Increasing physical frailty as you age may not be inevitable. Until recently, most studies showed that after age 40, people typically lose 8 percent or more of their muscle mass each decade.  But newer research suggests that this is not a foregone conclusion.

One study of 40 competitive runners, cyclists, and swimmers, ranging in age from 40 to 81, found no evidence of deterioration — the athletes in their 70s and 80s had almost as much thigh muscle mass as the athletes in their 40s. Other recent studies have had similar results.

The New York Times reports:

“In an encouraging animal study from last year, elderly rats that had been sedentary throughout their adult lives were put on a running program. After 13 weeks, their leg muscle tissues had filled with new satellite cells, a specialized type of stem cell that is known to build and repair muscle. Comparable experiments in older people have yet to be done, though.”

Increasing physical frailty as you age may not be inevitable. Until recently, most studies showed that after age 40, people typically lose 8 percent or more of their muscle mass each decade.  But newer research suggests that this is not a foregone conclusion.

One study of 40 competitive runners, cyclists, and swimmers, ranging in age from 40 to 81, found no evidence of deterioration — the athletes in their 70s and 80s had almost as much thigh muscle mass as the athletes in their 40s. Other recent studies have had similar results.

The New York Times reports:

“In an encouraging animal study from last year, elderly rats that had been sedentary throughout their adult lives were put on a running program. After 13 weeks, their leg muscle tissues had filled with new satellite cells, a specialized type of stem cell that is known to build and repair muscle. Comparable experiments in older people have yet to be done, though.”

A recent  study conducted on close to 50,000 older women showed that those who got more exercise and less television time were the least likely to be diagnosed with depression.  Physical activity had the biggest effect.

The women who exercised the most were about 20 percent less likely to exhibit the signs of depression.  However, their risk of depression increased the more hours they spent watching TV each week.

According to Reuters:

“More time spent being active might boost self-esteem and women’s sense of control, as well as the endorphins in their blood, although the study could not prove directly that watching too much television and avoiding exercise caused depression”.

A recent study examined the effects of statin drugs on the likelihood of exercise-related injury.  The researchers measured myoglobin and creatine kinase levels in subjects who were running the Boston marathon.  Elevated creatine kinase is a sign of damage to muscles.

Subjects being treated with statins, along with a similar number of nonstatin-treated controls, were examined the day before the race, immediately afterwards, and the day following.  The researchers found that the exercise-related increase in creatine kinase 24 hours after exercise was greater in the statin users.

According to the study, as reprinted on the website Green Med Info:

“In conclusion, our results show that statins increase exercise-related muscle injury.”

Dementia is likely not inevitable, even in very old age. Experts now say that making positive lifestyle changes earlier in life can lessen your chances of the mental difficulties later on.  In fact, your lifestyle almost certainly plays a bigger role than your genetics.

Alzheimer’s is one of the most feared forms of dementia. But late-life Alzheimer’s, the kind that affects people in their 80s and 90s, only has a minor genetic component. It can be delayed or prevented with lifestyle changes.

CNN reports:

“Staying physically fit is the most important element to keeping the brain young later in life … Remaining socially engaged and mentally active in new and challenging ways are the two other components to long-term brain health.”

One major
side-effect of treatment with statin drugs is muscular problems. Such problems
are known to occur much more frequently during and after exercise.

An eight-year
study monitored professional athletes who were being treated with statins
because of familial hypercholesterolaemia. However, only 6 out of the 22 athletes
being examined were able to tolerate at least one member of this family of
drugs.

According to the
study, as reprinted on the website Green Med Info:

“These findings indicate that in top
sports performers only about 20% tolerate statin treatment without
side-effects.”

A good night’s sleep may not sound like the key to passionate sex, but experts say that getting enough sleep is the single most effective aphrodisiac.  It tops the list of CNN’s suggestions for improving your sex life.

The list also included exercise, as a good workout increases dopamine and may boost levels of testosterone.  And the article warns that common antidepressants like Prozac and Paxil may lift your mood, but they can kill your sex drive, as can certain prescription painkillers, antianxiety medications, and even laxatives.

In addition, according to the CNN article:

“You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth saying again: Be patient with your partner and yourself as you work to make things better.”

The global diabetes epidemic is on a “relentlessly upward trajectory”.  Right now in 2011, the number of people with diabetes has reached 366 million.

The growing trend of obesity among adults and children is generally regarded as a major driver for the diabetes epidemic, as is a sedentary lifestyle. Over the past two decades, the rates of obesity have tripled in some countries, especially those that have been moving more and more towards physical activity and overconsumption of cheap, energy-dense foods.

According to the Institute of Science in Society:

“Fittingly, [the World Health Organization] emphasizes the importance of healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes.  In addition, governments should devote much more effort into educating and empowering people to make these ‘lifestyle’ changes, by ensuring that healthy foods are widely available and affordable”.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, writing on Yahoo Shine, has put together a list of six practices that he says could add years to your life — all of which can be done in 60 seconds or less.  They include:

Stand Up Every Hour:  A recent study discovered that people who sat for four or more hours a day outside work had a 50 percent greater risk of dying from any cause.

Eat an Egg:  One egg provides 13 percent of your daily protein requirement, and a hefty dose of lutein, an antioxidant that protects your eyes. Choline in the yolk can reduce inflammation in your brain.

Do Self-Massage:  For quick stress relief, press your thumbs against the sides of your nose just below your browbone; then walk your index and middle fingers across your brows and finish by lightly rubbing your temples.

To see the rest of his tips, you can click on the link below.

A report summarizing data from the 2009 National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided national estimates for a broad range of health measures for the U.S. population.  Estimates were calculated for selected chronic conditions, selected mental health characteristics, functional limitations, health status, health care access, and health behaviors.

One set of data looked at physical leisure-time activity.  Among other data, the survey showed that 33% of adults were considered inactive, 33% of adults had some leisure-time physical activity, and 35% of adults engaged in leisure-time physical activity on a regular basis. More than half of adults aged 18 years and over never engaged in any periods of vigorous leisure-time physical activity lasting 10 minutes or more per week.   But the survey also found that women were more inactive than men, and men engaged in leisure-time physical activity on a regular basis more often than women.

According to the report:

“Regarding vigorous leisure-time physical activity, 50% of men never engaged in periods of vigorous leisure-time physical activity lasting 10 minutes or more per week compared with 60% of women. Thirty-one percent of men engaged in such activities three or more times per week compared with 25% of women.”

For more than 40 years, it has been known that exercise causes increases in your skeletal muscle mitochondrial enzyme content and activity. But increasing evidence now suggests that exercise can induce this mitochondrial biogenesis in a wide range of tissues — even those not normally associated with the metabolic demands of exercise.

Problems related to mitochondrial content and function have been linked to a wide variety of diseases.

According to a study reprinted on the website Green Med Info:

“… [E]xercise may serve as a potent approach by which to prevent and (or) treat these pathologies … in skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, liver, brain, and kidney.”

Research has indicated that exercise can be an aid in helping people to quit smoking.  However, the majority of studies so far have focused only on women, and only on aerobic exercise. A new study looked at the use of resistance training (weight lifting) as a strategy for quitting smoking for both men and women.

A sample of 25 smokers received a brief smoking cessation counseling session. They were also given nicotine patches.  They were then randomly assigned either to a resistance training group or a “contact control” group.

According to the study:

“The findings suggest that [a resistance training] program is feasible as an adjunctive treatment for smoking cessation. An adequately powered trial is warranted.”

Certain kettlebell exercises can help reduce pain in your lower back, by improving your posture and strengthening and loosening your muscles.  Livestrong recommends the kettlebell swing, the kettlebell Turkish get-up and the kettlebell snatch to decrease pain and assist these imbalances.

The kettlebell swing targets your hamstrings, your glutes and the muscles of your spine. The kettlebell Turkish get-up targets the muscles of your lower back, shoulders, neck and core. The kettlebell snatch is an explosive movement that elevates your heart rate and strengthens the muscles of your spine. All three exercises are described at the link below.

According to Angela Raizis, writing on Livestrong:

“When you begin these exercises, do not focus on how many repetitions you perform. Focus on controlling the kettlebell and having the correct form. Do as many as you feel comfortable to start and after you master the technique you can try to add repetitions.”

A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition and reported by Science Daily shows that foods rich in protein, including dairy products, help dieters preserve muscle and lose belly fat. Another study on Mount Everest climbers and reported at the August meeting of the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, showed that an amino acid called leucine may also help people burn fat during periods of food restriction while keeping their muscle tissue. Whey protein concentrate is one of the highest sources of dietary leucine. It also is found in shrimp, almonds and peanuts.

Music use by exercisers and sports enthusiasts is quite commonplace. But is there a form of music that can help you maximize your workout? In this new study published in The Sport and Exercise Scientist, researchers looked at the qualities of music that stimulate and inspire physical activity. They found that responses to certain music may have an enhancement effect by either reducing perceptions of fatigue or increasing work capacity with higher than expected levels of endurance, power, productivity or strength.

According to the CDC, 79 million Americans have “pre-diabetes” and most likely will develop diabetes later in life. But did you know that there is something you can do to keep that from happening? Scientists at the University of Missouri-Columbia have discovered that exercise may be the one determining factor in glucose levels that you can control in your body—and ultimately whether or you’ll become diabetic, or not.

If it sounds too good to be true, in this instance it IS true – a new study of several hundred thousand people between 1996 and 2008 has shown that just 15 minutes of exercise a day can reduce your risk of death by 14  percent – an equivalent of an extra three years of life expectancy! And, researchers said, every additional 15 minutes of exercise beyond that per day reduced mortality by 4 percent. This applied to all individuals, including those at risk of cardiovascular disease.

For years now, you’ve heard that the way to better health is to turn off the Boob Tube and get your body moving. But new evidence shows that cutting back on TV time does more than just help you slip in a little exercise. The fact is it can also add years to your life.
 

As reported in The Daily Mail and Time Healthland, a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that every hour of TV watched by people age 25 or over equates to a 22-minute reduction in life expectancy. The findings suggest that too much TV is as detrimental to longevity as smoking and lack of exercise, Time Healthland reports.

You’ve heard it before – exercise can help you live a longer, healthier life. But how do you fit a good exercise program into a busy life? The exciting news is that just 15 minutes a day can boost your life expectancy by three years. Plus, that 15 minutes has a positive side effect, a new study shows – people who added just a few minutes of exercise to their daily routines got a “taste” for it and continued to add more.

Ever wonder why those last few pounds just won’t come off – or why you might even gain weight when you’re on a diet? Believe it or not, you may be sabotaging yourself with some bad diet habits without realizing it. In a 16-point list, Bodhifitonline talks about diet habits that can wreak havoc with a weight loss program.

For example, simply not eating enough could be the one thing that sets you up to fail. You may already have guessed that following celebrity diets isn’t always a good thing – but did you know that the government’s food guidelines not only can ruin a diet but make you gain weight? The good news is that once you know what you’re doing wrong, it’s easy to get back on track.

Athletic trainer Jennifer Janczak says that heat safety needs to be at the forefront as training gets underway for many high school sports.

Heat safety can include such practices as drinking water before practice and during breaks, and alerting your coach or athletic trainer if you experience signs of heat exhaustion — dizziness, nausea, difficulty concentrating, headache or heavy sweating.

Doctors Lounge reports:

“Untreated heat exhaustion can lead to potentially deadly heat stroke, which requires immediate medical attention. Symptoms of heat stroke include skin that feels hot but not sweaty, shortness of breath, confusion, vomiting and loss of consciousness.”

It is known that being physically active is one of best ways people with arthritis can improve their health.  However, a new study shows that more than half of women and 40 percent of men with arthritis are mostly sedentary.

Researchers asked more than 1000 people with radiographic knee osteoarthritis to wear an accelerometer in order to measure their physical activity for one week.  Participants were deemed inactive if they failed to sustain a 10-minute period of moderate-to-vigorous activity over the entire week of wearing the accelerometer.

According to Science Daily:

“A substantial 40.1 percent of men and 56.5 percent of women studied were found to be inactive.  While more than half of men engaged in significantly more moderate-to-vigorous activity than women, the majority of men who didn’t fall into this category were spending their time in no to very light activity.”

A new report argues that all patients getting cancer treatment should be told to do two and a half hours of physical exercise every week.  It states that advice to rest and take it easy after treatment is an outdated view.

Research has shown that exercise can reduce the risk of dying from cancer and minimize the side effects of treatment.  Exercise is safe during and after most types of cancer treatment.

BBC News reports:

“Getting active, the report says, can help people overcome the effects of cancer and its treatments, such as fatigue and weight gain … Previous research shows that exercising to the recommended levels can reduce the risk of breast cancer recurring by 40 percent. For prostate cancer the risk of dying from the disease is reduced by up to 30 percent.  Bowel cancer patients’ risk of dying from the disease can be cut by around 50 percent by doing around six hours of moderate physical activity a week.”

A new study shows that even a small amount of physical exercise could profoundly protect the elderly from long-term memory loss.  The research showed that aging rats that ran just over half a kilometer each week were protected against infection-induced memory loss.

Dementia is often preceded by bacterial infections, such as pneumonia.  Past research has already shown that exercise in humans protects against dementia and declines in cognitive function.

According to Science Daily:

“The next step of this research is to examine the role that stress hormones may play in sensitizing microglia, and whether physical exercise slows these hormones in older rats”.

It wasn’t long ago that very few athletes had heard of coconut water. Now, sales to athletes have skyrocketed because of the drinks reputation as a healthy and natural source of electrolytes.

However, while pure coconut water contains many electrolytes, like sodium, many commercial varieties have less sodium than is found in juice straight from a coconut or traditional sports drinks. A recent study found that popular varieties contain less sodium and magnesium than advertised.

According the New York Times:

“… [F]or those who exercise at a moderate intensity for an hour or less, water is probably the better choice … [but] coconut water can hydrate as well as a sports drink if it has enough sodium.”

A new report argues that all patients getting cancer treatment should be told to do two and a half hours of physical exercise every week.  It states that advice to rest and take it easy after treatment is an outdated view.

Research has shown that exercise can reduce the risk of dying from cancer and minimize the side effects of treatment.  Exercise is safe during and after most types of cancer treatment.

BBC News reports:

“Getting active, the report says, can help people overcome the effects of cancer and its treatments, such as fatigue and weight gain … Previous research shows that exercising to the recommended levels can reduce the risk of breast cancer recurring by 40 percent. For prostate cancer the risk of dying from the disease is reduced by up to 30 percent.  Bowel cancer patients’ risk of dying from the disease can be cut by around 50 percent by doing around six hours of moderate physical activity a week.”

A new study investigated the effect of abdominal exercises on abdominal fat. Twenty-four healthy, sedentary participants were randomly assigned either to an abdominal exercise group or a control group.

The abdominal exercise group performed 7 abdominal exercises, for 2 sets of 10 repetitions, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Body composition, and abdominal muscular endurance were tested before and after training.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“There was no significant effect of abdominal exercises on body weight, body fat percentage, android fat percentage, android fat, abdominal circumference, abdominal skinfold and suprailiac skinfold measurements … Six weeks of abdominal exercise training alone was not sufficient to reduce abdominal subcutaneous fat and other measures of body composition.”

Recent research is adding more weight to the idea that even small amounts of exercise help lower coronary heart disease risk.

A large review of studies found that 10 to 15 minutes a day can make a significant different.  However, people who do 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week (or 75 minutes of high intensity) have a 14 percent lower risk of heart disease compared with sedentary people, and there’s a progressive reduction of risk with more exercise.

According to USA Today:

“… [B]reaking up the day with exercise is also key to establishing good health … Several studies have shown that … 150 minutes a week is not enough if you spend the rest of your time on the sofa or sitting at a computer.”

One major adverse effect caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) during heavy exercise is myoblastic toxicity. Natural antioxidants, however, may provide protection for athletes.

A study investigated the antioxidative effect of whey protein against hydrogen peroxide toxicity. Whey protein prevented a decrease in cell viability, and also inhibited markers associated with DNA oxidative damage.

According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:

“These findings suggest that whey protein improved the antioxidant capacity against acute oxidative stress through multiple pathways and this protein may serve as an alternative source of antioxidants for prevention of athletic injuries caused by ROS.”

A recent study found that the greater your total muscle mass, the lower your risk of having insulin resistance, the major precursor of type 2 diabetes.  Insulin resistance can raise blood glucose levels above the normal range, and is a therefore major factor that contributes to the development of diabetes.

Researchers examined the association of skeletal muscle mass with insulin resistance and blood glucose metabolism disorders in more than 13,500 people.

According to Newswise:

“The study demonstrated that higher muscle mass (relative to body size) is associated with better insulin sensitivity and lower risk of pre- or overt diabetes.”