Exercise News and Research

Latest Exercise News and Research

Mediterranean diet wins on weight but misses on memory in diverse aging population

A 14-month randomized trial in older African American adults with obesity found that adopting a Mediterranean diet, with or without calorie-restricted weight loss, significantly improved diet quality and reduced body weight and visceral fat. However, no cognitive benefits were observed compared to usual diet.

2 Jul 2025

Healthy lifestyle lowers risk of diverticulitis despite genetic susceptibility

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle-specifically, a diet rich in fibre but light on red/processed meat, regular exercise, not smoking, and sticking to a normal weight-is linked to a significantly lower risk of diverticulitis, finds a large long term study, published online in the journal Gut.

2 Jul 2025

Plant-based fitness supplements for reversing metabolic syndrome

Research indicates that specific plant-based supplements, combined with exercise, can improve cardiometabolic markers in those at risk for metabolic syndrome.

2 Jul 2025

Why exercise is key for keeping slim after you quit smoking

Quitting smoking is linked to greater long-term waist circumference gain, but this effect may be due to shared genetics rather than quitting itself. Increased physical activity consistently helped limit waist expansion across all genetic backgrounds.

1 Jul 2025

Danish trial reveals how structured exercise and guidance affect life with chronic conditions

A large multicenter trial found that a 12-week personalized exercise therapy and self-management support program produced a small but statistically significant improvement in health-related quality of life for adults with multimorbidity. The intervention was safe, but its clinical relevance remains uncertain, as only self-rated health showed a significant benefit over usual care.

1 Jul 2025

Spaceflight exposes astronauts to hidden threats in their gut

This review highlights how the unique stressors of space travel, radiation, microgravity, and circadian disruption impact astronauts’ gut microbiomes, with potential consequences for their mood, cognition, and immunity. The authors call for targeted microbiome monitoring and dietary interventions to protect astronaut mental health on future missions.

1 Jul 2025

Epilepsy self-management program shows promising results

Epilepsy is among the most common neurological conditions, marked by unpredictable seizures, accidents and injuries, reduced quality of life, stigma and-in the worst case-premature death.

1 Jul 2025

Feds investigate hospitals over religious exemptions from gender-affirming care

The Trump administration has launched investigations into health care organizations in an effort to allow providers to refuse care for transgender patients on religious or moral grounds.

1 Jul 2025

Just 150 minutes of exercise a week could reverse prediabetes

Engaging in more than 150 minutes of physical activity per week quadrupled the odds of reversing prediabetes to normal glucose levels in Colombian adults. Higher BMI and HbA1c remained strong barriers to reversal, highlighting the power of lifestyle interventions.

29 Jun 2025

Exploring neural responses to mental exhaustion in healthy adults

In experiments with healthy volunteers undergoing functional MRI imaging, scientists have found increased activity in two areas of the brain that work together to react to, and possibly regulate, the brain when it's "feeling" tired and either quits or continues exerting mental effort.

27 Jun 2025

New insights into exercise physiology through enduromics and resistomics

Exercise has been recognized as an extremely effective tool to improve human health— it can have a preventative and even therapeutic effect on non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

27 Jun 2025

Spaceflight research sheds light on age-related muscle decline

Sarcopenia, which is a progressive and extensive decline in muscle mass and strength, is common with aging and estimated to affect up to 50% of people aged 80 and older.

27 Jun 2025

Tummy tuck patients continue losing weight years after surgery

Most patients undergoing "tummy tuck" surgery (abdominoplasty) to remove excess skin and tissue after weight loss continue to lose weight in the months and years after surgery, suggests a follow-up study in the July issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

26 Jun 2025

Can your athletic past raise your risk for atrial fibrillation?

Elite retired rowers face a nearly threefold increased risk of atrial fibrillation compared to the general population, driven by a combination of long-term cardiac remodelling and underlying polygenic genetic susceptibility.

26 Jun 2025

Poor diet quality weakens resilience and mental health in food insecure populations

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 13.5% of American households experienced food insecurity at some time during 2023. That means 18 million families didn't have enough to meet their needs and often didn't know where the next meal would come from.

26 Jun 2025

Living in disadvantaged neighborhoods linked to Alzheimer’s biomarkers

People living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods may be more likely to have biomarkers for inflammation and Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published June 25, 2025, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

26 Jun 2025

Study shows polar winter challenges men’s muscle mass but not hormone levels

Researchers tracked testosterone, cortisol, and body composition in 23 men overwintering at Concordia Station, Antarctica. Despite extreme polar conditions, hormone levels remained stable, though nearly half the crew experienced significant muscle loss.

26 Jun 2025

Hot tubs may offer greater health benefits than saunas

Hot tubs and saunas can both soothe aching muscles and provide welcome warmth, but hot tubs might offer greater health benefits.

26 Jun 2025

Higher BMI linked to slower concussion recovery in athletes and cadets

Clinicians who work with elite college athletes and military cadets should be aware of the association between higher body mass index (BMI) and worse concussion recovery, suggests new University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine research published today in Sports Medicine.

25 Jun 2025

Do omega-3 supplements boost athletic performance?

Combining omega-3 supplementation with resistance training significantly improved lipid profiles, inflammation markers, antioxidant capacity, and neuromuscular performance in healthy men. While group × time effects weren’t significant, within-group gains suggest real physiological benefits.

25 Jun 2025