Physical Activity News and Research

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More than half of all Americans will have diabetes by 2020

Half of all American adults are destined to develop diabetes or pre-diabetes by 2020 if they don't make dramatic lifestyle changes, according to a dire new prediction from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

5 Nov 2011

New study shows that worksite health promotion may improve health benefits

A workplace program designed to teach employees to act more like consumers when they make health care decisions, for example, by finding and evaluating health information or choosing a benefit plan, also improved exercise, diet and other health habits, according to a new study in the latest issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.

5 Nov 2011

Dark, cold weather derails physical activity routines of older people with arthritis: Study

As cold winter weather sets in and daylight hours dwindle, many older Chicagoans with arthritis tend to sit idle, missing out on the daily dose of physical activity they need to improve their health, according to a Northwestern Medicine study.

5 Nov 2011

Regular physical activity associated with lower risk of depression in old age

Regular physical activity is associated with a lower risk of suffering depression in old age. This is shown by one of the largest studies on elderly Europeans to have been carried out, by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, among others. Research also shows that self-determined motivation and perceived competence are important factors in persuading elderly people to exercise more.

3 Nov 2011

Combination of Mediterranean diet, physical activity can help improve symptoms of OSAS

Eating a Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity can help to improve some of the symptoms of sleep apnoea, according to new research.

3 Nov 2011

Exercise can prevent inherited obesity & obesity raises injury risk: Two studies

A new study has shown that having an obesity gene should not mean absolute obesity for individuals. The gene may be countered by physical activity.

2 Nov 2011

Broader screening for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Around one in 500 Swedes carry a genetic mutation which can cause sudden cardiac death. The diagnosis can lead to major lifestyle changes, but quality of life can be maintained with the right advice and support, reveals a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

2 Nov 2011

Tufts University introduces MyPlate for Older Adults

Nutrition scientists at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University are introducing today the MyPlate for Older Adults which corresponds with MyPlate, the federal government's new food group symbol.

2 Nov 2011

Gender not an independent predictor of mortality post-PCI

New research shows that women undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as angioplasty, exhibit more co-morbidities and cardiovascular risk factors than men. Risk-adjusted analyses have now indicated that, in the contemporary era, gender is not an independent mortality predictor following PCI according to the study now available in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

1 Nov 2011

Manual wheelchair users can burn up to 120 calories in half an hour

A person who uses a manual wheelchair can burn up to 120 calories in half an hour while wheeling at 2 mph on a flat surface, which is three times as much as someone doing the same action in a motorized wheelchair.

29 Oct 2011

Preventive use of ACZ may reduce risk of severe high altitude illness

Measuring specific, exercise-related responses can help physicians determine who may be more at risk for severe high altitude illness (SHAI), according to a study conducted by researchers in France. The researchers also found that taking acetazolamide (ACZ), a drug frequently prescribed to prevent altitude illness, can reduce some of the risk factors associated with SHAI.

29 Oct 2011

E-learning may not effectively improve dietary behaviors

With more people online and using smart phones, health applications or "apps" as they are popularly known are being promoted to help with everything from exercising to quitting smoking. A new review suggests that apps designed to change and improve eating habits may not make much of a difference.

28 Oct 2011

Yo-yo dieting can affect appetite hormones for up to a year

A new study suggests that the ‘yo-yo’ effect that dieters experience of shedding pounds and gaining them back may be due to the persistence of hormones that drive the urge to eat even a year after weight loss.

27 Oct 2011

Less incidence of nearsightedness in kids who spend more time outdoors: Study

A new study finds that children who play outdoors often are smarter, leaner and stronger than kids more inclined toward indoor activities. They're less likely to suffer from nearsightedness, in which objects in the distance appear blurry.

26 Oct 2011

Tiny teeth in tatters

The tiny teeth of Australian toddlers are rotting and dental researchers at the University of Sydney are poised to start a long-term study to find out why.

25 Oct 2011

More exposure to natural light may reduce rates of nearsightedness

A new analysis of recent eye health studies shows that more time spent outdoors is related to reduced rates of nearsightedness, also known as myopia, in children and adolescents. Myopia is much more common today in the United States and many other countries than it was in the 1970s. In parts of Asia, more than 80 percent of the population is nearsighted.

24 Oct 2011

ADA supports IOM's report on front-of-package food labeling

The American Dietetic Association supports a report released today by the Institute of Medicine calling for a standardized system for front-of-package food labeling that can be easily understood by most consumers.

22 Oct 2011

Study investigates link between physical activity and all-cause mortality

Even though previous studies have been shown the link between regular exercises and improved health the exact dose-response relation remains unclear. Guenther Samitz, researcher in physical activity and public health at the Centre for Sports Sciences and University Sports of the University of Vienna has investigated this relationship with a meta-study representing more than 1.3 million participants.

21 Oct 2011

Moving to lower-poverty neighborhoods reduces risk of obesity, diabetes

Low-income women with children who moved from high-poverty to lower-poverty neighborhoods experienced notable long-term improvements in aspects of their health; namely, reductions in diabetes and extreme obesity, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Chicago and partner institutions.

21 Oct 2011

Higher diabetes rates in African American women after GDM

African American women who develop gestational diabetes mellitus during pregnancy face a 52 percent increased risk of developing diabetes in the future compared to white women who develop GDM during pregnancy, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the journal Diabetologia.

21 Oct 2011