 May 2009

Ability to problem solve influenced by your movement

Swinging their arms helped participants in a new study solve a problem whose solution involved swinging strings, researchers report, demonstrating that the brain can use bodily cues to help understand and solve complex problems

12 May 2009

Research shows link between appetite and elderly mortality

A new study by a Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researcher reveals a linkage between elderly people's appetite and mortality rates, with those who report impaired appetite more likely to die sooner.

12 May 2009

DASH diet to lower blood pressure also reduces women's risk of heart failure

The DASH diet was initially developed to help patients lower their blood pressure, but a large study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) demonstrates that women who followed the diet also significantly reduced their risk of developing heart failure.

12 May 2009

New Centre to target health and well being of children and young people

Children and young people in the UK are set to benefit from a new centre of excellence focused on tackling health issues of most concern to them.

12 May 2009

Extra calories rather than lack of exercise the culprit in obesity epidemic

New research appears to settle the on-going debate over whether the culprit in the current obesity epidemic is a lack of exercise or too much food.

11 May 2009

Increased food intake alone explains the increase in body weight in the United States

New research that uses an innovative approach to study, for the first time, the relative contributions of food and exercise habits to the development of the obesity epidemic has concluded that the rise in obesity in the United States since the 1970s was virtually all due to increased energy intake.

10 May 2009

New device for patients too sick for open-heart surgery

An innovative device that acts like a belt to reshape an enlarged, leaky heart valve is providing a minimally invasive treatment option for patients who are too sick for open-heart surgery.

7 May 2009

Children's activity levels not influenced by more PE time in school

Scheduling more physical education time in schools does not mean children will increase their activity levels, suggests new research that discovered those who got lots of timetabled exercise at school compensated by doing less at home while those who got little at school made up for it by being more active at home.

7 May 2009

Smoking, hypertension and BMI are the leading preventable risk factors for premature mortality in the U.S.

The researchers found that smoking is responsible for 467,000 premature deaths each year, high blood pressure for 395,000, and being overweight for 216,000. The effects of smoking work out to be about one in five deaths in American adults, while high blood pressure is responsible for one in six deaths.

30 Apr 2009

ADA releases official stance on obesity, reproduction and pregnancy outcomes

Diet and nutrition counseling for virtually all overweight and obese women of childbearing age can reduce health risks associated with excess weight for mothers and children alike, according to a newly released position paper from the American Dietetic Association and the American Society of Nutrition.

30 Apr 2009

New series of free talks on how to eat healthier

A new series of free talks on how to eat healthier, reduce stress, stop smoking and manage medication highlight the "Got Health?" series sponsored by the Center for Community Health and feature experts from the University of Rochester Medical Center.

26 Apr 2009

Physical activity counseling increases physical activity of older people

The research conducted at the Finnish Center for Interdisciplinary Gerontology at the University of Jyväskylä shows that physical activity counseling has positive effects on the mobility of older people.

22 Apr 2009

Regular exercise can prevent damage that causes leakage in the blood-brain barrier

Regular exercise can prevent the disruption of the blood brain barrier that normally occurs with a dose of methamphetamine comparable to that used by heavy meth users.

22 Apr 2009

Stress in the form of depressive symptoms affects exercise patterns in breast cancer patients

The first study to monitor physical activity in breast cancer patients for five years suggests that patients with greater depressive symptoms and a lower emotional quality of life are less likely to exercise as part of their recovery than are patients reporting less distress.

22 Apr 2009