Physical Activity News and Research

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Alcoholics should avoid excessive physical and psychological stress during early abstinence

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a hormonal system that defends against stress, starvation and illnesses.

24 Apr 2007

School playgrounds important in the fight against childhood obesity

A RAND Corporation study issued today says school playgrounds and athletic facilities can be important tools in the fight against childhood obesity, but many are locked and inaccessible to children on weekends - especially in poor and minority neighborhoods.

20 Apr 2007

New study to assess bariatric surgery in extremely overweight teens

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched an observational study to evaluate the benefits and risks of bariatric surgery in adolescents.

18 Apr 2007

Common misconception that diabetes is 'in the genes' for Indigenous people dispelled

The high rate of diabetes among indigenous people is not due to their genetic heritage, according to a recently published study.

17 Apr 2007

Study dispels myth that certain minority groups are genetically prone to diabetes

A study by U.S. and Australian researchers is helping dispel the 40-year-old "thrifty genotype theory," which purports that certain minority groups are genetically prone to diabetes.

17 Apr 2007

Coronary artery risk development in young adults

Having above optimal levels of risk factors for heart disease between the ages of 18 and 30 can mean a two to three times greater risk of later developing coronary calcium, a strong predictor of heart disease, according to results of a new study from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

17 Apr 2007

Significant rise in childhood obesity

Four-year-old girls are six times more likely to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 30 than they were 20 years ago and ten-year-olds are five times more likely, according to research published in the April issue of Acta Paediatrica.

17 Apr 2007

Exercise reduces risk of hypertension in young adults

Young adults who spend more time participating in physical activity have a reduced risk of developing high blood pressure within the next 15 years, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota.

15 Apr 2007

People with two copies of a particular gene have a 70% higher risk of being obese

Scientists have identified the most clear genetic link yet to obesity in the general population as part of a major study of diseases funded by the Wellcome Trust, the UK's largest medical research charity.

15 Apr 2007

65 per cent of Cree preschoolers in northern Quebec overweight or obese

Childhood obesity is increasing among the general population in Canada, but the statistics are even more alarming among First Nations, Inuit and Metis children.

14 Apr 2007

Study finds poor diets of most Australian teens

A quarter of Australian teenagers eat fast food everyday and more than a third hardly ever eat fruit, a Deakin University study has found.

12 Apr 2007

Study identifies clearest link yet to obesity risk

12 Apr 2007

Telephone interventions for physical activity and dietary behavior change

"Phoning it in" works when it comes to losing weight and getting fit, according to a new systematic review.

11 Apr 2007

Team sports helps breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer survivors may find participation on a team that incorporates physical fitness, such as boating, walking or running, can help improve their quality of life, says a Purdue University sport and exercise psychologist.

11 Apr 2007

American Heart Association highlights BAD fats and BETTER fats

As the nation moves to significantly reduce trans fat consumption, the American Heart Association is launching "Face The Fats," an educational campaign to teach consumers how to minimize trans fat in their diet, while avoiding the unintended health consequence of defaulting to more saturated fat.

11 Apr 2007

Calories from fat, carbohydrate, and protein may interact with genes

We observed an interaction between APOA5 and dietary fat intake, but we did not see an interaction between APOA5 and carbohydrate or protein intake for any genetic variants of APOA5,” says Ordovas, who is corresponding author of the study.

10 Apr 2007

Explosion in severly overweight Americans

The proportion of Americans who are severely obese -- about 100 pounds or more overweight -- increased by 50 percent from 2000 to 2005, twice as fast as the growth seen in moderate obesity, according to a RAND Corporation study.

10 Apr 2007

Canada tackles growing obesity epidemic

The first-ever Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on the Management and Prevention of Obesity in Adults and Children, published April 10, 2007 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), recommend that waist circumference be measured in all Canadian adults, and that a national surveillance system be developed that incorporates this measurement along with height and weight.

10 Apr 2007

Obesity a major health issue in Canada

With 59% of Canadian adults being overweight and 23% being obese, plus the disturbing increase in childhood obesity, it is clear that obesity is a major individual and public health issue in Canada.

10 Apr 2007

Morbid obese a rapidly growing population in the U.S.

In a study to be published later this year researchers have found that not only are Americans getting fatter each year but the number of severely overweight members of the population is increasing twice as fast as other obese Americans.

10 Apr 2007