Physical Activity News and Research

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High weight gain during pregnancy can put women at increased risk of becoming obese later in life

Gaining more than the recommended weight during pregnancy can put women at increased risk of becoming obese and developing related health problems, including high blood pressure, later in life.

19 May 2011

Study links video game playing with increased food intake in kids

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that almost 18% of US teens are obese. Although most experts agree that our growing obesity "epidemic" is driven by both inadequate physical activity and excessive caloric intake, implementing solutions is extraordinarily difficult.

18 May 2011

American Heart Association recognizes NIC as Platinum-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company

NIC, a leading provider of online government services, is one of only two Kansas City metro companies to be recognized as a Platinum-Level Start! Fit-Friendly Company by the American Heart Association's Start! initiative for helping employees eat better and move more.

17 May 2011

High IGF-I hormone levels linked with better long-term recovery after stroke

Insulin-like growth factor I, IGF-I, is a hormone that is found in the blood and contributes to, among other things, growth and bone mass. The levels of this hormone are higher in people who exercise regularly and those with good health. Scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy have shown for the first time that high levels of this hormone are associated with better long-term recovery after a stroke.

17 May 2011

HealthPartners prescribes walking or exercise for patients with depression

Giving pedometers to patients screened for depression, HealthPartners Medical Group (HPMG) is prescribing walking or exercise in addition to medication and/or therapy as an effective tool in helping patients with depression.

17 May 2011

Six-minute walking distance test effectively determines disease severity in COPD

The six-minute walking distance test, a test that measures a patient's ability to tolerate exercise and physical activity, is an effective tool for understanding disease severity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a three-year global study of patients with COPD sponsored by drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline.

16 May 2011

Vitamin D may improve exercise capacity, respiratory muscle strength in COPD patients

Vitamin D supplements may help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) get more from their pulmonary rehabilitation programs, according to a study conducted by researchers from Belgium.

16 May 2011

Study links physical inactivity with high risk of cardiovascular disease in young children

Even healthy children as young as nine-years-old can start to show an increased risk of future heart problems if they are physically inactive, according to a study in the May issue of Acta Paediatrica.

12 May 2011

Being mildly overweight benefits ALS patients

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, may be an exception to the rule that being overweight is a health hazard. In a retrospective study of over 400 ALS patients, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found that those who were mildly obese survived longer than patients who were normal weight, underweight or even overweight.

12 May 2011

New risk factors that may trigger stroke: Sex, coffee and anger

According to a new study people who have a Brain Aneurysm may be at a higher risk of stroke while drinking coffee, having sex or even getting angry. Although the risk is extremely small, people who have aneurysms should be careful, said Dr Sahil Parikh, assistant professor of medicine at University Hospitals Case Medical Centre in Cleveland. “For those patients who do have aneurysms, it would be advisable to avoid those behaviours,” said Parikh, who’s familiar with the study findings.

11 May 2011

Breast cancer linked to lifestyle & three new genes

According to the latest research as many as 20,000 British women could avoid developing breast cancer if they took more exercise, drank less and ate better. The World Cancer Research Fund recommends taking half an hour of physical exercise a day, limiting alcohol consumption to just one drink daily and losing weight.

8 May 2011

Researchers identify eight main triggers that appear to increase risk of brain aneurysm

From drinking coffee to having sex to blowing your nose, you could temporarily raise your risk of rupturing a brain aneurysm — and suffering a stroke, according to a study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

6 May 2011

Viewpoints: Gov. Daniels's reversal?; IPAB's Medicare fix; Texas Medicaid cuts

Centrist Republicans loved it when began urging the party to keep its eye on the deficit-reduction prize and stop obsessing about social issues. ... He then went home and announced that he would sign a bill to strip Planned Parenthood of Medicaid financing. ... Daniels's moderate fans thought abortion was precisely the issue he was calling on Republicans to set aside. Right now, the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives can barely talk about anything else.

6 May 2011

Staying up late and sleeping in can increase risk for gaining weight

Staying up late every night and sleeping in is a habit that could put you at risk for gaining weight. People who go to bed late and sleep late eat more calories in the evening, more fast food, fewer fruits and vegetables and weigh more than people who go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

5 May 2011

Breakthrough research offers hope for new obesity treatment

By knocking down the expression of a protein in rat brains known to stimulate eating, Johns Hopkins researchers say they not only reduced the animals' calorie intake and weight, but also transformed their fat into a type that burns off more energy. The finding could lead to better obesity treatments for humans, the scientists report.

4 May 2011

Structured exercise training can reduce HbA1c levels in patients with diabetes

Implementing structured exercise training, including aerobic, resistance or both, was associated with a greater reduction in hemoglobin A1c levels for patients with diabetes compared to patients in the control group, and longer weekly exercise duration was also associated with a greater decrease in these levels, according to results of an analysis of previous studies, published in the May 4 issue of JAMA.

4 May 2011

New USDA funded, research-based program to combat child obesity

A five-year $4.5 million USDA grant to University of Illinois researchers will establish the Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program, an innovative research-based program that will combine a Ph.D. with a master's in public health degree focused on child obesity prevention.

4 May 2011

Calcium and vitamin D intake before bone density test can reduce risk of osteoporosis

Has a bone density scan placed you at risk for osteoporosis, leading your doctor to prescribe a widely advertised bone-building medication? Not so fast! A University of Illinois study finds that an effective first course of action is increasing dietary calcium and vitamin D or taking calcium and vitamin D supplements.

3 May 2011

Incentive-based wellness programs can lead to low health care costs

A new longitudinal study conducted among participants in the world's largest incentive-based health enhancement program shows that wellness programs incorporating positive incentives can lead to behavior change that, over time, are associated with lower health care costs.

3 May 2011

Simbionix to exhibit new training simulator for pelvic floor repair at ACOG

Simbionix USA Corporation, the world's leading provider of medical education and simulation training products for medical professionals and the healthcare industry, is pleased to announce its new training simulator for pelvic floor repair, to be exhibited for the first time at the ACOG 59th Annual Clinical Meeting in Washington, DC, April 30- May 4, 2011.

3 May 2011