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exercise
In an April 2024 study published by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute said,
“Even moderate exercise can drastically reduce cardiovascular risk, so finding low-cost ways to get people moving and stay in a fitness program that they can do at home is a huge win for public health,”
“Research shows it’s easier to think about today instead of the future, whether it’s exercising more to support long-term heart health or saving for a future goal, like college or retirement.”
A February 2024 study by New York University at Buffalo said,
“In ambulatory older women, higher amounts of usual daily light and moderate intensity activities were associated with lower risk of developing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction independent of demographic and clinical factors associated with heart failure risk,”
“Accumulating 3,000 steps per day might be a reasonable target that would be consistent with the amount of daily activity performed by women in this study.”
“This is a major, unique finding of our study because there is very little published data on physical activity and HFpEF, so we are providing new information upon which other studies can build,”
“More importantly, [in] the most common form of heart failure seen in older women and among racial and ethnic minority groups, and at present there are few established treatment options, which makes primary prevention all the more relevant…. The potential for light intensity activities of daily life to contribute to the prevention of [this type of heart failure] in older women is an exciting and promising result for future studies to evaluate in other groups, including older men,”
“…conveying how much activity is always a challenge to incorporate as part of clinical and public health recommendations,”
“Steps per day is easily understood and can be measured by a variety of consumer-level wearable devices to help people monitor their physical activity levels.”
“It appeared that intensity of stepping did not influence the lower risk of heart failure as results were comparable for light intensity steps and for more vigorous steps,”
“Our results showing heart failure prevention in older women might be enhanced through walking around 3,000 steps or so per day at usual pace is very relevant given the current emphasis at the federal level on identifying an amount of daily physical activity that can be referenced against steps per day for cardiovascular health and resilience to incorporate in future public health guidelines.”
A February 2024 study in the BMJ said,
Walking or jogging, yoga, and strength training “could be considered alongside psychotherapy and drugs as core treatments for depression.”
“Our findings support the inclusion of exercise as part of clinical practice guidelines for depression, particularly vigorous intensity exercise,”
“Health systems may want to provide these treatments as alternatives or adjuvants to other established interventions, while also attenuating risks to physical health associated with depression.”
“Primary care clinicians can now recommend exercise, psychotherapy, or antidepressants as standalone alternatives for adults with mild or moderate depression,”
An October 2023 study said that,
“Fitbits and other wearable devices could potentially be linked to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and have that data be something that surgeons consider when planning perioperative care for their patients,”
“This could really come to fruition to improve postoperative outcomes.”
“We used the combination of EHRs and Fitbit data to uncover how to potentially improve surgical outcomes. In our study, we looked at how many steps patients recorded on any given day, which is a proxy for physical activity,”
“However, the fitness data wasn’t limited to the immediate preoperative period. The length of their activity record could be six months or several years before surgery. This is more reflective of chronic physical activity habits, versus the physical activity in the immediate preoperative period.”
“If we find people who are at high risk, using these Fitbit tools, we could monitor them more closely following their procedure because that allows us to catch problems before they progress beyond control,”
“Another goal of our research is to modify physical activity in the preoperative period and improve postoperative outcomes. We need more studies and evidence to answer that question.”
A July 2023 study by McMaster University said that,
“There are a dizzying number of factors and combinations to consider when creating a weightlifting program to maximize strength and muscle growth,”
“This is an age-old debate among athletes and strength and conditioning coaches: what combination leads to the best gains?”
“Our analysis shows that every resistance training prescription resulted in strength and muscle mass gains. Complex prescriptions are sufficient but unnecessary to gain strength and muscle. Simple programs are extremely effective, and the most important result is that people can benefit from any weightlifting program,”
“Seek guidance if you are unsure where to begin and how to progress, but it doesn’t need to be complicated.”
“The biggest variable to master is compliance,”
“Once you’ve got that down, then you can worry about all of the other subtle nuances, but our analysis clearly shows that many ostensibly important variables just aren’t that essential for the vast majority of people.”
A July 2023 study by the University of Tsukuba suggests, according to Eureka Alert that
“…even brief sessions of mild exercise, such as walking and yoga, can stimulate the brain and yield temporary improvements in cognitive performance.
“… the exercise group exhibited significant improvement in executive function compared to the control group.
“… even three months of mild exercise can strengthen the brain's functional networks
“…the positive impact of stress-free mild exercise over a three-month period in strengthening the prefrontal cortex and enhancing cognitive function among older adults.”
July 2023 research by Edith Cowan University said
Our previous work has shown regular, shorter exercise is more beneficial than a one or two big training sessions in a week.
Now, we have a clearer idea of where the tipping point is where you start to see meaningful benefits from such a minimal exercise.
These new results suggest at least three days a week are required.
However, it may be that exercising once a week for 2 hours is less effective than exercising every day for 20 minutes.
If it is not possible to have 20 minutes a day for exercise, even five minutes a day makes a difference for fitness and health.
It is important to note that even a very small amount of exercise can make a difference to our body, if it is performed regularly.
A September 2022 study by the University of Houston on the soleus muscle in the calf and its development of the “soleus pushup” (SPU) which effectively elevates muscle metabolism for hours, even when sitting. The researchers said,
“We never dreamed that this muscle has this type of capacity. It's been inside our bodies all along, but no one ever investigated how to use it to optimize our health, until now,”
“When activated correctly, the soleus muscle can raise local oxidative metabolism to high levels for hours, not just minutes, and does so by using a different fuel mixture.”
“The soleus’ lower-than-normal reliance on glycogen helps it work for hours effortlessly without fatiguing during this type of muscle activity, because there is a definite limit to muscular endurance caused by glycogen depletion,”
“As far as we know, this is the first concerted effort to develop a specialized type of contractile activity centered around optimizing human metabolic processes.”
Eureka notes
“The Soleus Pushup
While seated with feet flat on the floor and muscles relaxed, the heel rises while the front of the foot stays put. When the heel gets to the top of its range of motion, the foot is passively released to come back down. The aim is to simultaneously shorten the calf muscle while the soleus is naturally activated by its motor neurons.”
The University of Houston added,
“The soleus pushup looks simple from the outside, but sometimes what we see with our naked eye isn't the whole story. It’s a very specific movement that right now requires wearable technology and experience to optimize the health benefits,”
“All of the 600 muscles combined normally contribute only about 15% of the whole-body oxidative metabolism in the three hours after ingesting carbohydrate. Despite the fact that the soleus is only 1% the body weight, it is capable of raising its metabolic rate during SPU contractions to easily double, even sometimes triple, the whole-body carbohydrate oxidation.”
“We are unaware of any existing or promising pharmaceuticals that come close to raising and sustaining whole-body oxidative metabolism at this magnitude.”
A May 2021 study by the University of North Carolina, said,
“Technological advances made in recent decades have allowed researchers to measure short spurts of activity. Whereas, in the past we were limited to only measuring activities people could recall on a questionnaire,”
“With the help of wearable devices, more research is indicating that any type of movement is better than remaining sedentary.”
“Our current results indicate that this finding holds even for women who did not engage in any uninterrupted bouts of walking. Taking 2,000 or more additional steps during bouts was associated with further benefits for longevity,”
“Older adults face many barriers to participating in structured exercise programs, so some may find it more convenient and enjoyable to increase everyday walking behaviors, like parking slightly further from their destination or doing some extra housework or yardwork,”
A May 2021 study by California Polytechnic State University, in San Luis Obispo said it’s findings,
"hopefully will prompt future weight maintenance intervention research testing the effects of and optimal approaches for reducing sedentary behavior, including non-work-related computer and video game usage. Future research should include objective measures of sedentary behavior and activity,"
"These findings are important for understanding behaviors that may enhance weight loss maintenance, and one of those may be to reduce sitting time and other modes of sedentary behavior. However, this study also showed that physical activity was associated with improved weight-loss maintenance. Thus, this study does not imply that simply standing more rather than sitting will contribute to weight-loss maintenance, but may suggest that less sitting that results in more movement is what is key to weight loss maintenance. Hence, sit less and move more,"
A November 2022 study by DZD, Tübingen University Hospital and Helmholtz Munich said,
"The exercise intervention increased the insulin-stimulated activity in brain regions that are responsible, among other things, for the perception of hunger and satiety and for the interaction of motivation, reward, emotion and exercise behavior,"
"The study suggests that insulin resistance in the brain may be reversible and could be a viable therapeutic target to restore central nervous system regulation of metabolism and body weight and counteract adverse effects of obesity,"
A November 2022 study by Leiden University Medical Centre, the Netherlands.
“It is well established that exercise is good for heart health, and our study now indicates that morning activity seems to be most beneficial,”
“The findings were particularly pronounced in women, and applied to both early birds and night owls.”
“This was an observational study and therefore we cannot explain why the associations were more marked in women. Our findings add to the evidence on the health benefits of being physically active by suggesting that morning activity, and especially late morning, may be the most advantageous. It is too early for formal advice to prioritise morning exercise as this is quite a new field of research. But we hope that one day we can refine current recommendations simply by adding one line: ‘when exercising, it’s advised to do so in the morning’.”
An October 2022 study by the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Eastern Finland said,
“Our results show that being overweight or obese increases the risk of metabolic syndrome regardless of the level of aerobic fitness,”
“Instead of focusing on aerobic fitness, preventing metabolic syndrome should start with increasing physical activity, improving diet quality, and controlling weight.”
An October 2022 study by Kean University in Union, New Jersey said,
“We have traditionally directed physical activity interventions by engaging sedentary individuals to become more active. Our model suggests that focusing on the moderately active population to sustain their activity and increasing their interactions with sedentary people could stimulate higher levels of overall physical activity in the population.”
A May 2021 study by Columbia University and an international team of researchers said,
"For decades, we've been telling people that the way to stay healthy is to get at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week,"
"But even if you're one of the few adults who can stick to this advice, 30 minutes represents just 2% of your entire day,”
"Is it really possible that our activity habits for just 2% of the day is all that matters when it comes to health?"
"What we don't know is the best combination, or cocktail, of ingredients needed to prolong life,"
The benefits depend on how you spend the rest of the day.
"In other words, it is not as simple as checking off that 'exercise' box on your to-do list,”
"A healthy movement profile requires more than 30 minutes of daily exercise. Moving around and not remaining sedentary all day also matters."
"Getting 30 minutes of physical activity per day, or 150 minutes per week, is what's currently recommended, but you still have the potential to undo all that good work if you sit too long,"
"Perhaps you're a parent with young kids and you simply can't get to the gym to exercise,”
"But you can still have a healthy movement profile as long as you move around a lot throughout the day as you tend to your everyday activities."
"While there will always be sitting in our lives, as with most things in life, it's about sitting in moderation. The key is to find the right balance of sedentary time and physical activity."
“A cocktail formula of 3 to 1 is best.”
“Three minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity or 12 minutes of light activity per hour of sitting was optimal for improving health and reducing the risk of early death.”
"Our new formula gets at the right balance between moderate-to-vigorous exercise and sitting to help people lead a longer, healthier life,"
"The leftover hours should be spent moving around as much as possible and getting a good night's sleep."
There are many options and combinations. For example:
“55 minutes of exercise, 4 hours of light physical activity, and 11 hours of sitting”
“13 minutes of exercise, 5.5 hours of light physical activity, and 10.3 hours of sitting”
“3 minutes of exercise, 6 hours of light physical activity, and 9.7 hours of sitting”
The study continued
"This is good news for people who may not have the time, ability, or desire to engage in formal exercise,”
"They can get health benefits from a lot of light physical activity and just a little moderate-to-vigorous activity."
"Our study shows that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to physical activity, and we get to choose which ones we like best,”
"It may be more important to mix a movement cocktail that includes a healthy dose of exercise and light activity to take the place of sitting."
A June 2021 study by Imperial College London, said,
”We often ask why obesity rates are so high among British children and this study provides a window into this. Our findings show that an exceptionally high proportion of their diet is made up of ultra-processed foods, with one in five children consuming 78% of their calories from ultra-processed foods.”
"Through a lack of regulation, and enabling the low cost and ready availability of these foods, we are damaging our children's long-term health. We urgently need effective policy change to redress the balance, to protect the health of children and reduce the proportion of these foods in their diet."
"One of the key things we uncover here is a dose-response relationship. This means that it's not only the children who eat the most ultra-processed foods have the worst weight gain, but also the more they eat, the worse this gets."
"Childhood is a critical time when food preferences and eating habits are formed with long-lasting effects on health. We know that if children have an unhealthy weight early in life, this tends to trace into adolescence and then adulthood. We also know that an excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to a number of health issues including being overweight or obese, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes and cancer later in life, so the implications are enormous."
"Today in Britain, two in every three calories consumed amongst children and adolescents is derived from this group [of ultra-processed foods]. They're everywhere, they're cheap, and they're heavily marketed. So they're very difficult to resist and very difficult to avoid."
A June 2021 study by the Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine and Brain Institute and Ozioma Okonkwo, Ph.D., Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and their collaborators, said,
"Our findings position CTSB, BDNF, and klotho as exercise biomarkers for evaluating the effect of lifestyle interventions on brain function,"
"Human studies often utilize expensive and low throughput brain imaging analyses that are not practical for large population-wide studies. Systemic biomarkers that can measure the effect of exercise interventions on Alzheimer's-related outcomes quickly and at low-cost could be used to inform disease progression and to develop novel therapeutic targets."
"The positive association between CTSB and cognition, and the substantial modulation of lipid metabolites implicated in dementia, support the beneficial effects of exercise training on brain function and brain health in asymptomatic individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease,"
A June 2021 study by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences said,
"Depression is common in patients with coronary artery disease. Having both conditions can have a significant impact on the quality of life for patients so it is vital that they access to the most effective treatments,”
"Our study indicates that exercise is likely to be the best treatment for depression following coronary artery disease. Our findings further highlight the clinical importance of exercise as a treatment as we see that it improves not only depression, but also other important aspects of heart disease, such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, in these patients."
"We continue to see emerging evidence of the importance of lifestyle to treat disease - in comparison to other treatments - but further high-quality research is needed. People with coronary heart disease who have symptoms of depression should talk to their doctor about treatments that are most suitable for their personal needs, and clinicians can be confident of recommending exercise to their patients."
A May 2021 study by McMaster University found that,
"Brief, vigorous stair-climbing and traditional moderate intensity exercise both changed fitness, which is a key predictor of mortality after a cardiac event,"
"We've shown stair-climbing is a safe, efficient and feasible option for cardiac rehabilitation, which is particularly relevant during the pandemic when many people don't have the option to exercise in a gym,"
"These patients who had undergone a coronary bypass or stent procedure had muscle that was compromised, compared to age-matched healthy controls,"
"Even in just a short period, whether it was moderate intensity, continuous training or high-intensity stair climbing, there were beneficial adaptations in muscles after a cardiac procedure," Phillips says. "The improvements were clear."
A June 2021 study at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania said,
"The current American Heart Association guidelines for diagnosing high blood pressure and cholesterol recognize that otherwise healthy individuals with mildly or moderately elevated levels of these cardiovascular risk factors should actively attempt to reduce these risks. The first treatment strategy for many of these patients should be healthy lifestyle changes beginning with increasing physical activity,"
"Increasing physical activity can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, along with many other health benefits."
"Every little bit of activity is better than none,”
"Even small initial increases of 5 to 10 minutes a day can yield health benefits."
"In our world where physical activity is increasingly engineered out of our lives and the overwhelming default is to sit - and even more so now as the nation and the world is practicing quarantine and isolation to reduce the spread of coronavirus - the message that we must be relentless in our pursuit to 'sit less and move more' throughout the day is more important than ever,"
