The last thing a cancer patient might like to do is hit the treadmill or hop on an exercise bike, given how much the disease and its treatments drain a person’s energy. But toughing through regular workouts can boost their odds of beating cancer, a new study says. Getting recommended levels of physical activity reduces the risk of dying from several common cancers, researchers reported recently in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. And the more exercise a person gets, the better their odds, results show. “For decades, it’s been known that consistent exercise can help people live healthier lives,” said lead investigator Erika Rees-Punia, senior principal scientist for population science research at the American Cancer Society. “Our findings bring more critical evidence that being physically active after a cancer diagnosis can bring a meaningful impact on your likelihood of survival,” Rees-Punia added in a news release. For the study, researchers pooled data from six previous U.S.-based studies involving nearly 91,000 cancer survivors, average age 67, of whom about 45,500 died during 11 years of follow-up. The team looked at the average amount of moderate or vigorous exercise that survivors reported after their cancer diagnosis. U.S. guidelines recommend that people get at least 2 1/2 hours of moderate exercise per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise.  Moderate exercise might involve brisk walking, ballroom…  read on >  read on >

The last thing a cancer patient might like to do is hit the treadmill or hop on an exercise bike, given how much the disease and its treatments drain a person’s energy. But toughing through regular workouts can boost their odds of beating cancer, a new study says. Getting recommended levels of physical activity reduces the risk of dying from several common cancers, researchers reported recently in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. And the more exercise a person gets, the better their odds, results show. “For decades, it’s been known that consistent exercise can help people live healthier lives,” said lead investigator Erika Rees-Punia, senior principal scientist for population science research at the American Cancer Society. “Our findings bring more critical evidence that being physically active after a cancer diagnosis can bring a meaningful impact on your likelihood of survival,” Rees-Punia added in a news release. For the study, researchers pooled data from six previous U.S.-based studies involving nearly 91,000 cancer survivors, average age 67, of whom about 45,500 died during 11 years of follow-up. The team looked at the average amount of moderate or vigorous exercise that survivors reported after their cancer diagnosis. U.S. guidelines recommend that people get at least 2 1/2 hours of moderate exercise per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise.  Moderate exercise might involve brisk walking, ballroom…  read on >  read on >

Couch potatoes are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, even if they set aside time to work out each day, a new study says. People who spent more time sitting around were more likely to experience cognitive decline and brain degeneration, no matter how much they exercised, researchers reported May 13 in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. “Reducing your risk for Alzheimer’s disease is not just about working out once a day,” lead researcher Marissa Gogniat, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh, said in a news release. “Minimizing the time spent sitting, even if you do exercise daily, reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” she added. For the study, her team tracked activity levels for more than 400 adults 50 and older, using watches that measured their movement continuously for a week. The team then followed people for an average seven-year follow-up period. More sedentary time was linked to brain shrinkage and worse performance on memory and information processing tests, researchers found. This increased risk occurred even though 87% of the people met the weekly physical activity recommendations set forth by the U.S. government, results show. This shows that sitting around could be an independent Alzheimer’s risk factor, and that exercise will not mitigate all the harmful effects of sedentary behavior, researchers said. The link between sedentary time and cognitive…  read on >  read on >

Couch potatoes are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, even if they set aside time to work out each day, a new study says. People who spent more time sitting around were more likely to experience cognitive decline and brain degeneration, no matter how much they exercised, researchers reported May 13 in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. “Reducing your risk for Alzheimer’s disease is not just about working out once a day,” lead researcher Marissa Gogniat, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh, said in a news release. “Minimizing the time spent sitting, even if you do exercise daily, reduces the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” she added. For the study, her team tracked activity levels for more than 400 adults 50 and older, using watches that measured their movement continuously for a week. The team then followed people for an average seven-year follow-up period. More sedentary time was linked to brain shrinkage and worse performance on memory and information processing tests, researchers found. This increased risk occurred even though 87% of the people met the weekly physical activity recommendations set forth by the U.S. government, results show. This shows that sitting around could be an independent Alzheimer’s risk factor, and that exercise will not mitigate all the harmful effects of sedentary behavior, researchers said. The link between sedentary time and cognitive…  read on >  read on >

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will miss the rest of the season after tearing his Achilles tendon. The team announced Tuesday that Tatum had surgery to repair the injury. Tatum, 27, was hurt in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game four playoff loss to the New York Knicks. He fell while chasing a loose ball and grabbed his right leg. Tatum had to be taken to the locker room in a wheelchair, NBC News said in a report. Before the injury, Tatum was playing his best game. He scored 42 points, shot 57.1%, and added eight rebounds and four assists in 40 minutes. The Celtics were down by nine points when he left the game. Tatum is one of the National Basketball Association’s top stars under 30. In eight seasons with Boston, he has earned six All-Star selections and three All-NBA First Team honors. He was named MVP of the 2023 All-Star Game and helped Boston win the 2024 NBA title, their first since 2008. He also holds two Olympic gold medals, NBC News said. The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscles to the heel bone and is the largest tendon in the body, according to Mass General Brigham. It helps with walking, running and jumping.  A rupture, or a complete tear, often happens suddenly during physical activity and can cause sharp pain, swelling and…  read on >  read on >

Want to protect your aging brain? Get off the couch and get moving, researchers urge. Boosting exercise in middle age might help people prevent Alzheimer’s disease, a new study says. People who increased their physical activity to meet recommended guidelines between ages 45 and 65 had less accumulation of amyloid beta, a toxic protein that forms plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, researchers reported April 30 in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. The link was dose-dependent, researchers added — the more people increased their activity, the greater the reduction in amyloid beta in their brains. Active people also showed less age-related shrinkage in brain regions associated with memory and Alzheimer’s, researchers noted. “Even those who did less physical activity than recommended had greater cortical thickness than sedentary people, suggesting that any amount of exercise, no matter how minimal, has health benefits,” lead investigator Müge Akinci, a researcher with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain, said in a news release. It’s estimated that 13% of Alzheimer’s disease cases worldwide can be attributed to physical inactivity, researchers said in background notes. For the study, researchers tracked the brain health of 337 people in Catalonia, Spain, who were participating in a long-term study of Alzheimer’s disease. “We used physical activity questionnaires to assess changes in activity over a four-year period and neuroimaging tests to analyze…  read on >  read on >

Want to protect your aging brain? Get off the couch and get moving, researchers urge. Boosting exercise in middle age might help people prevent Alzheimer’s disease, a new study says. People who increased their physical activity to meet recommended guidelines between ages 45 and 65 had less accumulation of amyloid beta, a toxic protein that forms plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, researchers reported April 30 in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. The link was dose-dependent, researchers added — the more people increased their activity, the greater the reduction in amyloid beta in their brains. Active people also showed less age-related shrinkage in brain regions associated with memory and Alzheimer’s, researchers noted. “Even those who did less physical activity than recommended had greater cortical thickness than sedentary people, suggesting that any amount of exercise, no matter how minimal, has health benefits,” lead investigator Müge Akinci, a researcher with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain, said in a news release. It’s estimated that 13% of Alzheimer’s disease cases worldwide can be attributed to physical inactivity, researchers said in background notes. For the study, researchers tracked the brain health of 337 people in Catalonia, Spain, who were participating in a long-term study of Alzheimer’s disease. “We used physical activity questionnaires to assess changes in activity over a four-year period and neuroimaging tests to analyze…  read on >  read on >