Research Yields Fitness Motivation Tips for a Healthy New Year

As the weather chills and the economy starts getting back into shape, many wannabe exercisers hope to invest in themselves by becoming healthier in 2010.

Global Tobacco Report Outlines 21 Challenges for 21st Century

A new American Cancer Society report outlines 21 challenges and needs for global tobaccocontrol, covering the wide range of issues to be addressed and expertise needed to reduce the rising tide of tobacco use worldwide, particularly in the low- and middle-income nations that are the target of the multinational tobacco industry.

Can Playing Active Video Games Equal Moderate Intensity Exercise?

Active Wii sports™ video games and some Wii fit™ activities may increase adults' energy expenditure as much as moderately intense exercise, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009.

Obesity Will Snuff out Health Benefits Gained by Smoking Declines

If obesity trends continue, the negative effect on the health of the U.S. population will overtake the benefits gained from declining smoking rates, according to a study by University of Michigan (U-M) and Harvard researchers published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

ACSM Survey Predicts 2010 Fitness Trends

A lasting trend is developing in health and fitness, according to an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) survey published in the November/December issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal®. The importance of experienced and educated fitness professionals remains the top predicted fitness trend for the third straight year.

Consumers Should Exercise Caution on Fitness Machine Claims, Expert Says

Many exercise equipment advertisers make bold claims about their products’ benefits – claims that should be taken with a grain of salt, according to an expert in the September/October issue of a journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Pain In The Neck: Too Much Texting Could Lead To Overuse Injuries

The world record for fastest text message typing is held by a 21-year old college student from Utah, but his dexterous digits could mean serious injury later on. Most adults aged 18-21 prefer texting over e-mail or phone calls, and ergonomics researchers are starting to wonder whether it's putting the younger generation at risk for some overuse injuries – once reserved for older adults who have spent years in front of a computer.

Three Killer Indicators Identified That Are Even Worse Than High Cholesterol

Researchers at the University of Warwick have identified a particular combination of health problems that can double the risk of heart attack and cause a three-fold increase in the risk of mortality.

Heart Attack Myth: Women Do Have Same The Heart Attack Symptoms As Men, Study Shows

The gender difference between men and women is a lot smaller than we've been led to believe when it comes to heart attack symptoms, according to a new study presented to the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

Protect Against Colds with Exercise

As the weather turns colder, the noses turn runnier – but incidence of colds can be greatly reduced by making exercise a part of daily life, according to an expert from the American College of Sports Medicine.

Majority of Americans not Meeting Recommendations for Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

No U.S. state is meeting national objectives for consumption of fruits and vegetables, according to the first report to provide state-by-state data about fruit and vegetable consumption and policies that may help Americans eat more fruits and vegetables.

Friendship Influences Eating Behavior, Particularly When Friends Are Overweight

A new study of childhood obesity in the United States has found that some social factors, such as the presence of friends, may put overweight youths at greater risk of overeating.

Social Stress Linked To Harmful Fat Deposits, Heart Disease

A new study done by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine shows that social stress could be an important precursor to heart disease by causing the body to deposit more fat in the abdominal cavity, speeding the harmful buildup of plaque in blood vessels, a stepping stone to the number one cause of death in the world.

Sedentary Lives Can Be Deadly: Physical Inactivity Poses Greatest Health Risk To Americans, Expert Says

As many as 50 million Americans are living sedentary lives, putting them at increased risk of health problems and even early death, a leading expert in exercise science told the American Psychological Association.

Meal Replacements Aid Weight Loss, Study Finds

Meal replacements in a medically supervised weight loss program are successful in facilitating weight loss, according to a new study conducted at the University of Kentucky. The study appears in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Healthy Lifestyle Habits May Be Associated With Reduced Risk Of Chronic Disease

Four healthy lifestyle factors—never smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly and following a healthy diet—together appear to be associated with as much as an 80 percent reduction in the risk of developing the most common and deadly chronic diseases, according to a report in the August 10/24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Regular Yoga Practice Is Associated With Mindful Eating

Regular yoga practice is associated with mindful eating, and people who eat mindfully are less likely to be obese, according to a study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Links Between Video-game Playing And Health Risks In Adults Found

Your home harbors a surprising number of sneaky allergy-causing culprits. Here's where they're hiding, and how to send them packing.

10 Tips To Allergy-Proof Your Home For Fall

Your home harbors a surprising number of sneaky allergy-causing culprits. Here's where they're hiding, and how to send them packing.

FDA Panel Moves to Decrease Painkiller Dosage

Government experts say the maximum dose listed for Tylenol and dozens of other painkillers should be reduced to help curb deadly overdoses.

The Office Can Help Make You Fat

Unhealthy snacks lingering around the company office are derailing employees' efforts to stay healthy, a U.S. study finds.

Coffee Can Lessen the Pain of Exercise

Caffeine eases after effects of athletic exertion, new study suggests.

Interactive Video Games Help Meet Exercise Recommendations

Interactive video games – such those played on the Nintendo Wii – may raise heart rate and provide exercise intensity levels high enough to meet federal physical activity guidelines, according to a pair studies presented at the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) Annual Meeting.

How To Text Message And Avoid Sore Thumbs, Neck And Hands

While it is well known that excessive text messaging can result in sore thumbs, less is known about its possible effects on the neck, arms and hands. Young adults with symptoms in these parts of the body use a different technique when texting, according to a study at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Cancer Screening Fear Is Fueled By Lack Of Information, Major Study Of Women's Attitudes Finds

Fear plays a major role in whether women decide to go for cancer screening or not, but healthcare providers underestimate how much women need to know and wrongly assume that they will ask for information if they want it.

Summer Safety Tips

Take extra care at your Fourth of July and Labor Day celebrations this year, to ensure that accidents do not interfere with summer fun. Dr. Roger Yurt, director of the Hearst Burn Center of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, recommends the following safety tips to avoid burns from barbecues, fireworks, and other routine activities that can pose a hazard this season.

Routine Diabetes Screenings Could Cut Healthcare Costs

Screening adults for diabetes could result in significant cost-savings for health care systems compared to the costs of not screening individuals at all.

Computer-Based Smoking Cessation Programs Work

Trying to quit cigarettes but don't know how? A new analysis led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, suggests that Web- and computer-based smoking cessation programs are worth a try, and fortunately during these tough economic times, many of them are free.

In U.S., Nearly Half Exercise Less Than Three Days a Week

Americans who are exercising experience more happiness and less stress
The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index finds that only about one in four Americans (27%) are getting 30 minutes of exercise five or more days per week. Another 24% report exercising for at least 30 minutes on three or four of the last seven days, while nearly half (49%) report exercising for at least 30 minutes less than three days per week.

Sleep May Be Factor In Weight Control

Could sleep be a critical component to maintaining a healthy body weight? According to new research to be presented on at the American Thoracic Society's 105th International Conference, body mass index (BMI) is linked to length and quality of sleep in a surprisingly consistent fashion.

Stay in the Game This Summer with R.I.C.E.

The summer is fast approaching and sports players will soon fill the courts, fields, greens and trails looking to get back in shape and practice their game. However, this also means there are plenty of opportunities for cuts and bruises, ankle sprains, muscle strains, and knee injuries, to name a few.

Smoking And High Blood Pressure Each Account For One In Five Deaths In US Adults

Smoking, high blood pressure and being overweight are the leading preventable risk factors for premature mortality in the United States, according to a new study led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), with collaborators from the University of Toronto and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

Health Tools to Guide You Through Your Vacation

There are millions of vacation destinations to visit this summer and thousands of sights to see, but there is one surefire way to ruin your trip — getting sick. Although you may not be thinking about viruses and bacterial infections when you plan your trip, there are a few nasty bugs you should be aware of as you pack your bags.

'Good' Energy Burning Fat In Lean Adults

Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have demonstrated that adult humans still have a type of "good" fat previously believed to be present only in babies and children. Unlike white fat, which stores energy and comprises most body fat, this good fat, called brown fat, is active in burning calories and using energy. The finding, reported in the April 9th issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, could pave the way for new treatments both for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Consuming A Little Less Salt Could Mean Fewer Deaths

For every gram of salt that Americans reduce in their diets daily, a quarter of a million fewer new heart disease cases and over 200,000 fewer deaths would occur over a decade, researchers said at the American Heart Association’s 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

Healthy Food Availability Could Depend On Where You Live, As Does The Quality Of Your Diet

The availability of healthy food choices and your quality of diet is associated with where you live, according to two studies conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Researchers examined healthy food availability and diet quality among Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Md., residents and found that availability of healthy foods was associated with quality of diet and 46 percent of lower-income neighborhoods had a low availability of healthy foods.

U.S. Cancer Screening Trial Shows No Early Mortality Benefit from Annual Prostate Cancer Screening

Six annual screenings for prostate cancer led to more diagnoses of the disease, but no fewer prostate cancer deaths, according to a major new report from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, a 17-year project of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The PLCO was designed to provide answers about the effectiveness of prostate cancer screening.

Moderate Intensity Walking Means 100 Steps Per Minute

The benefits of moderate physical activity to general health and well-being are well known. It is recommended that people engage in 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity, equivalent to 30 minutes each day 5 times a week. Although pedometers are widely used as a physical activity monitoring tool, they are unable to measure activity intensity.

An Angry Heart Can Lead To Sudden Death

Before flying off the handle the next time someone cuts you off in traffic, consider the latest research that links changes brought on by anger or other strong emotions to future arrhythmias and sudden cardiac arrests, which are blamed for 400,000 deaths annually.

Unhealthy Lifestyle More Than Doubles Stroke Risk

People who lead unhealthy lifestyles are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke than thosewho eat and drink sensibly, don't smoke, and take regular exercise, finds a study published on the British Medical Journal website.

Heart-healthy, Low-cal Diets Promote Weight Loss Regardless Of Fat, Protein And Carb Content

Heart-healthy diets that reduce calorie intake—regardless of differing proportions of fat, protein, or carbohydrate—can help overweight and obese adults achieve and maintain weight loss, according to a study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

Unexplained Chest Pain Can Be Due To Stress

Each year, many people seek emergency treatment for unexplained chest pains. A thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, indicates several common factors among those affected, including stress at work, anxiety, depression and a sedentary lifestyle.

Physical Activity Levels Change with the Seasons

Study shows women work out more in summer, less in winter. Adverse weather and seasonal changes can be significant roadblocks on the path to a healthy lifestyle, suggests a study published in the February 2009 issue Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

February is American Heart Month: Heart Disease is the Number One Cause of Death

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability. The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease, which often appears as a heart attack. In 2009, an estimated 785,000 Americans will have a new coronary attack, and about 470,000 will have a recurrent attack. About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one.

ACSM Position Stand on Physical Activity and Weight Loss Now Available

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has published its Position Stand "Appropriate Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for Weight Loss and Prevention of Weight Regain for Adults," updating its previous guidelines, particularly as it relates to the increased levels of physical activity that may be necessary for prevention of weight gain, for weight loss and for prevention of weight regain. 

Try Potassium Reduce Blood Pressure

Most people know that too much sodium from foods can increase blood pressure. A new study suggests that people trying to lower their blood pressure should also boost their intake of potassium, which has the opposite effect to sodium.

Americans Owe Five Months Of Their Lives To Cleaner Air

A new study by researchers at Brigham Young University and Harvard School of Public Health shows that average life expectancy in 51 U.S. cities increased nearly three years over recent decades, and approximately five months of that increase came thanks to cleaner air.

Women Cannot Control Their Hunger As Well As Men, Study Shows

A brain-imaging study at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory shows that men, but not women, are able to control their brain's response to their own favorite foods. The study, which will be published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the week of Jan 19, may help explain why rates of obesity and eating disorders are higher among women than men, and why women typically have more difficulty losing weight.

Physical Activity May Not Be Key To Obesity Epidemic

A recent international study fails to support the common belief that the number of calories burned in physical activity is a key factor in rising rates of obesity.

Nicotine Gum Effective For Gradual Smoking Reduction And Cessation

Nicotine gum has been in use for over 20 years to help smokers quit abruptly yet close to two-thirds of smokers report that they would prefer to quit gradually. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare have now found that smokers who are trying to quit gradually can also be helped by nicotine gum.

Skipping Sleep May Signal Problems For Coronary Arteries

A new study from the psychology department at Tufts University found that when dieters eliminate carbohydrates from their meals, they performed more poorly on memory-based tasks than when they reduce calories, but maintain carbohydrates. When carbohydrates were reintroduced, cognition skills returned to normal.