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Some folks struggling with obesity appear to be hampered by their own genes when it comes to working off those extra pounds, a new study finds. People with a higher genetic risk of obesity have to exercise more to avoid becoming unhealthily heavy, researchers discovered. “Genetic background contributes to the amount of physical activity needed to mitigate obesity. The higher the genetic risk, the more steps needed per day,” said senior researcher Douglas Ruderfer, director of the Center for Digital Genomic Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. Because of that, physical activity guidelines might not be so helpful when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, since individual genetic differences drive how much exercise each person requires, Ruderfer noted. People instead need to be “active enough to account for their genetic background, or their genetic risk for obesity, regardless of how high that risk might be,” Ruderfer said in a Vanderbilt news release. For the study, researchers tracked more than 3,100 middle-aged people who weren’t obese and who walked an average 8,300 steps a day for more than five years. Obesity increased 43% among people with the highest genetic risk scores for obesity, but only by 13% among those with the lowest risk, researchers found. Results showed those with the highest genetic risk for obesity had to walk an average of 2,280… read on > read on >

Folks who consistently work out two to three times a week are less likely to suffer from insomnia, a new study says. That sort of long-term commitment to exercise also helps people get the recommended amount of sleep each night, according to findings published March 26 in the journal BMJ Open. The paper “indicates strongly that consistency in [physical activity] might be an important factor in optimizing sleep duration and reducing the symptoms of insomnia,” concluded the research team led by Icelandic psychologists Erla Bjornsdottir and Elin Helga Thorarinsdottir. For the study, researchers tracked the exercise habits and sleep quality of nearly 4,400 middle-aged adults from 21 hospitals in nine European countries. Participants were specifically asked how often they exercise to the point that they become out of breath or sweaty. Researchers found that people who persistently worked out at least a few times a week — totaling at least one hour of exercise weekly — were: 42% less likely to find it difficult to fall asleep 22% less likely to suffer any symptoms of insomnia 40% less likely to suffer more than one insomnia symptom Symptoms of insomnia include taking a long time to go to sleep, waking in the night and feeling excessively sleepy during the day. People who consistently exercised also were 55% more likely to get the normal, recommended amount of… read on > read on >

The weight room is becoming an increasingly dangerous place for folks trying to get into shape, a new study discovers. Head and facial injuries related to weightlifting have increased sharply during the past decade for both men and women, researchers found. Between 2013 and 2022, the annual rate of exercise- and weightlifting-related head and facial injuries increased by nearly 33%, according to their recent report in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery. Most injuries occurred in men, who accounted for nearly 56% of face and head wounds. However, the increase in cases of injury was nearly twice as high in women than in men, 45% versus 24%. For the study, researchers analyzed injury data compiled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, reviewing nearly 583,000 such injuries that occurred during the 10-year period. Prior studies of injuries related to exercise and weightlifting have focused on other parts of the body like the limbs or lower back, researchers said, neglecting injuries that can occur to the face and head. “Ego lifting” is likely behind at least part of the increase observed in men, said the research team led by Rohan Mangal, a medical student with at the University of Miami. Those men get hurt because they feel pressured to exercise or lift weights beyond their capacity, the researchers speculated. This is most likely true for 15- to… read on > read on >

If you’re in your 60s, 70s or even older, you might think your days of productively pumping iron are behind you. That’s just not true, said Dr. Adil Ahmed, an assistant professor in the Joseph Barnhart Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Building and maintaining muscle is a great way to stay all-round healthy, he said. “The protective effect of muscle and muscle mass has been well studied — everything from the musculoskeletal system to orthopedics and even brain health,” Ahmed said in a Baylor news release. “Building muscle in your body has been well shown to delay dementia and the effects of dementia and preserve cognitive function.” Don’t forget bone health, either: According to Ahmed, maintaining muscle is the only thing proven to help aging bones stay dense and strong. “It’s a very good protective long-term process,” he said. However, if you’re thinking of engaging into a late-life weight-lifting regimen, be sure to first consult with an expert — a personal trainer or a trusted friend who already understands the process. Ahmed recommends starting first with controlled resistance training and then moving to free weights, with an emphasis on building good (and safe) technique. “In my opinion, free weights are the best for muscle building because of the force you exert with your muscles,” he said. “There’s also a balance… read on > read on >

Exercise can help women better cope with the rigors of advanced breast cancer, a new study says. Patients had less pain and fatigue, as well as an improved quality of life, after taking part in a regular exercise program, researchers reported today at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Milan, Italy. The findings show that patients with breast cancer that’s spread should be offered exercise as part of their treatment regimen, said researcher Anouk Hiensch, an assistant professor of epidemiology and health economics at University Medical Center Utrecht in The Netherlands. “Patients with metastatic cancer often undergo continuous treatment that aims to prolong their life,” Hiensch said in a news release. “Thanks to these treatments, many patients with metastatic cancer live longer, but many also report a deteriorating quality of life over time,” he added. “We therefore need supportive care strategies, like exercise, that make the lives of these patients better.” For this study, 357 patients with advanced breast cancer were recruited at one of eight cancer centers in Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands and Australia. Their average age was 55. Half were randomly assigned a nine-month exercise program alongside cancer therapy, while the other half got usual cancer care. The exercise group worked out twice a week, with a personalized training regimen that included resistance, aerobic and balance exercises. Patients in both groups… read on > read on >

Baseball season is near, and one orthopedic surgeon is warning young players and their coaches and parents about the very real danger of overuse injuries. Dr. Mark Cohen is a hand, wrist and elbow surgeon at Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSH, in Chicago. He’s also an official team physician for the Chicago White Sox. “I’m a huge baseball fan and have enjoyed treating professional and youth players for many years,” Cohen explained in a RUSH news release. “I love it when we can get a player back on the field. What concerns me is the rate at which Little Leaguers are experiencing big league conditions that may interfere with their body’s normal function as they grow.” Some of these “big league conditions” include simple chronic arm pain, but also torn ulnar collateral ligaments (UCLs) in the elbow, Cohen explained. UCLs often require extensive “Tommy John” surgeries — named after the first major leaguer to get the surgery back in 1974. According to one study of 261 youth and high school pitchers, published in 2023 in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, one in four suffered some kind of injury to their arm over the course of their career. The longer they pitched, the higher their risk for these injuries and the need for surgery, the study found. “Ten years ago, Tommy John surgery was a… read on > read on >

Kids struggling with mental health problems have a tougher time recovering from a concussion, a new study finds. These troubled kids tend to have more emotional symptoms after concussion and take longer to fully recover, results show. In fact, the more mental health diagnoses a child had, the worse their emotional symptoms and the longer their recovery following a concussion, researchers reported recently in the journal Sports Health. “While research has emphasized the negative mental health effects that persist after a concussion and how they can impact development and recovery, it’s also very important to consider the burden these children and adolescents face prior to their injuries, and how their preexisting mental health status can impact recovery,” said senior researcher Dr. Matthew Grady, a pediatric sports medicine specialist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Concussions are a common childhood injury, with about 2 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occurring each year in the United States, researchers said in background notes. These mild traumatic brain injuries can cause a variety of problems with brain function, emotions, sleep and vision, researchers said. A child’s physical health prior to concussion is known to influence their symptoms and recovery time. To see whether that held true for mental health as well, researchers analyzed data on more than 3,100 kids who had suffered a concussion. The research team checked the… read on > read on >

Athletes whose coaches are open, authentic and positive are more likely to have better mental health, a new study says. Athletes feel happier and deal with problems more easily if their coaches adopt an “authentic leadership” style, researchers report in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise. Such a leadership style also produces better and more cohesive team spirit at higher competitive levels, results show. Players in national, international or college leagues are more likely to support and encourage each other if they’re receiving such coaching, said lead researcher Maria Kavussanu, a professor of sport and exercise psychology with the University of Birmingham in the UK. “Higher level athletes tend to train together for longer hours and have the opportunity for more frequent social interaction with each other,” Kavussanu said in a news release. “The relationships that develop within the team become important, as do experiencing positive behaviors such as support and encouragement from their teammates, which can be promoted by coaches adopting an authentic leadership style,” Kavussanu added. Researchers said that aspects of authentic leadership include: Openly sharing information Showing understanding of athletes’ strengths and weaknesses Acting in an ethical manner Listening to alternative perspectives Authentic leadership from coaches is associated with fewer feelings of depression, anxiety and stress among athletes, researchers found. Such leadership also influenced athletes to better support each other, by… read on > read on >

Even a little physical activity can cut a person’s stroke risk compared to being a complete couch potato, a new review shows. Folks whose physical activity levels fell short of recommended guidelines still had a lower risk of stroke than those who got no exercise, researchers report. Compared with no exercise, the highest “ideal” amount of physical activity cut stroke risk by 29%, researchers said. However, even “below target” activity still reduced risk by 18%, results show. “According to our results, all levels of leisure-time physical activity can be beneficial for stroke prevention, including levels currently regarded as low or insufficient,” said the team led by senior researcher Raffaele Ornello, a postdoctoral investigator of applied clinical sciences and Biotechnology at the University of L’Aquila in Italy. “People should be encouraged to be physically active even at the lowest levels,” the researchers concluded. For their paper, the team pooled the results of 15 previous studies on physical activity levels and stroke risk, involving more than 752,000 adults followed for more than a decade, on average. Overall, moderate levels of physical activity that fell below recommended levels still cut stroke risk between 27% and 29%, when compared to no exercise, researchers found. The effects were independent of sex or age, researchers said. Essentially, everyone can benefit from whatever physical activity they can manage in their spare time.… read on > read on >

The more steps a person can fit into their day, the lower their risk of early death and heart disease, regardless of how much a couch potato they are otherwise, a new study shows. People who are sedentary for more than 11 hours a day gain the same health benefits from walking more as more active folks do, researchers found. The optimal number of daily steps to improve health was between 9,000 and 10,000, researchers said. That amount of walking lowered risk of death by 39% and heart disease risk by 21%. However, half of that benefit was achieved with half the effort, at around 4,000 to 4,500 steps a day, researchers found. Essentially, any steps above 2,200 daily were associated with lower risk of death and reduced heart disease risk. “Our results indicate sedentary time did not significantly modify the dose-response association of daily steps,” concluded the research team led by Matthew Ahmadi, a postdoctoral research fellow with the University of Sydney in Australia. “We also found the amount of physical activity [eg, steps/day] needed to lower the risk of mortality and incident [heart disease] may be lower than previously suggested,” the researchers added in a journal news release. For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 72,000 participants in UK Biobank, a major biomedical database created as part of a long-term research… read on > read on >