Exercise for Health and Wellness

A new study conducted by researchers from the German Center for Diabetes Research explored some of the ways consumers with prediabetes can improve their health. 

According to their findings, lifestyle interventions, including following a healthy diet and engaging in a regular exercise routine, are important ways for prediabetics to boost their health. This was especially true for consumers who had the highest risk of developing diabetes. The researchers said intensifying these lifestyle interventions can help improve blood sugar levels and overall cardiometabolic health. 

Finding the right lifestyle intervention

The researchers had over 1,100 prediabetic participants involved in the study. They were divided into either low-risk or high-risk groups depending on their insulin secretion, liver fat content, and insulin sensitivity. 

High-risk participants were divided even further to receive either typical lifestyle interventions (LIs) or more intense interventions that call for more exercise. Participants in the low-risk group were assigned to either a typical intervention plan or a control group with no treatments. 

The study showed that making long-term lifestyle changes was beneficial for the participants. High-risk pre-diabetics benefited the most from adopting more intense interventions, which involved double the amount of recommended exercise. At the end of the study, participants in the high-risk group had better cardiometabolic health, blood glucose levels, and liver fat content. Participants in the low-risk group who followed the traditional lifestyle interventions also experienced improvements to their metabolic health. 

“After three years, glucose tolerance was more likely to normalize in participants with conventional LI than those in the control group,” said researcher Hans-Ulrich Häring. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings allow health care providers to better identify patients who have the highest risk of becoming diabetic. Starting them on a more intense lifestyle intervention plan is more likely to yield better health outcomes long-term. 

“Our study results show that an individualized LI based on the risk phenotype is beneficial for diabetes prevention,” said researcher Andreas Fritsche. “For successful prevention, we need to identify high-risk patients in the future and focus on providing them with an intensified lifestyle intervention.” 

While previous studies have highlighted the ways that regular exercise can help reduce chronic inflammation, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Nottingham may explain exactly why this happens. 

Their work showed that the body produces endocannabinoids after exercise that help reduce inflammation. They say the substance is similar to cannabis and can help reduce symptoms of conditions like arthritis. 

“Our study clearly shows that exercise increases the body’s own cannabis-type substances,” said researcher Dr. Amrita Vijay. “Which can have a positive impact on many conditions.” 

Improving health conditions with exercise

For the study, the researchers had nearly 80 people with arthritis participate in a six-week exercise program. Half of the group did muscle-strengthening exercises for 15 minutes per day; the other half of the group didn’t exercise. 

The researchers learned that the participants who were consistently exercising for six weeks had better health outcomes than those who weren’t exercising. 

The researchers noticed that those who exercised produced more endocannabinoids and had fewer inflammatory markers throughout their bodies. Participants who exercised also reported feeling less pain overall. 

The researchers hope these findings can help consumers who are struggling with conditions that are known to increase inflammation, including heart disease, cancer, and arthritis. 

“As interest in cannabinoid oil and other supplements increases, it is important to know that simple lifestyle interventions like exercise can modulate endocannabinoids,” Dr. Vijay said. 

Recent research has highlighted the ways that following healthy habits, including diet and exercise, can benefit consumers’ mental health. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg found that regular exercise may be an effective way to reduce anxiety-related symptoms. 

“These findings strengthen the view that physical exercise represents an effective treatment and should be more frequently made available for persons with anxiety within primary care,” the researchers wrote. “Exercise has few side effects, is inexpensive, and overall beneficial for general somatic health.” 

Keeping anxiety symptoms at bay

For the study, the researchers had nearly 300 patients with a history of anxiety participate in different exercise trials. Over the course of 12 weeks, the participants engaged in either strenuous or moderate exercise for one hour three times a week; a third group was given advice on exercise but wasn’t required to do it. The group also answered questions about their anxiety symptoms when the study began and again at the end of the 12 weeks. 

Ultimately, the researchers found a positive relationship between consistently exercising and improvements in anxiety. Participants in either one of the exercise groups reported better anxiety-related outcomes than those who were taught about the benefits of exercise. 

“There was a significant intensity trend for improvement -- that is, the more intensely they exercised, the more their anxiety symptoms improved,” said researcher Malin Henriksson. 

The researchers found that the higher intensity workout group saw their anxiety symptoms lower by a factor of nearly five. The moderate-intensity workout group experienced a reduction in symptoms by a factor of more than 3.6. 

The majority of patients in this study had been experiencing anxiety for at least a decade, and consistently exercising proved to be beneficial at improving symptoms. Moving forward, the team hopes experts utilize these findings with their patients to provide chronic anxiety sufferers with some needed relief. 

“Doctors in primary care need treatments that are individualized, have few effects, and are easy to prescribe,” said researcher Maria Åberg. “The model involving 12 weeks of physical training, regardless of intensity, represents an effective treatment that should be made available in primary health care more often for people with anxiety issues.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the American Cancer Society is emphasizing the protective health benefits associated with regular exercise. According to their findings, consumers may lower their risk of some cancers, including stomach and endometrial cancers, by exercising for at least five hours every week. 

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the U.S. Cancer Statistics database to better understand how physical activity can work to reduce cancer risk. The team looked specifically at consumers aged 30 and older between 2013 and 2016; they assessed the risk for seven different cancers: stomach, kidney, esophageal, colon, bladder, breast, and endometrial. 

The researchers learned that regularly exercising for at least five hours per week does provide some protective health benefits related to cancer. However, they learned that the opposite was also true -- inactivity can increase the risk of cancer. In this study, 3% of all cancer cases, or nearly 47,000 cases, were a result of sedentary lifestyles.

Experts say exercise must be encouraged

The researchers also learned that there were different risk factors associated with physical activity for different types of cancers. Stomach cancers topped the list, as nearly 17% of all cases of stomach cancer were linked with inactivity. Comparatively, 11% of kidney cancer cases and nearly 4% of bladder cancer cases were associated with sedentary lifestyles. 

While these results highlight how beneficial exercise can be for long-term health, the researchers explained that the findings also emphasize disparities in access to recreational physical activity. 

“These findings underscore the need to encourage physical activity as a means of cancer prevention and implement individual -- and community-level interventions that address the various behavioral and socioeconomic barriers to recreational physical activity,” the researchers wrote. “Understanding and reducing the behavioral and socioeconomic barriers to physical activity is essential for optimizing intervention strategies targeting at-risk groups across the country.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Buffalo explored one way that young athletes can optimize their recovery time after a concussion. According to their findings, starting an aerobic exercise routine within 10 days of a head injury can help reduce symptoms by nearly 50%. 

“The study clearly demonstrates that strict physical rest until symptoms spontaneously resolve is no longer an acceptable way to treat sport-related concussions in adolescents,” said Dr. John J. Leddy. “Our findings show that to accelerate recovery and reduce the risk of delayed recovery, physicians should not only permit, but they should consider prescribing sub-symptom threshold physical activity early after sport-related concussion.” 

The benefits of aerobic exercise

Nearly 120 athletes between the ages of 13 and 18 who had sustained a concussion playing a sport were involved in the study. One group was told to do stretching exercises for at least 20 minutes a day for four weeks; another group wore heart monitors and completed the Buffalo Concussion Treadmill Test, which has participants walk on a treadmill with increasing speed and incline. 

“Since we know that regular aerobic exercise is good for brain health, the goal was to use sub-symptom threshold exercise to see if it could help the concussed brain recover,” explained Dr. Leddy. 

The researchers learned that consistently exercising within the first 10 days of a concussion can speed up the recovery process. Participants who only stretched following their head trauma fully recovered in just under three weeks; however, those who were on the treadmill every day recovered in two weeks.

The researchers explained that there are several brain benefits associated with regular aerobic exercise, including better blood flow and cognitive function. Following a concussion, they say this type of exercise can also help repair neuron damage. 

“What we discovered is that participants were quite diligent in following their prescription, and further, that those who followed the prescription or may have even exceeded the exercise prescription of 20 minutes per day recovered much faster than those that did not follow the prescription,” said researcher Barry S. Willer, Ph.D. “This finding is important because delayed recovery comes with substantial cost to adolescents, including academic difficulties, risk for depression, and reduced quality of life.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of New South Wales explored some of the benefits consumers can gain from incorporating strength training into their exercise routines. Contrary to popular belief, they say activities like lifting weights can be a great way to burn fat. 

“A lot of people think that if you want to lose weight, you need to get out and run,” said researcher Dr. Mandy Hagstrom. “But our findings show that even when strength training is done on its own, it still causes favorable loss of body fat without having to consciously diet or go running.” 

The benefits of staying active

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from nearly 60 earlier studies that included information from 3,000 participants. While each study was different, all of the participants worked on strength training about three times per week for as long as an hour per day. The researchers measured their body fat over the course of five months to see how this kind of exercise affected them.

Ultimately, the study showed that regular strength training helped reduce the participants’ body fat by 1.4%. The researchers explained that consumers don’t always get the most accurate reading of body fat when they weigh themselves.

“Resistance training does so many fantastic things to the body that other forms of exercise don’t, like improving bone mineral density, lean mass, and muscle quality,” said Dr. Hagstrom. “Now, we know it also gives you a benefit we previously thought only came from aerobics. 

“If you’re strength training and want to change how your body looks, then you don’t want to focus on the number on the scale too much, because it won’t show all your results,” she continued. “Instead, think about your whole body composition, like how your clothes fit and how your body will start to feel, and move, differently.” 

The study highlights that there isn’t just one way to exercise to lose body fat. As long as consumers stay active and eat healthily, they’re likely to reap the benefits of those habits. 

“If you want to exercise to change your body composition, you’ve got options,” Dr. Hagstrom said. “Do what exercise you want to do and what you’re most likely to stick to.” 

Regular physical activity is an important part of living longer. Now, researchers from the European Society of Cardiology have found that it’s never too late to pick up an exercise routine. 

According to their findings, consumers that start exercising at an older age are likely to reduce their risk of mortality at a similar rate as those who have been active for longer periods of time. 

“The results show that continuing an active lifestyle over the years is associated with the greatest longevity,” said researcher Dr. Nathalia Gonzalez. “However, patients with heart disease can overcome prior years of inactivity and obtain survival benefits by taking up exercise in later life. On the other hand, the benefits of activity can be weakened or even lost if activity is not maintained. The findings illustrate the benefits to heart patients of being physically active, regardless of their previous habits.” 

The benefits of getting active

For the study, the researchers analyzed previous studies that included information from more than 33,000 older participants with coronary heart disease. All of the studies tracked the participants’ physical activity over nearly eight years and evaluated what role exercise played in their longevity. 

The study showed that participants who adopted a regular exercise routine over time had better heart health and lived longer than those who either became inactive over time or stayed inactive for the duration of the study. 

Compared to those who never started exercising, participants who started exercising over the course of the study were nearly 30% less likely to die from heart-related complications and 45% less likely to die from any cause. If those participants were able to stay active over time, those figures both increased to 50%.

The researchers hope consumers are encouraged by these findings because they show that starting an exercise program in later life can still be beneficial to heart health. 

“These encouraging findings highlight how patients with coronary heart disease may benefit by preserving or adopting a physically active lifestyle,” Dr. Gonzalez said. 

Physical activity has been linked with longer life for all consumers. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from the American Academy of Neurology suggests that there are specific benefits that stroke survivors can enjoy from staying active. 

According to the findings, having a regular exercise routine can significantly lower the risk of death for consumers who have survived strokes. 

“A better understanding of the role of physical activity in the health of people who survive stroke is needed to design better exercise therapies and public health campaigns so we can help these individuals live longer,” said researcher Dr. Raed A. Joundi. 

“Our results are exciting, because just three to four hours of walking a week was associated with big reductions in mortality, and that may be attainable for many community members with prior stroke. In addition, we found people achieved even greater benefit with walking six to seven hours per week. These results might have implications for guidelines to stroke survivors in the future.” 

Staying active, living longer

For the study, the researchers compared data from nearly 100,000 older adults with no history of stroke with nearly 900 older adults who had survived a stroke. All participants answered questions about their physical activity, and the team followed up with them regularly over the course of more than five years.

The researchers learned that regular exercise was associated with a lower risk of death for stroke survivors. When participants exercised more, they tended to live longer. The study showed that stroke survivors under the age of 75 who consistently exercised had an 80% lower risk of death than those who didn’t exercise. Comparatively, stroke survivors over the age of 75 who exercised regularly reduced their risk of death by 32% when compared to their less active peers. 

The team found that the minimum amount of exercise needed for these results was three to four hours of walking per week or two to three hours of biking per week. Sticking to this regimen was associated with the lowest risk of death for stroke survivors. Looking to the future, the researchers hope these findings encourage stroke survivors to stay as active as possible. Doing so can lead to longer life and better overall health outcomes. 

“Our results suggest that getting a minimum amount of physical activity may reduce long-term mortality from any cause in stroke survivors,” said Dr. Joundi. “We should particularly emphasize this to stroke survivors who are younger in age, as they may gain the greatest health benefits from walking just thirty minutes each day.”

Peloton has launched its first fitness game, describing it as an experience that straddles the line between gaming and exercise. Ultimately, Peloton is hoping the game will incentivize its members to work out more. 

The stationary bike maker said the fitness game is the result of months of design and research, but more feedback is needed. To collect that feedback, it’s started actively testing an early version of the game with its members. 

“Lanebreak is a rhythm-based game on Bike and Bike+ rooted in something core to Peloton’s DNA, music,” Peloton explained in an announcement. “Players are challenged to match and sustain their resistance or cadence according to the cues on the tablet to get the highest score possible, which they can then compare with other Members.” 

“Along the virtual track, riders control their cadence with their leg speed and can ‘switch lanes’ left or right by turning the resistance knob. They face multiple obstacles, all synchronized with the beat of the music,” the company added. 

There are different levels, workout types, and lengths to choose from, and each level is set to a different playlist. Each level has difficulties ranging from beginner to expert. 

Early access mode

Lanebreak is in early access mode, but a full launch is planned for this winter. The company is hoping that tests of the early version will help it glean some insight into “how non-gamers react to and engage with this experience.”

Peloton said it found through early tests that people who previously wouldn’t have used Peloton but were interested in the fitness game concept were more likely to work out. The company said it sees connected fitness as “an opportunity to open up the power of gaming to a new audience” and build off of what works in Peloton classes.

“Just like Alex Toussaint would challenge you to finish the last 30 seconds of a tough interval, games offer a way to not only cue you to do so, but to reward you in real time for your actions,” the company said. 

Peloton isn’t the first company to offer a fitness game. It joins rivals including Zwift, which offers an app with multiplayer cycling and running in a virtual world, and “Supernatural” -- a company that offers VR workouts in “stunning destinations” on Oculus Quest.

Earlier studies have identified the ways that regular exercise can benefit older consumers’ brain health and cognitive function. Now, experts from Boston Children’s Hospital are exploring the brain benefits teens can gain from consistently engaging in physical activity. 

According to their findings, teens that exercise on a regular basis are more likely to have better brain function. 

“It didn’t matter what kind of physical activity children were involved in -- it only mattered that they were active,” said researcher Caterina Stamoulis, Ph.D. “Being active multiple times per week for at least 60 minutes had a widespread positive effect on brain circuitry.” 

The benefits of being active

To understand the brain benefits related to teens’ exercise habits, the researchers analyzed data from nearly 6,000 adolescents enrolled in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The team tracked the participants’ physical activity, analyzed MRI scans of their brains, and evaluated their body mass indices (BMIs). 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that physical activity was associated with better brain function. They focused on the brain connectome, which is a diagram of the organ’s internal connections. Teens that were exercising regularly had MRIs that showed the strongest brain function, including a better ability for the brain to organize. This indicates that each section of the brain is communicating efficiently with each other. 

“This organization optimizes the efficiency of information processing and transmission, which is still developing in adolescence and can be altered by a number of risk factors,” said Dr. Stamoulis. “Our results suggest that physical activity has a protective effect on this optimization process across brain regions.” 

The researchers hope these findings serve as another resource for parents who want to encourage their kids to become more physically active. Exercise is an important component of an overall healthy lifestyle, and keeping kids active can have benefits on their brain health at a pivotal developmental age. 

“Early adolescence is a very important time in brain development,” said Dr. Stamoulis. “It’s associated with a lot of changes in the brain’s functional circuits, particularly those supporting higher-level processes like decision-making and executive control. Abnormal changes in these areas can lead to risk behaviors and deficits in cognitive function that can follow people through their lifetime.” 

Spending hours in the gym isn’t possible for all consumers. However, a new study conducted by researchers from the Physiological Society found that this level of dedication may not be necessary to improve physical fitness. 

According to their findings, incorporating short bursts of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) throughout the day can be a great way for consumers to boost their health. The study shows that finding ways to be active for just a few minutes at a time over the course of a workday can yield significant health benefits, especially for those who are still working from home. 

“While the [World Health Organization] guidelines may serve their purpose at a populational level, individualised and tailored low-volume HIIT interventions delivered by appropriately trained exercise professionals may be more effective at an individual level, especially for time-poor individuals,” said researcher Dr. Angelo Sabag.  

Putting HIIT to the test

The researchers focused on the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) physical activity guidelines, which recommend that consumers engage in 75-100 minutes of intense exercise each week. The team analyzed studies from the last 10 years that looked at the impact of low-volume HIIT workouts on consumers’ health and wellness; in these exercise sessions, consumers engage in vigorous exercise for less than 15 minutes, plus a warm-up and cool down. 

The study showed that low-volume HIIT workouts led to similar results as longer, more traditional workouts. However, for those who may be strapped for time, these findings are important because there are still benefits to exercising even if it’s not for extended periods of time. The researchers explained that regularly engaging in low-volume HIIT workouts can improve heart health, including artery health and overall heart function. 

In another recent study from this same group of researchers, HIIT workouts as short as four minutes were found to be effective at boosting metabolic health for diabetic consumers. The researchers noted improvements to cardiorespiratory fitness, blood pressure, and blood sugar, among several other measures that were directly tied to these short bursts of activity. 

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have had to get creative over the last year with their physical activity routines. These findings highlight how regularly incorporating a little exercise throughout the day can provide lasting benefits. 

“This research is especially important now as people are looking for new and exciting ways to engage in regular exercise, after a year of lower physical activity due to the pandemic,” Dr. Sabag said. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the American Heart Association explored what steps consumers can take to protect their health into older age. 

According to their findings, adopting a healthy lifestyle during middle age is likely to lead to the best health outcomes down the road. For example, the team found that following a healthy diet and engaging in regular exercise in midlife was associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome in later life. 

“Health care professionals could use these findings to further promote and emphasize to their patients the benefits of a healthy diet and a regular exercise schedule to avoid the development of numerous chronic health conditions in the present and in later life,” said researcher Vanessa Xanthakis, Ph.D. “The earlier people make these lifestyle changes, the more likely they will be to lower their risk of cardiovascular-associated diseases in later life.” 

Protecting long-term health

The researchers evaluated long-term health outcomes from more than 2,300 participants enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study. For eight days, the participants wore hip monitors that tracked all of their physical activity, and they also tracked their diets and answered food questionnaires. The participants received regular health exams during their time in the study, which the researchers compared with the data from their activity and food logs. 

The team referenced U.S. guidelines for diet and physical activity to determine where the participants fell compared to national recommendations. Participants who met both standards for diet and exercise were 65 percent less likely to develop metabolic syndrome, which is a series of conditions -- including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar -- that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, less than 30 percent of the participants involved in the study successfully met recommendations for both standards.

When looking at participants who met only one of the standards, the researchers learned that both still led to better health outcomes individually. Those who exercised regularly were more than 50 percent less likely to develop metabolic syndrome, and those who only followed a healthy diet were 33 percent less likely to have long-term health concerns. 

To ensure health and longevity, the researchers recommend that consumers adopt healthy habits as soon as possible.

“It is noteworthy that we observed a dose-response association of adherence to diet and physical activity guidelines with risk of cardiometabolic disease later in life,” said Dr. Xanthakis. “Participants who met the physical activity guidelines had a progressively lower risk of cardiometabolic risk as they increased adherence to dietary guidelines.” 

Recent studies have highlighted the benefits associated with eating anti-inflammatory foods. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from Duke University found that exercise also helps reduce chronic inflammation. 

“Lots of processes are taking place throughout the human body during exercise, and it is difficult to tease apart which systems and cells are doing inside an active person,” said researcher Nenad Bursac. “We discovered that the muscle cells were capable of taking anti-inflammatory actions all on their own.” 

The power of exercise

For this study, the researchers utilized a platform they created that includes fully-functional replicas of human muscles. They exposed the muscles to interferon gamma molecules in several different experiments to simulate the effects of inflammation. The team wanted to see how these molecules affected muscles and whether exercise could be used to combat any negative effects. 

The first part of the study involved introducing interferon gamma to the human muscle models for one week straight. After that week, the muscles received both the interferon gamma molecule and a simulated exercise routine to try to combat the inflammatory properties. 

Prior to the exercise regimen, the researchers observed that the interferon gamma led to a significant loss of muscle mass and general strength. However, introducing simulated exercise eliminated nearly all of the negative effects of this exposure. 

“Not only did we confirm that interferon gamma primarily works through a specific signaling pathway, we showed that exercising muscle cells can directly counter this pro-inflammatory signaling independent of the presence of other cell types or tissues,” Bursac said. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope that the technology they used in this study can serve future projects that also benefit consumers’ health care needs. 

“When exercising, the muscle cells themselves were directly opposing the pro-inflammatory signal induced by interferon gamma, which we did not expect to happen,” said Bursac. “These results show just how valuable lab-grown human muscles might be in discovering new mechanisms of disease and potential treatments. There are notions out there that optimal levels and exercise regimes of exercise could fight chronic inflammation while not overstressing the cells. Maybe with our engineered muscle, we can help find out if such notions are true.” 

Getting kids to exercise or engage in any kind of physical activity can be difficult for a lot of parents. But researchers from the University of Jyväskylä have found that poor motor skills aren’t a hindrance to kids’ physical fitness. In fact, they say kids with poor motor skills are just as likely as their peers to have exceptional physical fitness.

“The key message of our study is that even a child who is unfit can be motorically adept and the heart of a clumsier kid can be as fit as his or her more skillful peer,” said researcher Eero Haapala, PhD. “In addition, high levels of varied physical activity and reduced sedentary behavior are central to the development of motor skills and the prevention of excess weight gain since childhood.” 

Keeping kids physically active

The researchers assessed the motor skills, body fat content, and aerobic fitness levels of over 330 kids between the ages of seven and 11 involved in the study. To do the latter, the researchers had the kids take a cycle ergometer test, which requires them to slowly ramp up the intensity of a bicycle workout. As the kids exercised, the researchers measured their VO2 max, which is an indication of physical fitness based on how well the body utilizes oxygen during exercise. 

The study revealed that the kids’ motor skills didn’t play a role in their performance in the aerobic fitness test. Those with weaker motor skills were just as physically fit as other kids in the study who had stronger motor skills. 

The researchers also learned that the kids’ weight wasn’t an indication of their physical fitness. These findings align with those from another recent study, which found that kids being active is more important for their overall wellness than their body mass index (BMI). It’s important for kids to have the tools and information to understand the importance of exercise so they can establish healthy habits that last beyond childhood. 

“Our study clearly demonstrated that aerobic fitness is not linked to motor skills when body composition is properly taken into account,” Dr. Haapala said. “Also, aerobic fitness was not strongly associated with overweight or obesity. Therefore, it seems that the role of poor aerobic fitness as a risk factor for poor motor skills and excess body weight has been strongly exaggerated.” 

The researchers hope that these findings are encouraging for parents -- especially for those with clumsier kids; having a regular exercise routine is both important and possible for consumers of all ages. 

Climbing stairs has been found to boost consumers’ health -- especially for those who struggle to find time to exercise. Now, researchers from the European Society of Cardiology have found that a timed stair climbing test could help measure consumers’ heart health. 

According to their study, consumers who are able to climb four flights of stairs in one minute are in good shape with their heart health. However, those who take closer to two minutes -- or longer -- are likely to be at an increased risk of greater heart struggles. 

“The stairs is an easy way to check your heart health,” said researcher Dr. Jesús Peteiro. “If it takes you more than one-and-a-half minutes to ascend four flights of stairs, your health is suboptimal, and it would be a good idea to consult a doctor.” 

Assessing heart health

The researchers assessed 165 participants who had been identified by their health care providers as having an increased risk of coronary artery disease. The participants completed two exercise tests: they first walked on the treadmill with increasing speed until they were physically exhausted. After a resting period, they were then timed climbing up four flights of stairs. 

The researchers were primarily interested in the participants’ heart function and physical capabilities while exercising. During the treadmill test, they were hooked up to a machine that produced images of their hearts. The researchers looked at the participants’ metabolic equivalents (METs), which assessed how much energy it took the body to complete physical tasks. The researchers explained that more strenuous physical activity yields greater METs, which has been linked with better health outcomes. 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that participants were more likely to have poorer heart function if they took longer to complete the stair climb.The study also revealed that the two exercises were linked: when participants performed poorly on the stair-climbing exercise, they were also more likely to have worse heart function during the treadmill test. 

Beneficial exercise test

The researchers explained that those who have poor heart function during exercise are likely at an increased risk of heart disease, which makes this test all the more beneficial. In under two minutes, the researchers were able to identify participants who were the most likely to develop heart disease. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope that these findings highlight how a simple exercise test can help medical professionals get their patients the treatments that they need. 

“The idea was to find a simple and inexpensive method of assessing heart health,” Dr. Peteiro said. “This can help physicians triage patients for more extensive examinations.” 

While many consumers think of changing their diet or exercise habits in an effort to promote better heart health, a new study is exploring how a person’s attitude plays a bigger role in health outcomes than they might realize. 

According to researchers from the European Society of Cardiology, having a hostile attitude could make recovering from a heart attack more complicated. Their study revealed that a good attitude is key for heart attack patients because being more irritable could increase the risk of death in the event of a second heart attack. 

“Hostility is a personality trait that includes being sarcastic, cynical, resentful, impatient, or irritable,” said researcher Dr. Tracey Vitori. “It’s not just a one-off occurrence but characterises how a person interacts with people. We know that taking control of lifestyle habits improves the outlook for heart attack patients and our study suggests that improving hostile behaviours could also be a positive move.” 

Maintaining a good attitude

To understand how hostility could affect future health outcomes, the researchers assessed over 2,300 heart attack patients’ attitudes and behaviors over the course of two years. Ultimately, they found that having a more hostile attitude was associated with poorer health outcomes. 

The researchers explained that hostility wasn’t necessarily an indicator of future health concerns, as nearly 60 percent of the participants were categorized as having hostile attitudes. However, over the long-term, being angry and aggressive appeared to increase the likelihood that patients wouldn’t survive a subsequent heart attack. 

“There is much cardiac patients can do to take control of their own health,” said Dr. Vitori. “From a physical side -- smoking cessation, increase physical activity, and eat a balanced diet. Our study also indicates that managing hostile behaviours could be important.” 

Paying attention to mental health

Several recent studies have explored the ways mental health can have an effect on heart health -- especially for young people. Because of this, the researchers hope that these findings inspire further research that can help medical professionals better understand why hostility is such an important component in heart attack recovery. 

“Hostility has been linked with cardiovascular disease since the 1950s, but we still don’t fully understand why,” Dr. Vitori said. “Our study shows that hostility is a common trait in heart attack survivors and is associated with poor outcomes. More research is needed on how this characteristic affects the body.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of East Anglia explored how vitamin C can be an effective additive for consumers to add into their routines to protect their muscle mass. 

Recent studies have highlighted the ways the body naturally weakens over time. While exercise is a key component, experts say that vitamin C can also add noticeable improvements. 

“People over 50 lose up to one percent of their skeletal muscle mass each year, and this loss is thought to affect more than 50 million people worldwide,” said researcher Ailsa Welch. “It’s a big problem, because it can lead to frailty and other poor outcomes such as sarcopenia, physical disability, type-2 diabetes, reduced quality of life, and death.” 

Staying strong into older age

To see what effect vitamin C can have on consumers’ muscle mass, the researchers analyzed over 13,000 responses to the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Norfolk Study. For one week, the participants kept a detailed log of their diet while the researchers administered blood tests that measured the exact levels of vitamin C in their blood. 

Compared to participants with the lowest levels of vitamin C, the researchers learned that higher levels of vitamin C were associated with improved muscle mass. According to Welch, the vitamin plays a key role in protecting the body against age-related decline. 

“We know that vitamin C consumption is linked with skeletal muscle mass,” said Welch. “It helps defend the cells and tissues that make up the body from potentially harmful free radical substances. Unopposed, these free radicals can contribute to the destruction of muscle, thus speeding up age-related decline.” 

Easy diet intervention

These findings are important for consumers because incorporating more vitamin C can be a rather easy fix that could help protect against disease and improve overall quality of life. The researchers also found that while many of the participants were on the lower end of vitamin C consumption, huge changes weren’t necessary for them to reap big benefits.

“We are very excited by our findings as they suggest that dietary vitamin C is important for muscle health in older men and women and may be useful for preventing age-related muscle loss,” said researcher Dr. Richard Hayhoe. “We’re not talking about needing mega-doses. Eating a citrus fruit, such as an orange, each day and having a vegetable side to a meal will be sufficient for most people.” 

Several studies have shown how important exercise is to longevity, and now a new study is reinforcing just how much physical activity can extend a person’s lifespan. 

Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that physical activity prevents nearly four million early deaths each year. The team said that looking at statistics through the lens of the number of lives saved can provide a better outlook on what is already being achieved.

“It tells us how much good is being done and helps us say ‘look how much benefit physical activity is already providing -- let’s make things even better by increasing physical activity levels further,’” said researcher Dr. Tessa Strain.

The benefits of staying active

To understand just how beneficial physical activity can be for consumers, the researchers analyzed data from 168 countries. The first step was analyzing what percentage of the population in each country was following the World Health Organization’s weekly physical activity recommendations; the second step was understanding how those totals equated to lives saved. 

The researchers compared sedentary lifestyles to active lifestyles and then set out to predict how many deaths were prevented because of physical activity. 

The study revealed that not only can physical activity reduce the likelihood of early death, but as more consumers adopt more active lifestyles, the rate of early deaths continues to decrease. For this study, the researchers found that nearly four million deaths are prevented annually because of regular physical activity. 

Making it a habit

Moving forward, the researchers want to flip the script on how consumers are used to hearing about these statistics. Rather than working to eliminate problematic behaviors, the researchers recommend that consumers should be encouraged to adopt healthier habits -- especially during quarantine -- as the evidence continues to show how beneficial they are. 

“Research into lifestyle factors such as a lack of physical activity, poor diet, drinking alcohol, and smoking, tends to focus on the harms these do to health,” said researcher Dr. Paul Kelly. “This helps create a narrative to try and prevent and reduce these behaviours.”  

While previous studies have highlighted the importance of staying physically active during middle age, a new study explored the extra benefits women can reap from engaging in regular exercise. 

Researchers found that physical activity is key for women in middle age. The study found that exercise is crucial in order to maintain muscle density, which becomes depleted during menopause. 

“We already know that estrogen has a role in the regulation of muscle properties,” said researcher Hanna-Kaarina Juppi. “By following the hormonal status, measuring many aspects of muscles and by taking into consideration the simultaneous chronological aging of women going through menopause transition, we were able to show that the decrease of muscle mass takes place already in early postmenopause.” 

Benefits of physical activity

To better understand how menopause can affect women’s muscle mass, the researchers had over 230 women participate in the study. The group was followed from perimenopause to postmenopause, and their muscle mass was measured at both junctures. The women ranged in age, as menopause affects every woman differently. 

In addition to muscle mass, the researchers also analyzed the women’s hormone levels and assessed their physical activity in two ways: both a self-reporting questionnaire and a wearable device. 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that physical activity was an important factor in helping the women fight off a loss of muscle mass. Findings showed that women lost around one percent of muscle mass during menopause; however, those who remained active during menopause were stronger than those who had more sedentary habits. 

The researchers hope that women apply these findings to their daily lives and begin to incorporate physical activity into their routines. Doing so even in small ways can help in countless ways. 

“The observed change doesn’t seem like much, but what is meaningful is that the decline happens in a short period of time and can have an impact on metabolism, as muscles are important regulators of whole-body metabolism,” said Juppi. 

As many consumers look to incorporate more physical activity into their day-to-day routines, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of South Australia is exploring a potential risk associated with too much exercise. 

In a study focused on running, they found that consumers could be at an increased risk for injuries when they become obsessed with training and run too often. 

“Most running-related injuries are sustained as a result of overtraining and overuse or failing to adequately recover, merely due to an obsessive passion for running,” said researcher Jan de Jonge. “The majority of research focuses on the physical aspects of overtraining and lack of recovery time, but the mental aspects of running-related injuries have been ignored to date.” 

The mental component of running

The researchers conducted a survey of nearly 250 runners to best determine what effect the activity can have on injuries. It gauged how invested the participants were in running and what role it played in their daily lives. 

The researchers learned that when running was the biggest part of participants’ lives, meaning it interfered with their daily tasks or was chosen instead of other social obligations, runners were more likely to get injured. Additionally, they were more likely to ignore early warning signs of an injury and often ran through the pain to ensure they didn’t miss a run. 

However, when running wasn’t the center of participants’ lives, they were less likely to get injured and more likely to take the proper precautions if they felt an injury coming on. 

Too much of a good thing

The survey also revealed that obsessive runners’ mental attachment to the activity often surpassed their health or well-being. 

While it’s important to stay active for mental and physical health reasons, the researchers warn against turning a hobby into an obsession. 

“When running becomes obsessive, it leads to problems,” said de Jonge. “It controls the person’s life at the expense of other people and activities and leads to more running-related injuries. This behaviour has also been reported in other sports, including professional dancing and cycling.” 

Previous studies have found how sleep and exercise can affect consumers’ risk of stroke, but a new study conducted by the European Society of Cardiology explored what role consumers’ diets played in their stroke risk. 

The researchers learned that different types of foods could increase the risk for different types of strokes, and consumers should be mindful of their diets. 

“Our study also highlights the importance of examining stroke subtypes separately, as the dietary associations differ for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and is consistent with other evidence, which shows that other risk factors, such as cholesterol levels or obesity, also influence the two stroke subtypes differently,” said researcher Dr. Tammy Tong. 

Stroke risk and diet

The researchers had over 418,000 people from nine European countries participate in the study. They all shared information about their typical diets and their health records, and the researchers followed up with them after nearly 13 years. 

The study assessed most food groups, including: fruits and vegetables, dairy products, legumes, nuts, and seeds, meat, fish, eggs, dietary fiber, and cereal. In terms of results, three food groups stood out among the others: fruits and vegetables, dietary fiber, and eggs. 

“The most important finding is that higher consumption of both dietary fibre and fruits and vegetables was strongly associated with lower risks of ischaemic stroke, which supports current European guidelines,” Dr. Tong said. “The general public should be recommended to increase their fibre and fruit and vegetable consumption, if they are not already meeting these guidelines.” 

Making those dietary changes could mean a lot for consumers’ health. The study found that participants’ risk of ischaemic stroke went down 13 percent for every 200g of fruits and vegetables they consumed. Similarly, they reduced their risk of ischaemic stroke by 23 percent with every 10g of fiber they incorporated into their diets. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the researchers found reason for consumers to limit their egg consumption. Eating more than 20g of eggs per day can increase the risk of a hemorrhagic stroke by 25 percent. 

While the researchers explained that there is no cause and effect relationship between these foods and the risk of any type of stroke, it’s still important for consumers to know what role their diet can play in their health, as the associations that developed from this study were significant.

It’s a new year, and plenty of consumers have made it their goal to get more fit and in shape during the course of 2020. But a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that goal may be hard to achieve. 

The agency says that inactivity continues to be a major concern for consumers, as not enough people are taking time each month to exercise or participate in leisure-time physical activities. Across every state and territory, at least 15 percent of U.S. adults were physically inactive on a month-to-month basis, with that number climbing to nearly 50 percent in the most egregious cases. 

“Too many adults are inactive, and they may not know how much it affects their health,” said Dr. Ruth Petersen, the director of the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity.  “Being physically active helps you sleep better, feel better and reduces your risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.”

Physical inactivity is widespread

The CDC compiled new state maps related to physical activity by using survey data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. 

After analyzing the information it gathered, the agency determined that seven states and two territories had physical inactivity levels of over 30 percent or more for all adults. Those places included Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, and Guam. 

By region, the South has the highest rates of physical inactivity (28 percent). That was followed by the Northeast (25.6 percent), Midwest (25.0 percent), and the West (20.5 percent). 

Getting consumers more active

Becoming more active isn’t something that anyone can do overnight. It generally takes a sustained commitment to improve a person’s health and break sedentary habits that they may have held onto for years.

With that in mind, the CDC is continuing to push its Active People, Healthy Nation initiative. Agency officials hope to achieve their goal of making 27 million more U.S. consumers more physically active by the year 2027. The plan includes guidelines for those looking to improve their health through activity, including getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. 

More information about the plan can be found on the CDC’s website here.

While recent studies have found that consumers’ commuting habits can affect their food choices and their overall health, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Leeds found that being more active during a commute can have positive health benefits. 

According to the researchers, consumers who choose to walk or bike to work could also be preventing their risk of a heart attack. 

“Our study at the University of Leeds shows that exercise as a means of commuting to work is associated with lower levels of heart attack,” said researcher Alistair Brownlee. “The benefits of regular exercise are numerous and we support initiatives to help everyone become and stay active.”  

Staying active

Previous studies have shown how staying active is crucial for consumers to better their heart health. For this study, the researchers analyzed data from over 43 million people to determine how commuting played a role in that. 

Of those involved in the study, under 12 percent were active commuters, meaning they walked or biked to work each day. While walking was a more popular commuting option than biking, the researchers did find that men were more likely to bike than women, whereas more women opted to bike than men. 

After analyzing the participants’ health records for two years, the study revealed that being more active on the way to and from work was beneficial in boosting health outcomes, particularly when it came to preventing heart attack. 

“The effect of active commuting is fairly modest when compared with the stronger determinants of cardiovascular health such as smoking, obesity, diabetes, and regular exercise,” said researcher Chris Gale. “However, this study clearly suggests that exercising on the way to work has the potential to bring nationwide improvements to health and wellbeing.” 

Even a little activity helps

Active commuting isn’t always possible for many consumers, but the researchers hope that lawmakers do their part to make it easier for employees to walk or bike to work. Until that happens, they encourage consumers to do their part on their daily trips to and from work, as even incorporating minor physical activity could help improve health outcomes. 

“Upgrading your commute -- by swapping the gas pedal for a bike pedal -- is a great way to get your heart pumping on a daily basis,” said researcher Metin Avkiran. “If that’s not an option, parking a few streets away or getting off the bus a few stops early can help pave the way to a longer, healthier life.” 

While recent studies have found that aerobic exercise can be beneficial for consumers’ thinking and memory skills, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that another type of workout can be good for the brain: yoga. 

According to the researchers, practicing yoga is not only beneficial for giving consumers a physical workout. It can also provide emotional and mindfulness benefits as well.

“In one of my previous studies, we were looking at how yoga changes the cortisol stress response,” said researcher Neha Gothe. “We found that those who had done yoga for eight weeks had an attenuated cortisol response to stress that was associated with better performance on tests of decision-making, task-switching, and attention. 

“The practice of yoga helps improve emotional regulation to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression,” she added. “And that seems to improve brain functioning.” 

Boosting brain health

The researchers looked at nearly a dozen different studies, some of which focused on seasoned yoga practitioners and others that analyzed how beginner yogis fared with the practice. All of the participants involved had their brains scanned so the researchers could determine the effect that practicing yoga had on different regions of the brain. 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that the brain responds to yoga much in the same way it responds to more rigorous exercise. The participants saw improvements in their memory and had better overall cognitive functioning. 

Gothe explained that practicing yoga led the participants’ hippocampuses to increase in size, an effect that is similar to the benefits gained by those who frequently engage in aerobic exercise. As the part of the brain that processes memories, keeping the hippocampus sharp is key, especially when preventing conditions like Alzheimer’s or dementia. 

Because of these promising findings, the researchers are hopeful that more work can be done in this area so experts can discover just how powerful yoga can be for consumers. 

“The science is pointing to yoga being beneficial for healthy brain function, but we need more rigorous and well-controlled intervention studies to confirm these initial findings,” said researcher Jessica Damoiseaux. 

Other benefits of yoga

A recent study found that hot yoga, a practice that sets the temperature of the room to around 105 degrees Fahrenheit, could be beneficial for consumers looking to lower their blood pressure. 

According to researchers, those who engaged in hot yoga classes three times a week for 12 weeks experienced improved stress levels and lower blood pressure readings. 

“The results of our study start the conversation that hot yoga could be feasible and effective in terms of reducing blood pressure without medication,” said Dr. Stacy Hunter. “However, larger studies need to be done before we can say with confidence that hot yoga has a positive impact on blood pressure.”

For many consumers, working out happens whenever there’s a free moment, whether that’s early in the morning or later in the evening.

While working out is the bottom line, a new study found that the time of day consumers choose to exercise could be affecting their results down the line.

“There appears to be significant differences between the effect of exercise performed in the morning and evening, and these differences are probably controlled by the body’s circadian clock,” said researcher Joshua Thue Treebak.

Morning versus evening

To see how exercising at different times of day affects the body, the researchers had mice exercise both during the early morning hours and then later in the evening, and then evaluated their muscle function and overall health.

The good news for consumers is that there isn’t a best time to work out -- the body doesn’t get an added benefit by exercising in the morning or in the evening. However, the researchers did find significant differences in the muscles when the mice exercised in the morning hours versus when they worked out later at night.

“Morning exercise initiates gene programs in the muscle cells, making them more effective and better capable of metabolising sugar and fat,” Treebak said. “Evening exercise, on the other hand, increases whole body energy expenditure for an extended period of time.”

While morning workouts were associated with better muscle cell function, which the researchers attribute to the body’s natural circadian clock, nighttime workouts were associated with increased energy expenditure, which affects how many calories we burn on a daily basis. 

Ultimately, the researchers don’t want to push consumers to work out at one time over another, as the study did not yield a clear cut winner -- simply differences between the different times of day.

“On this basis, we cannot say for certain which is best, exercise in the morning or exercise in the evening,” Treebak said. “At this point, we can only conclude that the effects of the two appear to differ, and we certainly have to do more work to determine the potential mechanisms for the beneficial effects of exercise training performed at these two time-points.”

Finding the right timing

As this study revealed, our circadian clocks control not only our sleeping patterns, but they can also influence our exercise results. A recent study found that the best time to exercise could vary from person-to-person depending on whether you identify as an early bird or a night owl.

“Circadian rhythms dominate everything we do,” said researcher Paolo Sasone-Corsi. “Previous studies from our lab have suggested that at least 50 percent of our metabolism is circadian, and 50 percent of the metabolites in our body oscillate based on the circadian cycle. It makes sense that exercise would be one of the things that’s impacted.”

Those that prefer a nighttime workout can rest assured that their sleep will not be compromised, as a recent study found that exercising at night does not disrupt sleeping habits -- so long as it’s not intense physical activity.

Being obese or overweight can be challenging for any consumer, but perhaps most for young children and teens. Whether it’s from genetics, circumstances out of their control, or just poor eating and exercise habits, young people feel a lot of pressure to fit in with their peers.

Unfortunately, not fitting in can come with an unhealthy dose of bullying in some cases. While some might think that being teased might prompt young people to change for the better, a recent study shows that the opposite may actually be true. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) say that children who are teased about their weight are more likely to pack on more weight.

“Among youths with, and at-risk for, overweight and obesity, weight-based teasing was associated with greater weight and fat gain,” they said.

Stress and binge eating

The team’s study involved having a group of over 100 participants answer a short series of questions about being teased about their weight. The researchers conducted annual follow-up sessions for 15 years and tracked how being ridiculed affected the weight of these young people.

The results showed that those who were teased more about their weight tended to gain more weight than those who weren’t teased as much, with the former group having gained nearly half a pound each year at the annual follow-up session.

“Youths reporting high weight-based teasing...experienced a 33 percent greater gain in BMI...and a 91 percent greater gain in fat mass...compared with peers who reported no weight-based teasing,” the researchers said.

The team theorizes that being teased more frequently caused these participants to act out in unhealthy ways, such as by binge eating and not exercising. They say that the stress of being bullied may also have caused their bodies to produce more of the hormone cortisol, which can cause weight gain.

The full study has been published in the journal Pediatric Obesity.

Staying active is crucial to overall physical health, and now researchers have found that it could also be imperative from those suffering with liver disease.

According to a recent study, walking regularly or engaging in muscle strengthening exercises could help those with liver disease reduce their risk of death.

“The benefit of exercise is not a new concept, but the impact of exercise on mortality from cirrhosis and from liver cancer has not yet been explored on this scale,” said Dr. Tracey Simon. “Our findings show that both walking and strength training contribute to substantial reductions in risk of cirrhosis-related death, which is significant because we know very little about modifiable risks.”

Multiple health benefits

To see how mild exercise could affect liver disease sufferers, the researchers tracked 117,000 participants’ health records and physical activity over the course of 26 years.

Using the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, the researchers were able to get over 68,000 women and over 48,000 men to participate, all of whom did not have liver disease at the onset.

The study began in 1986, at which point all of the participants documented how frequently and how intensely they exercised. They repeated this process every two years through the end of the study in 2012.

Following up every two years allowed the researchers to see if an exercise regimen was affecting participants’ risk of cirrhosis-related death. By the study’s end in 2012, the participants who were walking the most on a regular basis were nearly 75 percent less likely to die from liver disease, and those that also engaged in strength training were at an even lower risk.

The researchers were encouraged by these findings, as they note that as obesity rates continue to rise, cases of liver disease are also on the rise, and having evidence that exercise -- even light exercise -- can improve health outcomes can be beneficial to consumers.

“In the U.S., mortality due to cirrhosis is increasing dramatically, with rates expected to triple by the year 2030,” said Dr. Simon. “In the face of this alarming trend, information on modifiable risk factors that might prevent liver disease is needed. Our findings support further research to define the optimal type and intensity of physical activity to prevent adverse outcomes in patients at risk of cirrhosis.”

Power in walking

Dr. Simon noted in the study that exercise provides countless health benefits to consumers, and recent studies have found that not only can exercise lead to longer life, but it can affect more than just our physical health.

More specifically, walking, which can be an easy activity for consumers to incorporate into their daily routines, has been found to boost health in countless ways. Researchers have found that cancer patients who walk for just 30 minutes each day can improve their quality of life, while another study revealed that walking improves our overall health by increasing the blood supply to the brain.

"New data now strongly suggest that brain blood flow is very dynamic and depends directly on cyclic aortic pressures that interact with retrograde pressure pulses from foot impacts,” the researchers said. “There is a continuum of hemodynamic effects on human brain blood flow within pedaling, walking and running. Speculatively, these activities may optimize brain perfusion, function, and an overall sense of well-being during exercise.”

It can be difficult for many consumers to get motivated to exercise, but results from two new studies might have more people getting up and moving.

According to the researchers from these studies, exercise is the key to a longer life. In the first study, the researchers advocate for incorporating more motion into day-to-day life -- taking the stairs, walking more, etc. -- whereas the second study encourages consumers to build muscle power -- not strength -- to live longer.

“Fitness is needed for daily activities,” said Dr. Elin Ekblom-Bak. “Poor fitness is as detrimental as smoking, obesity, and diabetes even in otherwise healthy adults, yet unlike these other risk factors it is not routinely measured.”

Staying active

The biggest takeaway from both of these studies is that spending hours at the gym every day is not necessary to get the best health results. Instead, being more active and working on things like climbing stairs and walking when possible can really make the difference, particularly where lifespan is concerned.

In the first study, the researchers evaluated how moving more during regular, day-to-day tasks, as opposed to going to the gym, can improve overall physical fitness and add years to consumers’ lives. The research included over 316,000 adults ranging in age from 18 through 74, and the researchers found that improving cardiorespiratory fitness decreased the participants’ risk of death or a cardiovascular episode.

The researchers measured participants overall physical fitness and had each person complete a submaximal cycle test to determine how much oxygen the muscles get during exercise. The results held up over all of the age groups and between men and women, regardless of how they performed during the fitness test, proving that incorporating simple activities on a daily basis are just as important to consumers’ health.

“People think they have to start going to the gym and exercising hard to get fitter,” said Dr. Ekblom-Bak. “But it doesn’t have to be that complicated. For most people, just being more active in daily life -- taking the stairs, exiting the metro a stop early, cycling to work -- is enough to benefit health since levels are so low to start with. The more you do, the better.”

In a study that yielded very similar results, researchers found that muscle power -- not muscle strength -- can add more years onto consumers’ lives.

Using the upright row exercise on the study’s nearly 4,000 participants between the ages of 41 and 85, the researchers were able to have participants mimic the motion of activities they do regularly, like picking up small children or lifting grocery bags.

The study revealed that maintaining muscle power, which consumers can do by increasing speed during weight lifting sessions or while climbing stairs, gave participants the best shot at longer lives.

The researchers explained that many exercise regimens -- and similar studies -- often focus on the ability to lift or move heavy objects, but none really focus on muscle’s power -- the ability to complete physical activities faster.

“Rising from a chair in old age and kicking a ball depend more on muscle power than muscle strength, yet most weight bearing exercise focuses on the latter,” said researcher Claudio Gil Araújo. “We now show that power is strongly related to all-cause mortality. But the good news is that you only need to be above the median for your sex to have the best survival, with no benefit in becoming even more powerful.”

The researchers provided tips for consumers to put into practice to not only start increasing their muscle power, but also how to progress once they feel comfortable with the exercises, which can be found by clicking here.

Making the most of your time

Many consumers feel they don’t have the time or energy to commit to the gym, and many new studies have explored how they can feel the health benefits of working out on a limited schedule.

One study found that short bursts of stair-climbing can boost health, while incorporating high-intensity interval training into a daily routine can provide serious health benefits. Researchers have also found that exercise is imperative for our physical fitness, but can also improve thinking skills.

Though this time of year may be many consumers’ favorite, it can be difficult for those trying to maintain a healthy diet or exercise regimen. Being surrounded by candy and sweets at office parties or family gatherings can leave many people with a sweet tooth throughout the holiday season.

However, following the review of nearly 30 scientific studies, researchers found that there are several ways for consumers to fight food cravings regardless of the time of year, including physical activity, change in diet or prescription medication, and bariatric surgery.

“Craving influences what people eat and their body weight, but there are some components of our behavior and diet that we do have control over,” said Dr. Candace Meyers. “Being mindful of these desires gives us more control over them.

Change in behavior

In evaluating over two dozen scientific studies, the researchers found several tangible ways for consumers to have more control over their eating habits. For starters, the group explains that craving a specific food accounts for 11 percent of weight gain and eating habits, which is greater than genetics.

“Food craving is an important piece of the weight-loss puzzle,” Dr. Meyers said. “It doesn’t explain weight gain 100 percent. A number of other factors, including genetics and eating behavior, are also involved.”

Frequent exercisers should be warned that exercise often increases cravings, while losing weight has the opposite effect.

Additionally, for consumers looking to cut back on a certain food item, the researchers found that reducing portion size typically isn’t effective. Instead, eliminating the food from the diet completely is a better way to cut down on cravings.

Obesity medication was also found to reduce cravings. For those taking phentermine, lorcaserin, semaglitude, and liraglitude, among others, the drugs alone could be working to benefit consumers’ eating habits.

The researchers also note in their study that different ethnic or socioeconomic groups could handle food cravings differently, though more research is needed in this area to produce any concrete findings.

Managing cravings

Fighting food cravings isn’t an easy task, and a recent study conducted by researchers from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health recently found that eliminating food from our diets can have strong side effects.

The researchers found that for those who are working on healthier diets, the withdrawal symptoms echo those of drug addicts going through withdrawal, particularly for those who consumed diets that consisted primarily of junk food.

Though the participants reported feeling irritable, sad, and fatigued after cutting out junk food, the symptoms did lessen after about five days.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released two new fact sheets to help consumers determine which dietary supplements are safe and effective.

The first fact sheet lists supplements that are promoted to improve exercise and athletic performance, while the second fact sheet lists supplements for weight loss.

In each database, the NIH describes what is known about the effectiveness and safety of many ingredients in the products.

Fitness supplements

Sellers of fitness supplements -- which are sometimes called “ergogenic aids” -- may claim that their products improve strength or endurance, increase exercise efficiency, help to achieve a performance goal more quickly, and increase tolerance for more intense training.

"Dietary supplements marketed for exercise and athletic performance can't take the place of a healthy diet, but some might have value for certain types of activity," Paul Coates, director of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the NIH, said in a statement. "Others don't seem to work, and some might even be harmful."

In this fact sheet, the NIH aims to cut through the confusion by giving a rundown of the science available on more than 20 ingredients found in fitness supplements. Antioxidants, beetroot, tart cherry, branched-chain amino acids, caffeine, creatine, and protein are just a few of the most common.

While creatine might be helpful in specific circumstances -- like “short bursts of high-intensity activity like sprinting or weight lifting,” the NIH says it won’t help for endurance efforts like distance running or swimming.

Similarly, drinking beetroot juice might improve aerobic exercise performance, but there’s no scientific evidence that supplements containing beetroot powder have the same effect.

Weight loss supplements

When it comes to dietary supplements for weight loss, consumers have plenty of options to choose from. However, some weight loss supplements contain ineffective or unsafe ingredients.

The NIH says its list of dietary supplements for weight loss is intended to help consumers navigate the “confusing set of options in the marketplace.”

"Americans spend over $2 billion a year on dietary supplements promoted for weight loss, but there's little evidence they actually work," said Dr. Anne L. Thurn, director of the ODS Communications Program. "People may not know that many manufacturers of weight-loss supplements don't conduct studies in humans to find out whether their product works and is safe.”

This new resource provides details on more than 24 ingredients commonly found in weight loss supplements, including green tea extract, capsaicin, chromium, garcinia, hoodia, and raspberry ketones.

Chromium, for example, is safe and might help you lose a very small amount of weight and body fat. However, the agency says raspberry ketones haven't been studied enough to know whether they're safe or effective.

And while it’s safe to enjoy a cup of green tea, you’re better off avoiding green-tea extract pills. The NIH notes that green-tea extract has been linked to liver damage in some people. Bitter orange also carries safety warnings.

The NIH urges consumers to talk with their healthcare provider before taking a dietary supplement to lose weight or improve fitness, especially if they have a medical condition or are taking any other medication that might interact with the supplement.

Halloween is nearly at the doorstep, and consumers across the country are stocking up on candy for eager trick-or-treaters. Unfortunately, leftover treats may cause some people to put on a few pounds before November arrives.

As with any other time of the year, there are plenty of ways consumers can burn off those extra calories and get in shape. Three methods that should jump to the top of the list include exercise, dieting, and proper meal preparation.

Exercising on a tight schedule

One of the favorite mantras of any gym nut or personal trainer is that if exercise was easy, everyone would be doing it. Unfortunately, dragging yourself outside to take a run, walk around the block, or drive to the gym takes a certain amount of willpower that many consumers find elusive.

If you -- like many others -- run on a tight work or home schedule, you might start your fitness journey by finding little ways to burn calories at home or at work.

For example, try walking or taking your bike to work (if possible) instead of driving; opt to take the stairs over the elevator; and try to incorporate walking meetings into your workday wherever possible.

In some cases, buying fitness equipment that you can keep at home can also be a huge benefit. Taking a half hour in the morning or at night to use a treadmill or elliptical can do wonders for your health and can compensate for a sedentary job or lifestyle.

Meal preparation and dieting

Like exercising, preparing healthy meals takes time; however, replacing unhealthy meals is a must if you want to keep your weight under control. Luckily, there are various options for streamlining better nutrition, whatever your schedule may be.

Instead of cooking up big meals that require many ingredients and a lot of time and attention, consumers should make some meals that are quick and easy to put together. For example, whipping up some healthy parfaits made with fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola can be the perfect way to start your day instead of a labor-intensive breakfast.

Consumers should also consider frozen foods that pack a nutritional punch, such as organic fruits and vegetables. Lean meats like chicken and turkey are also good options and can be kept frozen until there’s time to cook them up later.

Of course, if finding time to go to the grocery store or cook meals is a difficult task, you might consider having meals delivered to you. Meal delivery services like HelloFresh (an Authorized Partner) and Personal Trainer Food – as well as weight loss programs like Nutrisystem and Beachbody (an Authorized Partner) -- can provide pre-portioned ingredients and meals that make meal preparation and dieting a snap.

Has it been a while since you laced up your running shoes and hit the road or the treadmill? If so, then you might be missing out on an opportunity to help build healthier bones.

A new study from the University of Exeter and the University of Leicester shows that “brief bursts” of high-intensity, weight-bearing exercise – such as jogging or running -- can promote better bone health in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women. While the researchers are still determining the most optimal way to get this exercise, they say that the benefits may help stave off health conditions like osteoporosis.

"We don't yet know whether it's better to accumulate this small amount of exercise in bits throughout each day or all at once, and also whether a slightly longer bout of exercise on one or two days per week is just as good as 1-2 minutes a day," explains lead author Dr Victoria Stiles. "But there's a clear link between this kind of high-intensity, weight-bearing exercise and better bone health in women.”

Only 1-2 minutes per day

In many previous studies, researchers have hammered home just how important it is for young people to build healthy bones. Part of the reason behind this is that when a person reaches their 30s, their ability to produce new bone slows down and bone mass starts to slowly decline. So, by encouraging healthy habits in young people, experts are trying to ensure that consumers have the best possible bone health when this time comes.

But in this latest study, Stiles and her colleagues reaffirm that there are also things that middle-aged consumers can do to encourage better bone health. And, best of all, the time commitment for doing so isn’t all that intensive.

Using data from the UK Biobank, the researchers found that women who participated in 1-2 minutes of high-intensity, weight-bearing activity per day had 4% better bone health than those who experienced less than one minute of similar activity. Consumers who participated in over two minutes of activity benefitted even more, with a 6% increase in bone health.

While the findings come from a cross-sectional analysis, and therefore can't prove any kind of causation between the exercise and bone health, the researchers say their findings show a clear link between running and bone health. They suggest that women who are looking to increase their bone health but aren’t physically active start with walking and slowly build up to short bursts of jogging.

The full study has been published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

For many people, getting exercise can be problematic because they can’t find the time to get enough of it. But there are some people who have the exact opposite problem – namely, that they exercise too much. It might not sound all that bad, but a recent study shows that excessive exercise comes with its own health risks.

A team of researchers have found that excessive exercise can cause intestinal injury, which could lead to exercise-induced gastrointestinal syndrome. Unfortunately, all consumers are at risk of acute or chronic health complications from this condition, regardless of their fitness level.

“As exercise intensity and duration increases, there is considerable evidence for increases in indices of intestinal injury, permeability and endotoxaemia, together with impairment of gastric emptying, slowing of small intestinal transit and malabsorption,” the researchers say.

Gut issues

In more basic terms, the study has linked excessive exercise with cell damage in the intestines. When this happens, the intestines become more porous and many pathogenic endotoxins that are usually confined to this area of the body can leech into the bloodstream, which can cause a variety of health problems.

The results of the study show that exercise stress of two hours or more at 60% VO2max – a measure of the maximum volume of oxygen that a consumer can use – was enough to cause symptoms of exercise-induced gastrointestinal syndrome. Exercising in hot ambient temperatures also seemed to exacerbate symptoms more quickly, and the researchers say that consumers with pre-existing gastrointestinal issues may be at greater risk than the average person.

“It is recommended that a full gut assessment during exercise should be undertaken by individuals with symptoms of gut disturbances during exercise, to ascertain what is causing the issue and to develop individually tailored management strategies,” said lead author Dr. Ricardo Costa.

While the study provides important insights on this health issue, Costa and his colleagues believe that further research is needed to validate their findings.

The full study has been published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 

Companies and researchers have searched for years to find a way to defy the aging process. Theories on how to do this have varied widely, from the use of topical creams to the number of calories we consume. However, one of the most common sense measures consumers can take to extend their lives is to get plenty of exercise.

Now, some experts are pushing that idea a little further. Researchers from Brigham Young University have found that consumers who are more physically active tend to be biologically younger based on their physiology.

"Just because you're 40, doesn't mean you're 40 years old biologically. We all know people that seem younger than their actual age. The more physically active we are, the less biological aging takes place in our bodies," said professor and researcher Larry Tucker.

Biological aging advantage

In the study, Tucker and his colleagues found that people who regularly experience high levels of physical activity tended to have longer telomeres than those who led a sedentary lifestyle.

Telomeres are a sort of protein endcap found at the end of our chromosomes. When cells replicate, a tiny bit of these endcaps are lost, so consumers who are older tend to have shorter telomeres. Because of their nature, researchers say that telomere length is a great way to measure our biological clocks – people with longer telomeres would be younger biologically regardless of their age and vice versa.

The researchers say that those who are regularly active at high levels tend to have longer telomeres and are at a biological aging advantage of nine years when compared to those who are sedentary. When compared to those who are moderately active, these highly active individuals have a seven-year biological advantage.

"We know that regular physical activity helps to reduce mortality and prolong life, and now we know part of that advantage may be due to the preservation of telomeres," Tucker said.

Unfortunately, going to the gym every once in a while won’t cut it if you want to lengthen your biological clock. Tucker says that the type of physical activity required would involve jogging for 30 minutes per day, five days per week for women and 40 minutes per day, five days per week for men.

The full study has been published in Preventive Medicine.

At this point, consumers are pretty aware of how good walking is for them. Previous research has connected this basic form of exercise to everything from lowered risk of diabetes and obesity to improvements in the quality of life of cancer patients.

Now, a new study has uncovered yet another way that walking gives our bodies a boost. Researchers from New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) have found that the act of walking sends pressure waves from the feet through our arteries and can increase the supply of blood to the brain.

This is good news because increased brain blood flow is vital to brain function and can help the brain regulate and heal itself, as well as promote better overall wellbeing.

"New data now strongly suggest that brain blood flow is very dynamic and depends directly on cyclic aortic pressures that interact with retrograde pressure pulses from foot impacts. There is a continuum of hemodynamic effects on human brain blood flow within pedaling, walking and running. Speculatively, these activities may optimize brain perfusion, function, and overall sense of wellbeing during exercise," the researchers said.

Increases blood flow

For the purposes of the study, the research team used non-invasive ultrasound equipment to measure blood flow metrics in 12 healthy young adults. They found that those who kept a pace of 1 meter/second had significantly increased blood flow to the brain.

The researchers say the blood flow to the brain was even higher for participants who were examined while running, but that walking had much greater outcomes when compared to other exercises like cycling, which does not produce any kind of foot impact.

While the study is the first of its kind to yield these kinds of results, the researchers say that the findings make a great deal of sense.

"What is surprising is that it took so long for us to finally measure these obvious hydraulic effects on cerebral blood flow. There is an optimizing rhythm between brain blood flow and ambulating. Stride rates and their foot impacts are within the range of our normal heart rates (about 120/minute) when we are briskly moving along," said first author Ernest Greene.

The full study will be presented at the APS annual meeting at Experimental Biology 2017 in Chicago.

Finding time to exercise can be difficult for many people, but many studies have shown that simply walking for an extended period can impart great health benefits on the average person. Now, a new study shows that it might be even more helpful for people with cancer.

A new study from the University of Surrey shows that walking for as little as 30 minutes per day can improve quality of life for advanced cancer patients. The researchers, working with colleagues from the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery at King’s College London, found that walking can reduce the severity of cancer symptoms.

“This study is a first step towards exploring how walking can help people living with advanced cancer. Walking is a free and accessible form of physical activity, and patients reported that it made a read difference to their quality of life,” said lead researcher Dr. Jo Armes.

Valuing exercise

An abundance of previous research has shown that physical activity can be beneficial to cancer patients. However, patients commonly reduce their physical activity during treatment, and activity levels tend to stay low after that.

To gauge the importance of continued physical activity, the researchers split 42 patients into two groups and advised them to either (1) increase their physical activity to include at least 30 minutes of walking per day, or (2) maintain their current physical activity levels.

After completing the program, participants reported back to the researchers and had their physical health assessed. Those who increased their exercise regimen were found to be physically, emotionally, and psychologically better off than those who only maintained their physical activity levels.

“The importance of exercise in preventing cancer recurrence and managing other chronic illnesses is becoming clear. . . Findings from this important study show that exercise is valued by, suitable for, and beneficial to people with advanced cancer,” said co-author Emma Ream. “Rather than shying away from exercise, people with advanced disease should be encouraged to be more active and incorporate exercise into their daily lives where possible.”

Improved quality of life

Although the researchers highly praised the effects of exercise in improving health, some of the most poignant testimonials come from the participants themselves. One person commented on how much their daily walks improved their quality of life.

“The impact has been immense! It gave me the motivation to not only increase walking activity from minutes to 3-4 hours per week but also to reduce weight by altering diet, reducing sweets/sugars. Great boost to morale. No longer dwell on being terminal – I’m just . . .  getting on with making life as enjoyable as possible, greatly helped by friends made on regular ‘walks for life.”

The full study has been published in BMJ Open.

You may laugh like a bowlful of Jello when you read this, but a new study finds that eating a gelatin supplement and adding a burst of intensive exercise can help build stronger ligaments, tendons, and bones.

The study was conducted by Keith Baar's Functional Molecular Biology Laboratory at the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences and the Australian Institute of Sport and is published in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Injuries to connective tissue and bones are common in both athletes and the elderly, and often interfere with peoples' ability (and enthusiasm) for exercise, whether they are an elite athlete or just trying to lose weight and maintain fitness and flexibility. Therefore, researchers went looking for steps that can prevent injury and enhance recovery.

Now, it's hard to assess the direct effect of a supplement on tissues without opening up someone's knee. But Baar's laboratory has been developing techniques to grow artificial ligaments in the laboratory. They used their lab-dish ligaments as a stand-in for the real thing.

Gelatin, Vitamin C, exercise

The study enrolled eight healthy young men in a trial of a gelatin supplement enhanced with vitamin C. The volunteers drank the supplement and had blood taken, and after one hour performed a short (five-minute) bout of high-impact exercise (skipping).

The researchers tested the blood for amino acids that could build up the collagen protein that composes tendons, ligaments, and bones. They also tested blood samples for their effect on Baar's lab-grown ligaments at UC Davis.

The results showed that the gelatin supplement increased blood levels of amino acids and markers linked to collagen synthesis and improved the mechanics of the engineered lab-grown ligaments.

"These data suggest that adding gelatin and vitamin C to an intermittent exercise program could play a beneficial role in injury prevention and tissue repair," the researchers wrote.

Many times when you’re younger, you can hide the fact that you may be inactive and tend not to exercise that much, since young metabolisms often move fast enough to hide some of your lifestyle choices.

And for the most part, younger people can eat what they want, exercise very little and still maintain a sleek build, which is one of the many perks that young folks are given through no doing of their own.

However when age starts to creep in, it’s harder and harder for those who live a sedentary lifestyle to mask their level of inactivity, as weight tends to pack on easier and there are more physical clues that show you’re not living an active lifestyle, like not being able to climb a flight of stairs without being out of breath.

But probably one of the biggest ways an adult can show they may not be getting enough exercise, is by sporting the all-too-common potbelly that’s difficult to hide and is a tell-tale sign that you probably aren’t spending your days jogging, doing crunches or staying away from that late-night jelly donut.

And one of the major contributors to the pot belly, paunch or beer gut, isn’t beer or even inactivity, say researchers, it’s consuming a high amount of fatty foods that never get burned off, so a combination of eating healthier and doing your best to stay active is what helps eliminate the amount of paunch or prevent it from developing in the first place.

But is that the case for both sexes?

According to experts, it’s much harder for women to lose abdominal fat compared to men, and further proof of this comes through a new set of research that found high-fat diets, as well as estrogen loss are the main reasons women find losing weight more challenging than men, especially when it comes to losing weight in their midsection.

Mouse enzyme

In a study conducted at Ohio State University, researchers found an enzyme in mice that’s linked to both high-fat diets and the estrogen hormone, and that particular enzyme causes women to gain weight differently than men.

Researchers also said that humans carry these same enzymes, but women tend to carry them more, which ends up being a major contributor to their weight gain.

“It could be true that what we show about this hormone’s importance to visceral obesity in mice is also true for humans,” said Ouliana Ziouzenkova, assistant professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University and senior author of the study.

“As soon as a female starts the high-fat diet consumption, a mechanism for hormonal regulation is turned on and she starts to produce retinoic acid and her metabolism becomes super thrifty. Females will store more fat than they burn. By removing the ALDH1A1 enzyme in visceral fat, we could make females release fat and burn it. We make them super-metabolically active instead.”

And because researchers have found the ALDH1A1 enzyme to be a major contributor to female weight gain, Ziouzenkova says targeting that enzyme may be what’s actually needed to combat female obesity. She also says that for women looking to lose weight, diet and exercise may not be enough due to the genetic factors that come into play.

“If you asked most people what they believe causes obesity, they would probably say high food consumption and a sedentary lifestyle, Ziouzenkova said. “But we see that there are genetic factors telling the body what to do with fat. “A high-fat diet acts on our genetics to make us more fat or less fat. The diet is not powerful enough to do this on its own.”

Stored differently

The study also confirms that it’s harder for women to lose weight, particularly in their midsection, as they get older, since women store fat differently than men.

When women are of a younger age, the estrogen hormone helps them lose weight, and as they get older, those estrogen levels drop, which causes the ALDH1A1 hormone to become more active and cause more weight gain,  researchers say.

And even if women are dieting properly, they still will more than likely have a harder time compared to men when losing weight, which may explain why both you and your husband can eliminate the same unhealthy foods, but he tends to lose weight much faster and easier than you.

“While males are prone to visceral obesity throughout their life, in females it’s not the case, its very estrogen dependent and also food quality dependent, says Ziouzenkova.

She also says that if women are eating a high-fat diet they are nine times more likely to gain weight throughout their body than men, particularly in their midsection.

Ziouzenkova also says that women should be eating healthier than their male counterparts in the first place to avoid belly fat and additional weight gain, and since both sexes lose weight and store fat differently, both should be approaching their chosen diets differently.

A scientific review in April's Nutrition Reviews finds that, as expected, a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss.

Vegetarian populations tend to be slimmer than meat-eaters, and they experience lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other life-threatening conditions linked to overweight and obesity. The new review, compiling data from 87 previous studies, shows the weight-loss effect does not depend on exercise or calorie-counting, and it occurs at a rate of approximately 1 pound per week.

Rates of obesity in the general population are skyrocketing, while in vegetarians, obesity prevalence ranges from 0 percent to 6 percent, note study authors Susan E. Berkow, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Neal D. Barnard, M.D., of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

The authors found that the body weight of both male and female vegetarians is, on average, 3 percent to 20 percent lower than that of meat-eaters. Vegetarian and vegan diets have also been put to the test in clinical studies, as the review notes.

The best of these clinical studies isolated the effects of diet by keeping exercise constant. The researchers found that a low-fat vegan diet leads to weight loss of about 1 pound per week, even without additional exercise or limits on portion sizes, calories, or carbohydrates.

"Our research reveals that people can enjoy unlimited portions of high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight without feeling hungry," said Dr. Berkow, the lead author.

"There is evidence that a vegan diet causes an increased calorie burn after meals, meaning plant-based foods are being used more efficiently as fuel for the body, as opposed to being stored as fat," said Dr. Barnard. Insulin sensitivity is increased by a vegan diet, allowing nutrients to more rapidly enter the cells of the body to be converted to heat rather than to fat.

A team of researchers led by Tim Key of Oxford University has found that meat-eaters who switched to a plant-based diet gained less weight over a period of five years. Papers reviewed by Drs. Berkow and Barnard include several published by Dr. Key and his colleagues, as well as a recent study of more than 55,000 Swedish women showing that meat-eaters are more likely to be overweight than vegetarians and vegans.