Physical Fitness Update
The good news: People who put off regular exercise can still benefit, even if they don't start until the age of 50.
The bad news: The beneficial effects don't kick in for more than a decade.
Tag: "exercise"
Apr 16, 2009 | 1 comment | by John Goodman
Hits & Misses – 2009/3/23
A wee bit of good news for carnivores. “The incidence of all cancers combined was lower among vegetarians than among meat eaters, but the incidence of colorectal cancer was higher in vegetarians.”
People who believe in the afterlife make the greatest effort to avoid it. “Terminally ill cancer patients were nearly three times more likely to go on breathing machines or receive other invasive treatments if religion was an important part of their decision-making process.”
What’s the right pace for moderate exercise? Channeling the Bee Gees as you move comes very close.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCAjmuA1HDk
“Staying Alive”
Mar 23, 2009 | 5 comments | by John Goodman
Obesity Update – 2009/02/09
Miami is the fattest city; Salt Lake City is the fittest.
Pacific Islanders in Utah have their cake and eat it, too.
They are twice as likely to be obese as the general population, but are less likely to die of coronary heart disease or cancer or to have diabetes.
The downside of a stomach staple.
40 percent of weight-loss surgery patients had complications in the six months after surgery.
Feb 09, 2009 | 4 comments | by John Goodman
Hits & Misses – 2009/02/04
A little dirt is actually good for kids.
Children raised in an ultraclean environment are not being exposed to organisms that help them develop appropriate immune regulatory circuits.
Another result of genes: your friends.
Your genetic background may help determine not only how many people count you as a friend, but also how many of your friends are friends among themselves.
A desk-bound man or woman takes only 5,000 to 6,000 steps a day. That compares with about 18,000 steps a day for the average man and 14,000 for a woman in an Amish community.
Feb 04, 2009 | 3 comments | by John Goodman
Ah, Those New Year’s Resolutions
205 sedentary adults were encouraged to begin an exercise program. At 6 months, about half had done so, but by 12 months, about a third of those people had stopped.
People with a home exercise machine were 73 percent more likely to start exercising. But by the end of the year, they were also 12 percent more likely to have quit than people in the study who did not have home equipment.
Study here [gated, but with abstract]. Tara Parker-Pope commentary here.
Jan 08, 2009 | 1 comment | by John Goodman
Live to Work, or Work to Live?
A study in the Southern Economic Journal finds that retirement is associated with decreased health status, reduced mobility and declining mental health. These adverse effects were mitigated somewhat by remaining physically active or working part time. An earlier NBER version appeared here [gated, but with abstract].
Dec 18, 2008 | 2 comments | by Devon Herrick
A Gut Reaction
Belly fat is the worst kind of fat:
Experts believe the fat cells deep in the abdomen are harmful because they secrete chemicals that play a role in a number of diseases. The cells produce about three times more bad chemicals than subcutaneous fat, the stuff you can pinch right under your skin….
Plus, the plumbing of visceral fat drains directly to the liver, allowing the bad chemicals to directly interfere with the liver's ability to metabolize blood sugar and cholesterol. [link]
The solution: exercise – ideally, 60 minutes, six days a week.
Nov 19, 2008 | 3 comments | by John Goodman
