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Volume 2, Issue 4
Extra pounds can increase the risk of asthma in adults
Teens lose weight with regular exercise
Heart disease is the number one killer of women
Improve your mental health with regular exercise
Exercise during breast cancer treatment makes a lasting impact
Extra pounds can increase the risk of asthma in adults
Currently, 20 million Americans, 9 million of those being children, have asthma. New research indicates that smoking and environmental factors aren't the only risk factors for asthma-weight also plays a role.
Researchers at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center analyzed past studies on BMI and asthma, which included 333,000 study participants. The results indicated that individuals with a BMI over 25-which categorizes them as overweight-have a 50 percent higher change of becoming asthmatic. In addition, as BMI increases so does the risk for asthma. The public health implications are clear-to prevent and control asthma maintaining a healthy weight is key.
1
Teens lose weight with regular exercise
Childhood obesity is a worldwide epidemic that continues to worsen each year. Given the severity of the problem, researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School set out to determine which behaviors contribute to weight loss and weight gain among adolescents.
The research indicated that the teens that lost weight spent significantly less time watching television and more time engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity. On average, females who were successful at losing weight participated in 7.6 hours of physical activity a week and males participated in 11.6 hours.
2
Heart disease is the number one killer of women
Ten years ago the American Heart Association conducted a study, which determined that only 30 percent of women in the United States knew that their greatest health risks were heart disease and stroke. The truth is, that two out of five women die due to heart disease. Now health officials are renewing their efforts to educate women on their risk with the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign.
Women are being urged to "take a good hard look" at their risk factors, and take active efforts to reduce their risk. These efforts include healthy eating and increasing weekly physical activity. 3
Improve your mental health with regular exercise
Regular exercise not only makes your heart healthy and bones strong, but it can also improve your short-term mental health. A recent study has found that individuals who participate in regular vigorous physical activity are less likely to develop depression or an anxiety disorder.
Researchers followed a group of over 1,000 males for ten years and found that those participants who engaged in heavy-intensity leisure time physical activity were 25 percent less likely to develop anxiety or depression over a five year period.
4
Exercise during breast cancer treatment makes a lasting impact
In recent years there have been many studies pointing to the preventative benefits of exercise in regards to breast cancer, but a recent study indicates that regular physical activity during breast cancer treatment helps with recovery and beyond.
During an eight week study breast cancer patients participated in a supervised aerobic and strength training program for 90 minutes three times a week. The results indicated that women in the exercise group, compared to the control group, showed improvements in quality of life, cardio-respiratory fitness, strength and muscle function. As a follow up women were "detrained". While gains in cardio-respiratory fitness were lost, the women maintained an improved quality of life and muscle strength. 5
Sources
1Beuther DA, Sutherland ER. (2007). Overweight, Obesity, and Incident Asthma: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Epidemiologic Studies. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 175, 661-6.
2Boutelle KN, Hannan PJ, Neumark-Sztainer D, Himes JH. (2007). Identification and correlates of weight loss in adolescents in a national sample. Obesity, 15, 473-82.
3The American Heart Association, 2007.
4Wiles NJ, Haase AM, Gallacher J, Lawlor DA, Lewis G. (2007). Physical activity and common mental disorder: results from the caerphilly study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 165, 946-54.
5Herrero F, San Juan AF, Fleck SJ, Foster C, Lucia A. (2007). Effects of detraining on the functional capacity of previously trained breast cancer survivors. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 28, 257-64.
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