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Volume 3, Issue 3
Exercise slows the aging process of blood vessels
Exercise helps reduce risk of heart disease in children with Type 1 Diabetes
Heart patients increase survival rates with regular exercise
Aerobic exercise and strength training are powerful medicine for Type II Diabetics
Tai Chi helps improve immune response to flu vaccination in seniors
Exercise slows the aging process of blood vessels
As people age their blood vessels tend to harden and become constricted, which can lead to high blood pressure, clogged arteries and eventually heart attacks and strokes. However, researchers have recently found that exercise actually helps to relax the blood vessels, essentially reversing the aging process.
Researchers at the University of Colorado compared the blood vessels of healthy sedentary men in their 60's with those in their 20's. At the onset the blood vessels in the older men were more constricted than those of the younger men. For the duration of the study half of the older men exercised 4 times per week for one hour while the other half remained sedentary. After three months of exercise the blood vessels of the exercise group changed so significantly that they resembled those of the younger participants.
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Exercise helps reduce risk of heart disease in children with Type 1 Diabetes
According to the American Diabetes Association, individuals with diabetes are twice as likely to die from heart disease than those who are diabetes free. New research indicates that children and teens with Type 1 diabetes can reduce their risk for future heart disease by participating in regular exercise early in life.
In a large scale study of over 23,000 children with diabetes ranging in age from three to eighteen, researchers found that those who exercised regularly had lower blood sugar, were less likely to have high blood pressure and cholesterol, and had higher levels of A1C, an indication of long term glucose control.
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Heart patients increase survival rates with regular exercise
Each year 1.5 million Americans suffer from a heart attack, 500,000 of which are fatal. Exercise, however, has been shown to increase the rate of survival in patients who have suffered from a heart attack and subsequently undergone angioplasty to clear the arteries.
Italian researchers followed a group of 168 heart patients aged 70 and older and separated them into low, medium, and high exercise groups based on their answers to a self reporting questionnaire. After one year, cardiac deaths had occurred in 29 percent in the low exercise group and 23 percent in the medium exercise group. The high exercise group, however, was significantly lower with only an 8 percent fatality rate.
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Aerobic exercise and strength training are powerful medicine for Type II Diabetics
Exercise has been a key component of Type II Diabetes treatment for years, but until recently experts were unsure of which types of exercise were the most beneficial and whether or not strength training was necessary at all. New research recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine has cleared up much of this uncertainty indicating that the combination of both aerobic exercise and muscular conditioning is more beneficial than either form of exercise alone.
Researchers divided participants into four groups: aerobic exercise alone, strength training alone, a combination workout, and no exercise. At the end of the five-month study all three of the exercise groups saw improvements in their blood sugar control, but those in the combination group improved their levels twice as well as either type of exercise did alone.
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Tai Chi helps improve immune response to flu vaccination in seniors
Tai Chi is known around the world as gentle form of exercise that can be practiced by young and old alike. Older individuals can especially benefit from Tai Chi, which is known to improve balance, reduce stress and increase flexibility. New research recently published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine indicates that Tai Chi may also help boost the immune system among older adults.
For the study researchers followed a group of 50 adults in their 70's for five months. After receiving their flu vaccination half of the group participated in one hour of Tai Chi three times a week while the other half served as the control group. At the end of the study the Tai Chi group was found to produce significantly more antibodies for the flu virus than the control group, indicating better response to the vaccine.
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Sources
1Van Guilder GP, Westby CM, Greiner JJ, Stauffer BL, DeSouza CA. (2007). Endothelin-1 vasoconstrictor tone increases with age in healthy men but can be reduced by regular aerobic exercise. Hypertension , 50, 403-9.
2Herbst A., et al. (2007). Impact of physical activity on cardiovascular risk factors in children with type 1 diabetes: a multicenter study of 23,251 patients. Diabetes Care , 30, 2098-100.
3Rengo G., et al. (2007). An active lifestyle improves outcome of primary angioplasty in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction. American Heart Journal , 154, 352-60.
4Archives of Internal Medicine, September 18, 2007.
5Yang Y, et al. (2007). Effects of a taiji and qigong intervention on the antibody response to influenza vaccine in older adults. American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 35, 597-607.
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