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Increased exercise knowledge anyone?
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Resistance training helps smokers quit |
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While much research has linked aerobic exercise to decreased smoking, no studies had investigated weight training and smoking habits... until now. New research shows that lifting weights could be the key to helping smokers quit. According to a study conducted at Brown University and published online by the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research, male and female smokers who completed a weight training program in conjunction with smoking cessation treatment were twice as likely to kick the habit.
A group of 25 smokers undergoing a smoking cessation program were divided into two groups: one performed a strength routine regularly, and one did not. The resistance training group performed two 60-minute training sessions per week for 12 weeks. The program was a full-body routine involving ten different exercises, with gradually increasing weight and intensity every three weeks. By the end of the 12 weeks, 16 percent of weight-lifting smokers had not only decreased their body weight and body fat, but they also quit smoking. In comparison, only eight percent of people in the group who were not lifting weights had quit smoking.
Ciccolo, et al. (2011). Resistance training as an aid to standard smoking cessation treatment: A pilot study. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, epub. |
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Please don't stop the music |
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Do you listen to music while you exercise? New research published in the Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology suggests that you should, in order to reap maximum benefits from your workouts. Many researchers have found that music enhances exercise, and this study summarized all the relevant research on the benefits of listening to music during exercise.
The authors of the article reviewed a total of twenty previous studies that examined the effects of adding music to exercise in different populations, and the results were clear: music benefits exercisers. Among the most prominent benefits of listening to music were increased motivation to exercise as well as improvement in exercise capacity and intensity. Some studies found that music was exceptionally helpful for patients undergoing cardiovascular or pulmonary rehabilitation or treatment for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Other studies found that adding music to exercise increased elderly exercisers' confidence and life satisfaction. The study concluded that music is most effective when it coincided with people's own personal preferences.
Now, you have a great excuse to buy some new music for your mp3 player!
Ziv and Lidor (2011). Music, exercise performance, and adherence in clinical populations and in the elderly: A review. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 5(1), 1-23. |
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Exercise can prevent migraines |
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If you've ever had a migraine, you know that they're more than just any old headache: they cause intense pain, throbbing and sensitivity to light and sound. They're also more common that you might think: the National Migraine Association estimates that 28 million Americans suffer from chronic migraines. While doctors suspect that exercise helps alleviate migraines, this is based on anecdotal evidence from patients alone. No research studies have ever been done to show a relationship between the two. Therefore, researchers in Germany set out to design an exercise program suitable for migraine sufferers in order to evaluate how they are affected by exercise in a lab setting. Their results were published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine.
Researchers examined the effect of exercise on migraines in 16 chronic migraine sufferers. The participants were divided into two groups: half of the patients completed a 10-week aerobic exercise program consisting of 3 workouts per week (running in a treadmill) and half the patients did not perform any physical activity. Migraine patients in the running group showed both a reduction in the number of days they suffered a migraine each month and a decrease in the intensity of their attacks.
If you or someone you know has recurring migraines, running on a treadmill may be the answer to their problems.
Darabaneanu, et al. (2011). Aerobic exercise as a therapy option for migraine: A pilot study. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 32(6):455-60. |
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Exercise decreases the risk of cancer recurrence |
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A new report shows that although many doctors admit to advising their cancer patients and survivors to take it easy, this may not be the best advice. The report from Macmillan Cancer Support, the largest charity foundation in Great Britain, shows that exercising after a diagnosis or treatment for cancer may be an effective way to prevent recurrence and aid recovery. As long as exercise programs are low-impact and designed with the particular needs of the individual patient, they are safe and beneficial for cancer survivors.
The report reviewed 60 studies and surveyed over 400 health professionals who work closely with cancer patients and found that lack of physical activities might be putting as many as 1.6 million cancer survivors in the UK at greater risk of long term health problems with some at greater risk of cancer recurrence. The report also found that women with breast cancer who exercise for 150 minutes a week at moderate intensity are 40 percent less likely to experience disease recurrence, as compared to women who were active for less than an hour a week.
The report concludes by recommending that doctors and other health professionals prescribe exercise to all cancer survivors.
Move More, a report published by Macmillan Cancer Support. |
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Weight training in older adults is necessary to prevent loss of lean body mass |
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Sarcopenia is the medical term for the loss of muscle mass and strength that typically occurs in aging adults. This loss of lean body mass often leads to lower functionality and lower quality of life. New research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, however, reiterates the importance of resistance training to prevent the loss of lean muscle mass. Authors of the study aimed to review all of the recent literature to determine how different training programs affected people of different ages.
Researchers included data from 49 studies, evaluating a total of 1,328 patients over the age of 50, in this meta-analysis. After performing various statistical tests to ensure that results from different studies were compatible, they found that higher volume interventions (resistance training regimens that increased the volume of weight lifted progressively over time) were significantly more effective. Additionally, they found that programs were more effective is started earlier in life, presumably to prevent sarcopenia before it begins.
Peterson, et al. (2011). Influence of resistance exercise on lean body mass in aging adults: a meta-analysis. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(2), 249-258. |
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Study shows that aerobic exercise is more effective to reduce abdominal fat |
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Are you apple- or pear-shaped? Doctors sometimes use these simple comparisons to determine health risks of their patients. If you're pear shaped, you are more prone to storing fat in the hips and thighs, whereas if you are apple-shaped, you are more likely to store fat in your stomach area. Much research points to the fact that abdominal fat, or fat stored in the stomach area, can increase the risk for heart and metabolic disease. A study recently published in the American Journal of Physiology aimed to identify the most effective form of exercise to get rid of fat in the abdominal area.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center conducted a study that involved following 296 overweight and sedentary adults for eight months. Participants were randomized to one of three groups: aerobic training exercise, resistance training exercise or a combination of the two modes of exercise. The aerobic group performed exercises equivalent to 12 miles of jogging per week at 80% maximum heart rate. The resistance group performed three sets of 8 - 12 repetitions of various strength exercises, three times per week. The research clearly indicated that although both forms of exercise were effective at reducing body fat, aerobic exercise reduced abdominal fat more than weight training alone did.
Slentz, et al. (2011). The effects of aerobic versus resistance training on visceral and liver fat stores, liver enzymes and HOMA from STRRIDE AT/RT: A randomized trial. American Journal of Physiology. |
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Inactivity could increase risk for Type II diabetes |
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 79 million American adults have prediabetes, meaning they will likely develop diabetes later in life. New research published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise reinforces the notion that physical activity is key to preventing diabetes, and furthermore, it shows that inactivity could even be a risk factor leading to prediabetes or Type II diabetes.
In the study, researchers monitored the activity levels and diets of healthy and moderately active young adults (the average age of participants was 29). After three days, participants then reduced their physical activity by half for the next three days. Glucose monitors worn by the participants showed that during the period of inactivity there was a significant increase of sugar in the blood, which is a significant risk factor for developing Type II diabetes. The authors conclude by stating that daily physical activity is important for preventing diabetes and other illnesses.
Mikus, et al. (2011). Lowering physical activity impairs glycemic control in healthy volunteers. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, epub. |
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Aerobic exercise is the most effective way to reduce abdominal fat |
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As you have read before in Health E-Review, medical experts oftentimes use their patients' amount of abdominal fat to assess their health risks. Much research points to the fact that abdominal fat, or fat stored in the stomach area, can increase the risk for heart and metabolic disease. A study recently published in the American Journal of Physiology identified the most effective form of exercise to get rid of fat in the abdominal area.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center conducted a study that involved following a group of over two hundred overweight adults for eight months. Participants were divided into one of three groups: an aerobic training exercise regimen, a resistance training exercise regimen, or a combination of the two regimens. The aerobic group performed exercises that amounted to 12 miles of jogging per week at a high intensity (80 percent of maximum heart rate). The resistance group performed three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions of various strength exercises, three times per week. The research study results showed that although both forms of exercise were effective at reducing body fat, aerobic exercise reduced abdominal fat more than weight training alone did. To date, no other research has shown these findings.
Slentz, et al. (2011). The effects of aerobic versus resistance training on visceral and liver fat stores, liver enzymes and HOMA from STRRIDE AT/RT: A randomized trial. American Journal of Physiology. |
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Running protects against weight gain, regardless of diet |
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Exercise physiologists and researchers alike have always questioned the role of diet and nutrition against the role of exercise in weight loss and weight maintenance. Most often, experts agree that both are important factors in weight loss and in living a healthy lifestyle. Now, a new study shows evidence that exercise plays a significant part of the equation. Researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California found that exercise (specifically running) protects against weight gain, regardless of diet. The study is published in the most recent issue of the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
For the study, a total of 106,737 participants completed a comprehensive survey. The two-page survey was sent to subscribers of a running magazine and to participants of running events. It asked for demographic characteristics, running history, current average weekly mileage, current weight and height as well as history, and dietary habits, including average weekly consumption of meat, fruits and vegetables. Runners were divided into groups based on the frequency and duration of their runs, and various analyses were performed. The survey data clearly showed that running prevented weight gain, regardless of dietary habits. Although most avid runners were more likely to eat a healthier diet, some ate a significantly higher amount of meat, fat and carbohydrates. Avid runners who ate this unhealthy diet were not affected by weight gain, whereas those who did not run as frequently were much more likely to have an increased weight and/or BMI.
Williams. (2011). Exercise attenuates the association of body weight with diet in 106,737 runners. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(11), 2120-2126. |
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