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Volume 2, Issue 9
Exercise helps stoke patients during recovery
Exercise is vital to control type 2 diabetes
Overweight men are at higher risk for colon cancer
Regular exercise prevents falls among Parkinson's patients
Exercise guides and pedometers promotes exercise among breast cancer patients
Exercise helps stoke patients during recovery
New research out of University of Edinburgh indicates that ambulatory stroke survivors can improve their physical functioning and aspects of their mental health through exercise training.
Researchers followed a group of 66 stoke patients, dividing them into two groups, an exercise group that participated in endurance and resistance training three times a week and a non-exercise control group. After 12 weeks of training the exercise group showed significantly greater improvement in physical fitness and functioning. At the seven month follow up, researchers found that in order for patient's to sustain a higher level of physical fitness they needed to continue exercising beyond the original 12 week session.
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Exercise is vital to control type 2 diabetes
Health professionals far and wide promote exercise as one of the primary means of controlling and losing weight and preventing and treating diabetes. However, new research from the University of Missouri-Columbia indicates that not only will exercise help patients with or at risk for diabetes lose weight, but it also helps them gain better control over their blood glucose levels.
A meta-analysis of over 103 diabetes related studies indicated research studies that focused only on exercise as treatment as opposed to focusing on exercise, nutrition and medication adherence, yielded the most significant results for diabetes patients.
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Overweight men are at higher risk for colon cancer
A new study from the National Institutes of Health underscores the fact that overweight and obesity is associated with higher colon cancer rates. The study found that among men, risk for colon cancer increases as their body mass index (BMI) increases.
During the five year study researchers followed over 307,000 men, of which 2,314 developed colon cancer. The results of the study underline the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. Overweight men with BMI's of 25 to 27.5 had a 22 percent risk of developing colon cancer and those with a BMI of 27.5 to 30 had a 44 percent risk. Among obese men with a BMI's of 30 to over 40, the risk ranged from 53 to 71 percent.
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Regular exercise prevents falls among Parkinson's patients
Parkinson's Disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, which results in a variety of impairments, including trembling, stiffness, slowed movement, and poor balance. While there is no cure for Parkinson's new research indicates that regular exercise may help prevent falls among Parkinson's patients.
Researchers followed 142 patients for six months, randomly assigning them to regular home-based care or a structured home-based exercise program. At the six week and eight week follow-up, patients in the exercise group showed significantly lower rates of falling. At the six month follow up had lower rates of serious falls requiring medical attention.
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Exercise guides and pedometers promotes exercise among breast cancer patients
Cancer patients have a multitude of issues to deal with after they are diagnosed. From medical treatments to trying to keep up with their normal daily activities, exercise often falls to the wayside. Researchers have now found that providing breast cancer patients with pedometers and comprehensive exercise guides promotes regular exercise more effectively than simply advising them to be physically active.
Researchers followed 377 breast cancer survivors for 12 weeks. While all of the participants were advised to exercise for 30 minutes five days a week, only some were given pedometers and an exercise guidebook. Results indicated that participants who were given added materials reported significantly higher levels of physical activity and increased their exercise levels by 70 to 90 minutes per week.
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Sources
1 Mead GE, Greig CA, Cunningham I, Lewis SJ, Dinan S, Saunders DH, Fitzsimons C, Young A. (2007). Evaluation of fatigue scales in stroke patients. Stroke, 38, 2090-5.
2 Conn VS, Hafdahl AR, Mehr DR, LeMaster JW, Brown SA, Nielsen PJ. (2007). Metabolic effects of interventions to increase exercise in adults with type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia, 50, 913-21.
3 Adams KF, Leitzmann MF, Albanes D, Kipnis V, Mouw T, Hollenbeck A, Schatzkin A. (2007). Body Mass and Colorectal Cancer Risk in the NIH-AARP Cohort. American Journal of Epidemiology, 166, 36-45.
4 Ashburn A, Fazakarley L, Ballinger C, Pickering R, McLellan LD, Fitton C. (2007). A randomised controlled trial of a home based exercise programme to reduce the risk of falling among people with Parkinson's disease. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 78, 678-84.
5 Vallance JK, Courneya KS, Plotnikoff RC, Yasui Y, Mackey JR. (2007). Randomized controlled trial of the effects of print materials and step pedometers on physical activity and quality of life in breast cancer survivors. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 25, 2352-9.
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