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Volume 2, Issue 3
Exercising in childhood lowers blood pressure later in life
Genes help lower the risk of heart disease
Obesity doubles risk of prostate cancer mortality
Just 15 minutes of exercise can help prevent children from becoming obese
Regular exercise can help prevent arthritis in women
Exercising in childhood lowers blood pressure later in life
We all want to live long and healthy lives, and new research published in the American Journal of Public Health provides further evidence that regular exercise during adolescence and early adulthood can help individuals do just that.
Researchers followed a group of 4,000 individuals ages 18 to 30 for over 15 years and found that participants who exercised five days a week and burned at least 300 calories during each exercise session were 17 percent less likely to develop hypertension later in life. In addition, people who increased their amount of exercise during the study decreased their risk of hypertension by 11 percent for every 1,500 calories they burned through weekly exercise.
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Genes help lower the risk of heart disease
According to recent findings from the Framingham Heart Study, children of parents who live to 85 or more have a significantly reduced risk of developing heart disease during middle age as compared with individuals whose parents died younger.
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine collected data on over 1,697 individuals who participated in the study, which began in 1948. Those individuals with parents who lived beyond 85 had lower blood pressure and cholesterol and a lower risk profile for cardiovascular disease.
However, living a healthy lifestyle, complete with regular exercise and a healthy diet, is necessary for all individuals, regardless of their genes.
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Obesity doubles risk of prostate cancer mortality
Resent research published in Cancer, the medical journal of the American Cancer Society, indicates that obese men diagnosed with prostate cancer are more than two times as likely to die from the disease than patients who are a healthy weight.
The ten-year study followed 752 men ages 40 to 64 who were recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. During that time period, 50 men died from prostate cancer. The results show that obese men were 2.6 times more likely to die of the disease. In addition, obesity also increased the risk for metastasis and renal stage disease.
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Just 15 minutes of exercise can help prevent children from becoming obese
The childhood obesity epidemic has parents around the world concerned for the health and well-being of their children. At this rate, this generation of children will have shorter life expectancy than their parents and will be plagued with more health problems. Yet new research out of the United Kingdom provides hope to these parents.
Researchers monitored a group of 5,500 12 year olds, and found that even small increases in daily physical activity, can lower the risk for obesity by up to 50 percent. The activities should be strenuous enough to make the children a little out of breath, such as a vigorous walk or playing tag for 15 minutes.
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Regular exercise can help prevent arthritis in women
Arthritis is one of the most frequent chronic conditions plaguing the elderly. One in five American report having arthritis, and fifty percent of individuals over the age of 75 suffer from the disease. However, a recent Australian study provides hope to those inflicted with the disease, suggesting that older women who exercise regularly better their chances of staying pain-free from arthritis.
Of the 8,700 women followed during the study, women who exercised a minimum on one hour and 15 minutes a week experienced significantly less pain than individuals who did not exercise. Furthermore, women who exercise 2 _ hours a week reported even less pain for three years following the study.
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Sources
1Parker ED, Schmitz KH, Jacobs DR Jr, Dengel DR, Schreiner PJ. (2007). Physical activity in young adults and incident hypertension over 15 years of follow-up: the CARDIA study. American Journal of Public Health, 4, 703-9.
2Terry DF, et al. (2007). Characteristics of Framingham Offspring Participants With Long-lived Parents. Archives of Internal Medicine, 167, 438-444.
3Gong Z, et al. (2007). Obesity is associated with increased risks of prostate cancer metastasis and death after initial cancer diagnosis in middle-aged men. Cancer, 109, 1192-1202.
4Ness AR, et al. (2007). Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Fat Mass in a Large Cohort of Children. PLoS Medicine, 4.
5Heesch KC, et al. (2007). Relationship between physical activity and stiff or painful joints in mid-aged women and older women: a 3-year prospective study. Arthritis Research & Therapy.
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