Joggers May Have Winning Health Benefits
A new study, published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that regular jogging or any consistent aerobic exercise during middle age and older may help improve health and increase longevity.

The study followed two groups, runners and non runners, over two decades starting in 1984.  Dr. Eliza F. Chakravarty, an immunologist and rheumatologist at Stanford University School of Medicine, along with her research team, studied 538 people aged 50 and older who ran regularly, along with a control group of 423 people who never ran. 
Results showed the “runner” group had improved exercise capacity, better cardiovascular fitness, increased bone mass, and improved thinking, learning and memory.  They also lived longer. 

The study also found that the health benefits continued as running ceased or decreased.  As some participants discontinued running and took up other activities, the health benefits from running or jogging endured.  According to Chakravarty, “although the study focused on runners, the benefits appear to accrue from any intense aerobic exercise.”  The study also found no significant difference between the joint conditions of runners vs. non runners.  Results of this study suggest it’s never too late to start an exercise program. 

Source: Time, August 12, 2008, Archives of Internal Medicine, August 2008

New Study Finds Weight Loss May Be Associated with Bone Loss
A new study, published in the journal of the American College of Nutrition suggests that changes in bone metabolism may continue after weight loss stops.  In the study, 37 obese adults aged 50 and older followed a very low-calorie diet for three months.  The participants were then tracked for nine months where they increased calorie intake to a level sufficient for weight maintenance.

Researchers found that even after the dieters stopped losing weight and entered the "weight maintenance" phase, changes in bone turnover remained.  Research has shown that even moderate weight loss can cause a disruption in this balance, leading to a loss of bone mass.  In the current study, researchers found that the balance was restored when weight loss stopped.  However, the overall rate of bone turnover increased during weight loss, and persisted once their weight was stabilized.

"Accelerated bone remodeling is thought to be an independent risk factor for bone fracture," stated lead researcher, Dr. Pamela Hinton, associate professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Missouri in Columbia.  However, Hinton also noted that long-term studies were still needed to see how weight loss affects actual bone density and fracture risk.  Some evidence suggests that high calcium intake, 1,500 to 1,800 milligrams per day, slows bone loss and adverse effects on bone turnover as weight is lost.

Source: Reuters Health, August 7, 2008, American College of Nutrition, 2008
 
Could All U.S. Adults Be Overweight in 40 Years?
The answer is yes, according to a new government funded study published in the journal Obesity.  The study was based on government survey data collected between the 1970s and 2004.  Presently, two-thirds of the population is overweight and according to the study, if the trends found during the past three decades continue, theoretically all U.S. adults could be at least mildly overweight by the year 2048.  "Genetically and physiologically, it should be impossible" for all U.S. adults to become overweight despite predictions from the current study, said Dr. Lan Liang of the federal government's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, one of the researchers on the study. 

Some groups of U.S. adults have even higher rates of overweight and obesity, such as African American women where 78 percent are overweight or obese, researchers say.  The study projects that African Americans and Mexican Americans will be most affected if this trend continues.  Consumers should expect healthcare costs to expand in direct relation to expanding waistlines.  Liang and her colleagues used census data and current healthcare costs related to excess weight gain to predict healthcare costs in the coming years.  They estimate that healthcare costs directly related to increasing weight gain should double in each coming decade to reach $957 billion in the year 2030.
 
The findings only highlight the need for interventions in the way of lifestyle changes and education.  “Simply telling people to eat less and exercise more is not enough,” said Liang.  “Broader social changes are needed as well, such as making communities more pedestrian-friendly so that people can walk regularly, or getting the food industry to offer healthier, calorie-conscious choices.”  Visit the Calorie Control Council’s website at www.caloriecontrol.org for more information on calorie conscious food choices and physical activity information. 

Source: Reuters Health, August 6, 2008, Obesity, July 2008

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