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Volume 4, Issue 6
Yoga helps increase height and maintain balance in older women
While yoga has been practiced for centuries, its numerous benefits are still being discovered. Case in point: in a recent study conducted at Temple University, researchers found that older women who participated in a nine-week basic yoga program saw significant improvements in their balance, walking speed and height.
For the study, 24 women aged 65 and older participated in a twice-weekly half hour yoga session. Though the nine weeks the women gradually increased the intensity of exercise. By the end of the study, the women were able to balance on one foot for longer, increase their walking stride and felt more confident in their ability to stand and walk. In addition, on average women increased their height by one centimeter.
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Health care costs associated with pregnancy are higher for obese women
Over the years, several studies have shown that women who are obese during pregnancy increase the risk for medical complications during and after pregnancy for both themselves and their baby. Statistics indicate that 1 million obese women give birth in the United States each year, which, according to a new study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, puts a significant financial strain on our health care system.
For this study, researchers collected data on a group of 13,442 pregnancies recorded by a large managed care system over a four year period. The results indicated that, on average, obese women stay in the hospital 4.1 days longer than normal weight women. In addition, obese women require more prenatal checkups, ultrasounds, and medications than normal weight women.
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Inactive kids are six times more likely to have heart disease in their teen years
It is a well-known fact that heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States. However with childhood obesity and inactivity on the rise, teens are now at risk for this deadly disease as well. In recent years metabolic syndrome, a combination of diseases that increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease and is commonly found in overweight adults, has begun to effect people in their teen years.
In order to uncover more about the early onset of metabolic syndrome, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill followed a group of 400 children between the ages of 7 and 10 for a seven-year period. Measurements of weight, height, body mass, body fat, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels were measured and participants were asked questions about their activity level and were given a fitness test. At the end of the study researchers found that those participants with three or more indicators of metabolic syndrome were six times more likely to have low fitness levels and five times more likely to have low levels of physical activity.
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Aerobic exercise boosts brainpower!
A new review study out of the Netherlands has given new meaning to the saying Ňan active mind is a healthy mind.Ó Researchers have found that older adults who participate in regular aerobic exercise can improve their brainpower and help keep their minds young and agile.
For the review researchers analyzed results from 11 controlled trials, which included a total of 670 adults ages 55 and older. The majority of the studies found that older adults who participated in an aerobic exercise program increased their VO2 max by 14 percent. These improvements were directly linked to improvements in cognitive function, motor function, cognitive speed, and visual and auditory attention as compared with non-exercising adults.
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Exercise helps reduce fatigue symptoms in cancer patients
According to the American Cancer Society, fatigue is the most common side effect of cancer treatment. Fatigue can range from mild lethargy to feeling completely wiped out. This said, recent research out of Bristol, England indicates that exercise is an effective means of combating cancer-related fatigue.
Researchers examined data from more than 2,000 patients in 28 studies, all of which tested exercise programs lasting from three weeks to eight months. The most common forms of exercise were walking and biking and the average study duration was 12 weeks. After reviewing the data it was clear that patients who participated in exercise programs were able to manage their fatigue symptoms better than those who underwent standard care. Researchers noted that exercise alone is not the answer, but should be part of the standard of care for cancer patients who suffer from fatigue.
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Sources
1Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society's Annual Meeting, 2008.
2Chu, SY, et al. (2008). Association between obesity during pregnancy and increased use of health care. New England Journal of Medicine, 358, 1444-53.
3McMurray, RG, et al. (2008). Adolescents with metabolic syndrome have a history of low fitness and physical activity levels. Dynamic Medicine, 7, 5.
4Angevaren, M, et al. (2008). Intensity, but not duration, of physical activities is related to cognitive function. European journal of cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation, 14, 825-30.
5Cramp, F and Daniel, J. (2008). Exercise for the management of cancer-related fatigue in adults. The Cochrane Library, epub.
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