Regular exercise has a long list of health benefits, and a new study suggests another one could be added: a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. The study, of nearly 99,000 French women, found that those who were most physically active day to day were 25% less likely to develop Parkinson’s over three decades, versus women who were more sedentary. That does not prove that exercise, per se, is responsible, the researchers said. At the same time, they say it’s unlikely that the link reflects “reverse-causation” — women in the earliest stages of Parkinson’s being less likely to exercise. That’s because the study assessed the women’s exercise habits for up to 20 years before their Parkinson’s diagnosis. And since regular exercise clearly has benefits anyway, the findings could be seen as another motivator to get moving, said senior researcher Dr. Alexis Elbaz. “Physical activity has beneficial effects on many body systems, including the bones, heart and lungs,” said Elbaz, a research professor at the French national research institute INSERM in Paris. “And our findings show that physical activity might also contribute to preventing or delaying Parkinson’s disease.” Parkinson’s disease affects nearly 1 million people in the United States, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. It is a brain disease that gradually destroys or disables cells that produce dopamine, a chemical that helps regulate movement and emotional responses.…  read on >  read on >

Fighting is par for the course in professional ice hockey, but a new study raises the question of whether it is shortening some players’ lives. The study, of hundreds of National Hockey League (NHL) players, found that those who were “enforcers” on the ice — that is, did a lot of fighting — tend to die at a younger age and from different causes than their peers. Of 45 players who died during the study period, enforcers were about 10 years younger at their deaths compared to other players. And the causes were disproportionately from suicide, drug overdose, car accidents, or, in two cases, degenerative brain disease. Experts stressed that the findings do not prove that frequent fights on the ice played any role in those players’ deaths. Release of the study comes midway through the second-round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup championship playoffs. The study used fights and time in the penalty box as proxies for players’ exposure to repetitive head impacts. There was no way to tell whether those who died had any brain injury. And even if they did, the researchers said, it would not be possible to draw a straight line between the injury and the cause of death. “This study is just showing associations, not cause and effect,” said lead researcher Dr. Charles Popkin, an orthopedic sports medicine specialist at…  read on >  read on >

A study of triathletes reveals certain body types perform better in certain climates. Taller, leaner runners with long limbs tend to excel in Ironman endurance events held in warm climates, whereas marathoners with stockier builds and shorter limbs perform better in colder climates, a Dartmouth College researcher says. Endurance athletes may want to consider competing in climates their body types are best suited to, said study author Ryan Calsbeek, a professor of biological sciences. Calsbeek observed that Allan Hovda, three-time winner of Norway’s Norseman triathlon, is stockier and shorter than one might expect of a successful triathlete. “I wondered if there was something about body shape that allowed him to do better in the cold and thought about the role temperature might play for this one guy who doesn’t look like your standard endurance athlete,” Calsbeek said in a college news release. Triathletes in these competitions do about 150 miles combined of running, swimming and biking. Calsbeek’s analysis of nearly 200 Ironman contestants over two decades suggests that running performance, specifically, is linked to how an athlete’s physique is adapted to shedding or retaining heat in certain climates. The study is among only a few that connect human physiology to what are known as Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules, which predict how animal species are distributed across various climates, Calsbeek said. These ideas are named after…  read on >  read on >

Cancer patients have a lot to think about, but adding one more thing — lacing up their sneakers — may pay off. Two new studies suggest engaging in light or moderate exercise increases the number of cancer-destroying immune cells. At the same time, exercise reduces the side effects of cancer treatments, improves quality of life, improves prognosis and decreases cancer risk, said the Scandinavian researchers. “It was previously thought that cancer patients should just rest after a cancer diagnosis. Today, we have more and more researched information that exercise can even improve the prognosis of cancer. However, it is not yet fully known how exercise controls cancer,” explained co-author Tiia Koivula, from the University of Turku in Finland. Past preclinical studies found exercise affected the functioning of the immune system, leading to more immune cells going to the tumor site and becoming more active in destroying cancer cells. This new research looked at the impact of a short bout of exercise. Researchers found that only 10 minutes of exercise was enough to have an impact. Exercising harder was even better, with more immune cells transferred to the bloodstream. “Although our results indicate that the higher the exercise intensity is, the more immune cells are transferred from their storage organs into the bloodstream, it is notable that also light or moderate intensity exercise lasting for only…  read on >  read on >

Physical activity after a stroke may be crucial to a more successful recovery, according to a study by Swedish researchers. They found that patients who increased and sustained their exercise in the six months after their stroke were functioning better than those who didn’t. “People who have experienced a stroke can gain functional benefits by increasing physical activity, regardless of stroke severity,” said lead researcher Dr. Dongni Buvarp of the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the University of Gothenburg. Men and patients with normal mental abilities were more likely to maintain a steady exercise regimen, regardless of the severity of their stroke, the study found. These findings may spur ways to target people whose physical activity drops in the wake of a stroke, Buvarp said. “This would allow an improvement of functional outcome after stroke,” she said. At least four hours a week of light exercise is the ideal to shoot for after a stroke, Buvarp said. Activities can include riding a bike or walking, gardening, fishing, table tennis or bowling, she suggested. “Engaging in physical activity can enhance both brain and body capacity to aid in stroke recovery,” Buvarp said. “Physical activity promotes brain plasticity and also improves recovery at the cellular level.” She noted that an active lifestyle can boost stroke patients’ mobility and reduce their risk of falls, depression and heart…  read on >  read on >

Patients who’ve had surgery should ease back into movement and exercise. These efforts may be small, but they’re better than nothing, according to one surgeon who emphasized the importance of listening to your body. “The most important thing is patient comfort. After surgery, there is often this apprehension of, ‘If I move or do something, I will hurt or damage the area where I had surgery,’” said Dr. Adil Ahmed, an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “We must counsel patients pre-op and post-op, telling them what is safe to do in terms of physical activity because they should be mobile.” Start by doing small tasks after surgery. For shoulder replacement patients in a sling and with limited mobility for four weeks, move your fingers, open and close your hands, squeeze a stress ball and flex and extend the wrist and elbow, Ahmed suggested. This can keep the joints from getting stiff and prevent swelling. “In those first four weeks, you’re doing very gentle, rotational motions because you want everything to heal, and then you progress in therapy and remove those restrictions,” he said in a Baylor news release. “Once your motion begins to improve, you begin strengthening.” If your arm is in a sling, just focus on getting out of bed on your own, going…  read on >  read on >