Posts Tagged ‘exercise’

Headlines flowed this week from a study about people in a remote corner of the Amazon jungle who have exceptionally good heart health. This study, published in Lancet, tells us that the Tsimane people of Bolivia have the lowest rates of coronary artery plaque ever seen in any population. This is one case where health […]

A new study in PLoS One points once again to a simple way to get happy and get healthy. Find joy in an active life. Researchers from the University of Cambridge wrote a smartphone app. More than 10,000 people downloaded and used it to keep track of their moods and lifestyle choices. Accelerometers in the phones […]

We confess. Sometimes, all the perfect specimens wandering through our lives in fitness togs can be a bit intimidating. But perfect is not the enemy of good. And moving – safely, in ways we enjoy – is one thing that is almost always good. Just getting up out of a chair and walking a bit […]

Drug addiction changes human brains. One of those changes is a depletion of dopamine receptors. In obesity, dopamine and its receptors may have a role, but many questions remain. And now, new animal research raises yet another question. Could it be that changes in dopamine receptors make physical activity more difficult in obesity? Danielle Friend […]

The new year brings new expectations. Sure, we always have new diet, nutrition, and weight loss fashions. But, in thinking about obesity and health, we can also expect some more substantive changes. Here’s our top ten for 2017. 1. More “Less Added Sugar.” Already, the pressure to avoid sugar was on. Now, new labeling for added sugar will dial […]

Urban sprawl is more than just a traffic problem, say urban planners. It’s a trigger for obesity and a hazard to human health. Certainly, many elements of sprawl are on the list of suspects that might be contributing to the obesity epidemic. Pollution, impediments to physical activity, social isolation, and stressful congestion are all factors. Urban Ventures President […]

We’ve heard the warnings. Sitting is killing us. So people are responding. Sales of standing desks are booming. Varidesk has grown from a wobbly startup to market leader in just three years. Walking desks might offer more benefits…at at a much higher cost. But research is pointing to a much simpler answer – work-walk-work therapy. It’s really […]

If you’re looking for signs of progress in obesity and health, you can find it in 2016. Obesity is a tough nut to crack, so we don’t have breakthroughs and cures to report – yet. What we have is solid advances that will make life and health better for people concerned about obesity. Here’s our […]

It’s about time. A new scientific statement from the American Heart Association recommends that “at a minimum, all adults should have CRF (cardiorespiratory fitness) estimated each year” during health exams. The rationale is pretty compelling: A growing body of epidemiological and clinical evidence demonstrates not only that CRF is a potentially stronger predictor of mortality than established […]

Commenters are churning out lots of commentary about elitists and populists these days. We would prefer a turn toward realists. And for a dose of reality about childhood obesity, voices from Appalachia might be worth hearing.  Amidst a lot of happy talk about obesity rates dropping in toddlers, West Virginia’s Parkersburg News and Sentinel has some […]