Feeling burned out? The contributors could be more related to depression than you think
April 29, 2020
Science Daily/Medical University of South Carolina
Researchers found that similar factors cause both medical intern burnout and depression. These findings can be used to identify and treat burnout as well as mitigate the risk of burnout by modifying workplace factors.
An article published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine looks at the relationship between burnout and depressive symptoms in medical interns.
The article is authored by Constance Guille, M.D., an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina, and Lisa Rotenstein, M.D., an internal medicine resident at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women's Hospital, among others.
According to Rotenstein, these findings help correct a long-held misconception about burnout and depression.
"There is a long-standing thought that burnout is associated with workplace factors and that depressive symptoms are associated with workplace factors but also heavily influenced by personal factors," explained Rotenstein. "We found that the factors that drive burnout are much more closely related to the factors that drive depressive symptoms than previously realized."
In this study, Rotenstein and Guille uncover that there is substantial overlap between the factors that predict burnout and depressive symptoms. The study surveyed 1,552 medical interns entering residency programs at 68 different institutions about depressive symptoms, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, as well as about potential contributing factors. Depressive symptoms were measured by a standard 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, while emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were measured with a 9-item abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory. Workload and learning environment satisfaction were assessed with a standardized instrument. Personal factors assessed included age, gender, ethnicity, relationship status, sexual orientation, parenting status, specialty, self-reported history of depression, early life stress and neuroticism score.
The study found significant overlap between factors that contribute to depressive symptoms and those that contribute to burnout, with about two-thirds of variance in both depressive symptoms and burnout attributable to personal factors, and one-third of the variance in these measures attributable to workplace factors.
With more than 142 definitions circulating in the literature, the definition of burnout has historically been unclear. This lack of clear definition has led to highly variable rates of burnout being reported among medical interns, residents and attending physicians. In contrast, depressive symptoms are well-defined and have been clinically validated. The results of this study suggest that assessing for depressive symptoms may be a validated, standardized alternative to assessing for burnout among medical personnel. They also underscore that interventions that help address burnout may be effective in addressing depressive symptoms and vice versa. Examples of such interventions include leveraging resources such as scribes to address documentation burdens, time banking for physician service and resources such as childcare to take stress off those physicians with familial obligations.
For Guille, the takeaway message from this study is clear.
"Previous to this work, depression and burnout were conceptualized as separate entities with different factors contributing to these outcomes," explained Guille. "This work suggests there is substantial overlap between both workplace and personal factors that contribute to an increase in both depressive symptoms and burnout."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200429105914.htm
Work-related stress linked to increased risk for peripheral artery disease
April 28, 2020
Science Daily/American Heart Association
People who reported work-related stress were more likely to be hospitalized for peripheral artery disease compared to those who did not report work-related stress, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association. The article appears in a special spotlight issue exploring different aspects of the complex relationships between psychosocial factors and cardiovascular health.
Peripheral artery disease, or PAD, is a cardiovascular disease that occurs when cholesterol or other fatty substances in the blood build up in the blood vessels away from the heart, usually the legs, impeding blood flow. Symptoms often include leg pain while walking. Left untreated, peripheral artery disease increases the likelihood of heart disease and stroke. Worldwide, peripheral artery disease affects more than 200 million people, including more than 8.5 million in the United States. Despite the considerable burden of peripheral artery disease, the evidence on specific risk factors, including potential primary preventive targets, for this disease is scarce, according to researchers.
Work-related stress, or job strain, refers to psychological and social stress at work, often from high expectations combined with lower levels of personal control. Previous studies have linked work-related stress to other forms of atherosclerotic disease; however, few have specifically analyzed its effects on peripheral artery disease. This study focused on the relationship between work-related stress and hospital treatment for peripheral artery disease.
The researchers evaluated the records of 139,000 men and women (36.4% men; average age of study participants range 39-49) participating in 11 separate studies from 1985-2008 in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom. Participants included in the analysis had no previous history of peripheral artery disease when the respective studies began. Individual information for each participant included age, sex, BMI, smoker or nonsmoker, alcohol consumption, physical activity level, diabetes status, socioeconomic position, data on hospitalizations and the questionnaire on work-related stress.
During an average 12.8 years of follow up, 667 people (0.2 to 1.8% of participants) were hospitalized for peripheral artery disease. Researchers found that people with work-related stress were 1.4 times as likely as those without work-related stress to have a record of peripheral artery disease in the hospitalization register, after adjusting for age, sex and lifestyle variables.
"Our findings suggest that work-related stress may be a risk factor for peripheral artery disease in a similar way as it is for heart disease and stroke," said lead study author Katriina Heikkilä, Ph.D., senior researcher at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm.
Stress is associated with increased inflammation and higher blood glucose levels. So, although there is limited evidence linking work-related stress to heart disease, stress could be contributing to complications and exacerbations of peripheral artery disease.
The investigators measured work-related stress based on participants' ratings of statements to describe psychosocial aspects of their job. This information was compared to records on peripheral artery disease hospitalizations across nearly 13 years of hospital records.
Overall, nearly one-fourth of participants with no previous hospitalization for peripheral artery disease reported work-related stress at the beginning of the 11 studies.
Researchers noted increased risk among men, those with high socioeconomic position and smokers, but noted such subgroup analysis was limited by the small number of people with peripheral artery disease.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200428093515.htm
Job insecurity negatively affects your personality
New research shows that experiencing chronic job insecurity can change your personality for the worse
February 26, 2020
Science Daily/RMIT University
Drawing on Cybernetic Big Five Theory, this study proposes that chronic job insecurity is associated with an increase in neuroticism and decreases in agreeableness and conscientiousness.
The study, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, found those exposed to job insecurity over more than four years became less emotionally stable, less agreeable, and less conscientious.
Report co-author Dr Lena Wang from RMIT University's School of Management said the study built on a growing evidence base about the negative consequences of job insecurity.
"Traditionally, we've thought about the short-term consequences of job insecurity -- that it hurts your well-being, physical health, sense of self-esteem," Wang said.
"But now we are looking at how that actually changes who you are as a person over time, a long-term consequence that you may not even be aware of."
The study used nationally representative data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey in relation to answers about job security and personality for 1,046 employees over a nine-year period.
It applied a well-established personality framework known as the Big Five, which categorises human personality into five broad traits: emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion and openness.
The study results showed that long-term job insecurity negatively affected the first three traits, which relate to a person's tendency to reliably achieve goals, get along with others, and cope with stress.
Wang said the results went against some assumptions about job insecurity.
"Some might believe that insecure work increases productivity because workers will work harder to keep their jobs, but our research suggests this may not be the case if job insecurity persists," Wang said.
"We found that those chronically exposed to job insecurity are in fact more likely to withdraw their effort and shy away from building strong, positive working relationships, which can undermine their productivity in the long run."
Previous research has shown that insecure work -- including labour hire practices, contract and casual work, and underemployment -- is on the rise in Australia and globally.
The HILDA data drew on responses from employees from a broad cross-section of professions and jobs, who were asked about how secure they perceived their jobs to be.
Study lead author Professor Chia-Huei Wu from Leeds University Business School said types of job insecurity might include short-term contracts or casual work, jobs threatened by automation, and positions that could be in line for a redundancy.
Importantly, said Wu, there are ways that employers can support workers who are feeling worried about their jobs.
"This is as much about perceived job insecurity as actual insecure contracts," Wu said.
"Some people simply feel daunted by the changing nature of their roles or fear they'll be replaced by automation.
"But while some existing jobs can be replaced by automation, new jobs will be created.
"So employers have the ability to reduce that perception, for example by investing in professional development, skills and training, or by giving career guidance."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200226151958.htm
Mindfulness combined with hypnotherapy aids highly stressed people
'Novel intervention' may be as effective -- or more so -- as existing treatments
June 15, 2020
Science Daily/Baylor University
A new treatment for stress which combines mindfulness with hypnotherapy has shown positive results in a Baylor University pilot study.
The intervention is called "mindful hypnotherapy."
"Mindfulness is a type of meditation that involves focusing attention on present moment awareness. It can help people cope with stress, but can require months of practice and training," said researcher Gary Elkins, Ph.D., director of the Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory at Baylor University. "Hypnosis also involves focusing attention, but it includes mental imagery, relaxation and suggestions for symptom reduction."
Hypnosis interventions are typically brief and have been used in pain and symptom management in clinical practice.
The study's basic premise is that using hypnosis to deliver mindfulness goals could have many advantages, Elkins said.
"Combining mindfulness and hypnotherapy in a single session is a novel intervention that may be equal to or better than existing treatments, with the advantage of being more time-effective, less daunting and easier to use," he said. "This could be a valuable option for treating anxiety and stress reduction."
As a brief intervention, mindful therapy could be widely disseminated and is an innovative new mind-body therapy, he said.
The study is published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.
Elkins noted that while mindfulness by itself can be an effective treatment for stress and anxiety for some people, it typically is provided in eight weekly sessions that last two hours or more each week and include an all-day retreat of eight or more hours. That amount of time -- more than 24 therapy hours -- may be a burden in cost and time for some people. Also, research has not shown that mindfulness-based treatments are consistently superior to standard cognitive behavioral therapy, he said.
For the study of mindful hypnotherapy, the Baylor research team recruited 42 individuals with self-reported high stress. Half took part in an intervention of one-hour weekly individual sessions that included hypnosis inductions and suggestions for greater mindfulness. Participants also were given self-hypnosis audio recordings lasting about 20 minutes, each with suggestions for a hypnotic induction, relaxation and greater mindfulness.
The second group did not take part in the intervention.
Intervention material focused on present-moment awareness, nonjudgmental awareness of the five senses, nonjudgmental awareness of thoughts and feelings, self-hypnosis, compassion for self and others, awareness of personal values and meaning in life and transition to long-term practice of mindful hypnotherapy, Elkins said.
At study's end, the intervention group reported a large decrease in stress and a significant increase in mindfulness. Most were highly satisfied with the number of sessions, the ease of home practice and the clarity of content, Elkins said. The average participant practiced almost every day, and overall satisfaction with the intervention was 8.9 on a scale of 10.
In comparison, those who did not participate in the intervention reported no significant difference between pre- and post-study stress level.
A limitation of the study was its small sample size, Elkins said. Future studies of a larger number of people could be of value, as well as testing mindful hypnotherapy for such concerns as anxiety, depression or chronic pain, he said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200615184150.htm
Mindfulness improves decision-making, attention in
June 3, 2020
Science Daily/Rutgers University
School-based mindfulness programs can improve decision-making skills and teach children with autism to focus attention and react less impulsively through breathing exercises that will allow them to reduce anxiety, according to Rutgers researchers.
The study, published in the journal Research in Developmental Disabilities, is the first to examine the effectiveness of a school-based mindfulness program that emphasizes self-awareness and controlled breathing in children on the autism spectrum.
Mindfulness practice trains people to focus their attention on awareness of the present moment. In neurotypical children, it has been shown to improve decision-making skills and to be effective in reducing anxiety, a common condition in the one in 68 children nationwide diagnosed with autism.
The researchers administered an eight-week mindfulness program to 27 high-functioning students with autism ages 10 to 17 at Newmark, a private school for children with special needs in New Jersey. Students were introduced to the basic tenets of mindfulness, then taught specific practices such as mindful breathing or focusing attention on the body, thoughts and emotions.
The students were tested on their impulse control, attention and decision-making before and after the program. "We found that the children improved their executive functions like controlling emotions, maintaining self-control, focusing attention and being flexible in changing their perspectives," said lead investigator Helen Genova, a research assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and director of the Social Cognition and Neuroscience Laboratory at Kessler Foundation. "As in previous studies on school-based mindfulness programs and typically functioning children, we found that the practice taught the students to take a moment to stop and breathe. This reduced impulsiveness and allowed them to make better decisions."
Regina Peter, co-executive director of Newmark, said the school promotes mindfulness every morning and before tests and competitions. "Practicing mindfulness teaches our students the important skill of treating the moment as something that needs to be attended to and to let everything else go," she said. "The wonderful thing about mindfulness is that it is a tool they can take out when they need it. It is not a medication with side effects, and it's free."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200603100501.htm
Mindfulness training shows promise for people with MS
Study shows benefits for emotions, processing speed
May 18, 2020
Science Daily/Ohio State University
New research suggests mindfulness training may help multiple sclerosis patients in two very different ways: regulating negative emotions and improving processing speed.
People with MS who underwent the four-week mindfulness training not only improved more compared to those who did nothing -- they also improved compared to those who tried another treatment, called adaptive cognitive training.
"This was a small pilot study, so we need to replicate the results, but these findings were very encouraging," said Ruchika Prakash, corresponding author of the research and associate professor of psychology at The Ohio State University.
"It is exciting to find a treatment that may be helpful in more than one way for people with multiple sclerosis."
The findings were published recently in two journal articles: primary results in Rehabilitation Psychology, and secondary analysis in Neuropsychology.
Multiple sclerosis is the most common neurological disease in young adults and is estimated to affect nearly 1 million people in the United States. It damages the central nervous system and can lead to a variety of physical, emotional and cognitive problems.
The study involved 61 people with MS who were placed in one of three groups: four-week mindfulness training, four-week adaptive cognitive training, or a waitlist control group that did nothing during the study period, but received treatment afterward.
Mindfulness-based training involves practicing paying attention to the present moment in a nonjudgmental and accepting manner, Prakash said. Among the practices in the sessions, participants learned how to focus on the breath and to do mental "body scans" to experience how their body was feeling.
In the primary analysis of the study, led by former doctoral student Brittney Schirda, the researchers wanted to find out if mindfulness training helped multiple sclerosis patients deal with a common component of the disease: problems regulating their emotions.
"Studies suggest that 30 to 50 percent of MS patients experience some form of psychiatric disorder," Prakash said. "Anything we can do to help them cope is important for their quality of life."
Study participants completed a measure of emotional regulation at the beginning and end of the study. They were asked how much they agreed with questions like "When I'm upset, I lose control over my behavior" and "I experience my emotions as overwhelming and out of control."
Results showed that people in the mindfulness training group reported they were more able to manage their emotions at the end of the study when compared to those in the other two groups.
This included the group that received adaptive cognitive training (ACT), which has shown promise for MS patients in other studies. This ACT program used computerized games to help MS patients overcome some of their cognitive deficits that make everyday functioning more difficult, such as problems with paying attention, switching focus, and planning and organizing.
"Our results provide promising evidence that mindfulness training can help MS patients deal with their emotions in a more constructive and positive way," Prakash said.
In a secondary analysis of the same study, led by doctoral student Heena Manglani, participants were assessed on their processing speed and working memory, two cognitive functions that often decline in MS patients. They also completed additional measures of cognitive functioning.
Processing speed is the time it takes a person to complete mental tasks and is related to how well they can understand and react to the information they receive.
Findings showed that after four weeks of mindfulness training, MS patients showed significantly improved processing speed based on the tests used in the study -- more so than those in the other two groups.
"This is an exciting finding because processing speed is a core cognitive domain impacted in multiple sclerosis," Prakash said.
"We were somewhat surprised that this training intervention that we thought would mostly impact emotion regulation also enhanced processing speed."
Gains in working memory were similar in all three groups and there were no mindfulness-specific changes in other measures of cognitive functioning.
One of the reasons that mindfulness training is so promising is because it is an easily accessible treatment for all patients.
"Anyone can use mindfulness -- even individuals with limited mobility, who often find other training techniques, like exercise training, to be more challenging," Prakash said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200518144912.htm
Mindfulness program may benefit patients with irritable bowel syndrome
April 8, 2020
Science Daily/Wiley
Adults with irritable bowel syndrome experienced fewer gastrointestinal symptoms after they participated in a mindfulness program meant to reduce stress. Results of the study are published in Neurogastroenterology & Motility.
In the study, 53 women and 15 men with irritable bowel syndrome participated in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction class.
Most participants experienced significant improvements from pre-treatment to 3 months follow up regarding gastrointestinal symptoms, quality of life, and anxiety related to gastrointestinal symptoms. Although increases in 3 of the 5 measured facets of mindfulness were found, increases in the ability to stay in the present moment and act with awareness seemed especially important.
"This study shows that people with irritable bowel syndrome can have significant improvements in their symptoms and quality of life without medication or diet change, just by participating in a mindfulness based stress reduction class," said senior author Kirsten Tillisch, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles. "Further, it implicates a specific aspect of mindfulness as particularly important: acting with awareness. It appears that by improving this moment to moment awareness in their daily actions, people with irritable bowel syndrome feel better, possibly because this mindful activity in the present moment keeps the brain from going back to old fears or worries."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200408085521.htm
Music intervention and mindfulness reduces the effect of mental fatigue
March 6, 2020
Science Daily/University of Southern Denmark Faculty of Health Sciences
A new study demonstrates that just 12 minutes of binaural beats and 4 weeks of mindfulness training are effective recovery strategies to counteract the negative effects of mental fatigue on sustained attention.
Mental fatigue is a psychobiological state caused by prolonged periods of demanding cognitive activity which results in slower reaction times and attention deficits. It affects the ability to focus and impacts the capacity to make optimal decisions during a given task. Mental fatigue is often responsible for accidents in traffic or the workplace and can lead to poor study efficiency. We know that mindfulness has been shown to have a positive effect on stress-coping and cognitive performance. There is also cumulating evidence suggesting that listening to binaural beats may increase sustained attention. Binaural beats is an auditory illusion which has been framed as a class of cognitive and neural entrainment (Kirk et al., 2019). Even though there are different tones of different frequency (165Hz in the left and 179 Hz in the right) presented in each ear the participant will hear one tone, which is the amalgamated difference between the two tones (beta range of 14 Hz).
In a new study, Johanne L. Axelsen (SDU), Ulrich Kirk (SDU) and Walter Staiano (University of Valencia) tests the efficacy of binaural beats compared to mindfulness as a cognitive recovery strategy to counteract the negative effect of mental fatigue on sustained attention. The study also tests whether the mindfulness interventions will show an effect for the on-the-spot novice group or for the experienced mindfulness group, who have practiced mindfulness for 4 weeks in an online-based mindfulness program through the app Headspace.
There were five phases of the study, in the initial phase the participants' mood were assessed (BRUMS) and they completed a sustained attention task to measure their mind wandering (SART). The second phase consisted of the mental fatigue treatment for 90 minutes (AX-CPT). Immediately afterwards, the participants' mood was assessed again, and the two on-the-spot interventions followed: either listening to a guided mindfulness meditation track for 12 min. or an audio track (with binaural beats) for 12 min. The control group was asked to relax for 12 min. After this the effects of the interventions were tested using the sustained attention task.
The results showed that there was indeed an effect of on-the-spot binaural beats on sustained attention while in a state of experimentally induced mental fatigue. Interestingly, the experienced mindfulness group performed significantly better than the rest of the groups on the sustained attention task already before the mental fatigue was induced. Furthermore, the group's performance was better than that of the novice mindfulness group and the control group after the mental fatigue was induced.
The results, and results from previous work by Kirk et al. (2019), indicate that binaural beats may help suppress mind-wandering and sharpening of attentional focus, which in turn reduces the negative effect of mental fatigue. The individual might feel more relaxed and less affected by mental fatigue after listening to the music.
The same goes for the experienced mindfulness group, their mindfulness training already showed on the first task where they performed better than the rest of the groups. This could indicate that practicing mindfulness helps you focus on the task at hand and is effective in offering strategies to handling stressful situations and economizing of mental energy.
Therefore, the study demonstrates that just 12 minutes of binaural beats and 4 weeks of mindfulness training were effective recovery strategies to counteract the negative effects of mental fatigue on sustained attention.
The researchers are currently investigating whether listening to binaural beats for a longer period or practicing mindfulness will improve stressed individuals' heart rate variability (HRV) and if this has an effect on performance in specific cognitive tasks.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200306122509.htm
Exercise can slow or prevent vision loss
July 1, 2020
Science Daily/University of Virginia Health System
Exercise can slow or prevent the development of macular degeneration and may benefit other common causes of vision loss, such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, new research suggests.
The new study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine found that exercise reduced the harmful overgrowth of blood vessels in the eyes of lab mice by up to 45%. This tangle of blood vessels is a key contributor to macular degeneration and several other eye diseases.
The study represents the first experimental evidence showing that exercise can reduce the severity of macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss, the scientists report. Ten million Americans are estimated to have the condition.
"There has long been a question about whether maintaining a healthy lifestyle can delay or prevent the development of macular degeneration. The way that question has historically been answered has been by taking surveys of people, asking them what they are eating and how much exercise they are performing," said researcher Bradley Gelfand, PhD, of UVA's Center for Advanced Vision Science. "That is basically the most sophisticated study that has been done. The problem with that is that people are notoriously bad self-reporters ... and that can lead to conclusions that may or not be true. This [study] offers hard evidence from the lab for very first time."
The Benefits of Exercise
Enticingly, the research found that the bar for receiving the benefits from exercise was relatively low -- more exercise didn't mean more benefit. "Mice are kind of like people in that they will do a spectrum of exercise. As long as they had a wheel and ran on it, there was a benefit," Gelfand said. "The benefit that they obtained is saturated at low levels of exercise."
An initial test comparing mice that voluntarily exercised versus those that did not found that exercise reduced the blood vessel overgrowth by 45%. A second test, to confirm the findings, found a reduction of 32%.
The scientists aren't certain exactly how exercise is preventing the blood vessel overgrowth. There could be a variety of factors at play, they say, including increased blood flow to the eyes.
Gelfand, of UVA's Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Biomedical Engineering, noted that the onset of vision loss is often associated with a decrease in exercise. "It is fairly well known that as people's eyes and vision deteriorate, their tendency to engage in physical activity also goes down," he said. "It can be a challenging thing to study in older people. ... How much of that is one causing the other?"
The researchers already have submitted grant proposals in hopes of obtaining funding to pursue their findings further.
"The next step is to look at how and why this happens, and to see if we can develop a pill or method that will give you the benefits of exercise without having to exercise," Gelfand said. "We're talking about a fairly elderly population [of people with macular degeneration], many of whom may not be capable of conducting the type of exercise regimen that may be required to see some kind of benefit." (He urged people to consult their doctors before beginning any aggressive exercise program.)
Gelfand, a self-described couch potato, disclosed a secret motivation for the research: "One reason I wanted to do this study was sort of selfish. I was hoping to find some reason not to exercise," he joked. "It turned out exercise really is good for you."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200701100025.htm
Study finds exercise increases benefits of breast milk for babies
Even moderate exercise increases compound that reduces risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity
June 29, 2020
Science Daily/Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
A new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine finds even moderate exercise during pregnancy increases a compound in breast milk that reduces a baby's lifelong risks of serious health issues such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
Findings from the study published online today in the journal Nature Metabolism.
"We've done studies in the past that have shown that maternal exercise improves the health of offspring, but in this study, we wanted to begin to answer the question of why," said Kristin Stanford, a researcher at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center's Diabetes and Metabolism Research Center and lead author of the study. "Because there is evidence that breast milk plays a major role, we wanted to isolate the effects of breast milk on offspring health."
To do that, Stanford and her team -- including researchers at the University of California, San Diego, Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, and the Joslin Diabetes Center -- studied mice born from sedentary mothers and fed them milk from mothers who were active throughout pregnancy. They found that the health benefits from fit moms transferred to the pups, proving that they were, in fact, passed through breast milk and not simply inherited genetic traits.
Researchers also followed about 150 pregnant and postpartum women using activity trackers and found that those who had more steps per day had an increased amount of a compound known as 3SL in their breast milk, which they believe is responsible for these health benefits.
"The increase in 3SL were not necessarily related to exercise intensity, so even moderate exercise like a daily walk is enough to reap the benefits," said Stanford, an associate professor of physiology and cell biology at Ohio State's Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute. "Exercise is also great for your overall health during and after pregnancy, so anything you can do to get moving is going to benefit both you and your baby."
Because many women are unable to breastfeed or experience complications that require bed rest, researchers are examining if they can isolate this beneficial compound found in the breast milk of active moms and add it to infant formula.
"This human milk oligosaccharide had a significant impact on offspring healthy. Being able to add this into formula could provide benefits for babies when women aren't able to breastfeed," Stanford said.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200629120220.htm
Lifting weights makes your nervous system stronger, too
The first few weeks of weightlifting strengthen the reticulospinal tract, not muscles
June 29, 2020
Science Daily/Society for Neuroscience
Gym-goers may get frustrated when they don't see results from weightlifting right away, but their efforts are not in vain: the first few weeks of training strengthen the nervous system, not muscles. New research published in JNeurosci reveals how.
The brain orchestrates movement via two major neural highways descending to the spinal cord: the corticospinal tract (CST) and reticulospinal tract (RST). The CST is thought to be the dominant pathway, with the RST controlling posture. However, the CST does not change during strength training, so increased strength must stem from the more primitive RST.
Glover and Baker trained monkeys to pull a weighted handle using one arm, with the weight gradually increasing over twelve weeks. Each day, the scientists stimulated the motor cortex and the two motor tracts, measuring the resulting electrical activity in the arm muscles. Over the course of the training regimen, the electrical response from stimulating the cortex and RST increased -- a sign of strengthened signaling. After three more months of strength training, stimulating the RST elicited a greater response in the side of the spinal cord connected to the trained arm. Outputs from the reticulospinal tract become more powerful during weight training and could be the driving force behind increases in strength.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200629132104.htm
The death marker protein cleans up your muscles after exercise
May 28, 2020
Science Daily/Faculty of Science - University of Copenhagen
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen's Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports have demonstrated that physical activity prompts a clean-up of muscles as the protein Ubiquitin tags onto worn-out proteins, causing them to be degraded. This prevents the accumulation of damaged proteins and helps keep muscles healthy.
Physical activity benefits health in many ways, including the building and maintenance of healthy muscles, which are important for our ability to move about normally, as well as to fulfill the vital role of regulating metabolism. As most of the carbohydrate that we eat is stored in muscle, our muscles are extremely important for regulating metabolism.
An intense bike ride boosts Ubiquitin activity
Maintaining muscular function is essential. Part of our ability to do so depends upon proteins -- the building blocks of muscles -- being degraded when worn-out and eliminated in a kind of clean up process that allows them to be replaced by freshly synthesized proteins.
Now, Danish researchers -- in collaboration with research colleagues at the University of Sydney, Australia -- have demonstrated that a single, intense, roughly 10-minute bicycle ride results in a significant increase in the activity of Ubiquitin, the 'death marker protein' and a subsequent intensification of the targeting and removal of worn-out proteins in muscles. This paves the way for an eventual build-up of new proteins:
"Muscles eliminate worn-out proteins in several ways," explains Professor Erik Richter of the Section for Molecular Physiology at UCPH's Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports. He continues:
"One of these methods is when Ubiquitin, "the death-marker," tags a protein in question. Ubiquitin itself is a small protein. It attaches itself to the amino acid Lysine on worn-out proteins, after which the protein is transported to a Proteasome, which is a structure that gobbles up proteins and spits them out as amino acids. These amino acids can then be reused in the synthesis of new proteins. As such, Ubiquitin contributes to a very sustainable circulation of the body's proteins."
Why physical activity is healthy
While extensive knowledge has been accumulated about how muscles regulate the build-up of new proteins during physical training, much less is known about how muscle contractions and exercise serve to significantly clean-up worn-out proteins. According to Professor Bente Kiens, another project participant: "The important role of Ubiquitin for 'cleaning-up' worn-out proteins in connection with muscular activity was not fully appreciated. Now we know that physical activity increases Ubiquitin tagging on worn-out proteins."
Professor Jørgen Wojtaszewski, a third Danish project participant, explains that their findings serve to strengthen the entire foundation for the effect of physical activity: "Basically, it explains part of the reason why physical activity is healthy. The beauty is that muscle use, in and of itself , is what initiates the processes that keep muscles 'up to date', healthy and functional."
There remains a great amount of knowledge that would be interesting to delve deeper into, as very little is known about how different training regimens, gender, diet and genetic background impact the process and thus, the possibility of influencing optimal muscle function.
About the study:
Six healthy, untrained men ages 26-28 years-old completed an 8-11 minute training session on an exercise bike. Blood tests and muscle biopsies were taken prior to and upon the completion of their training session. Thereafter, the muscle biopsies were studied using mass spectrometry, which demonstrated how Ubiquitin was used on a large scale to clean up damaged proteins.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200528082552.htm
Molecular effects of exercise detailed
May 28, 2020
Science Daily/Stanford Medicine
A simple blood test may be able to determine how physically fit you are, according to a new study conducted by scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
The test could complement treadmill tests, a more traditional clinical evaluation of fitness, and provide individuals with far more nuanced information about their body's molecular response to exercise.
The blood test is an offshoot of a complex study conducted by a team of researchers that took hundreds of thousands of molecular measurements from a group of individuals before and after exercising.
"Everybody knows exercise is good for you, but we really don't know what drives that at a molecular level," said Michael Snyder, PhD, professor and chair of genetics. "Our goal at the outset was to conduct a highly comprehensive analysis of what's happening in the body just after exercising."
The team tracked molecular markers of a wide array of biological processes, such as metabolism, immunity, oxidative stress and cardiovascular function. Hundreds of thousands of measurements from 36 study participants provided a window into the sea of chemical fluctuations the body experiences during intense exercise. To the scientists' knowledge, such comprehensive measurements of post-exercise molecular fluctuations have never been performed. What's more, the team saw that the participants who were most physically fit shared similar molecular signatures in their resting blood samples captured before exercise.
"It gave us the idea that we could develop a test to predict someone's level of fitness," said Kévin Contrepois, PhD, director of metabolomics and lipidomics in the Department of Genetics. "Aerobic fitness is one of the best measures of longevity, so a simple blood test that can provide that information would be valuable to personal health monitoring."
With the preliminary data, the team has created a proof-of-principle test, for which they've filed a patent application. The test is not currently available to the public.
A paper describing the study will be published May 28 in Cell. Snyder, who holds the Stanford W. Ascherman, MD, FACS, Professorship in Genetics, and Francois Haddad, MD, clinical professor of medicine, are co-senior authors of the study. Contrepois shares lead authorship with postdoctoral scholars Si Wu, PhD, and Daniel Hornburg, PhD, and with clinical assistant professor Kegan Moneghetti, MD, PhD.
A flurry of change
Snyder's team set out to better understand the molecular shifts that underlie changes in physical fitness. The gold standard of medical fitness assessments is a peak VO2 test, which measures a person's peak oxygen consumption during intense exercise and uses the score as a proxy for aerobic fitness. But Snyder and his team wanted more detail -- specifically, about the ways in which exercise initiates change at the molecular level.
They performed VO2 testing for 36 individuals, including Snyder, on a treadmill. Participants, both male and female, had an average body mass index of 29 kilograms/meter squared, and their age range was from 40 to 75 years old. Before the treadmill test, the researchers drew a baseline blood sample. Participants then donned an oxygen-measuring mask and ran at a slight incline until they reached peak oxygen consumption, at which point they stopped and got off the treadmill. The researchers took blood samples from participants 2 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 60 minutes after they had reached their peaks.
"All of these measurements allow us to describe a choreography of molecular events that occur after physical exercise," Snyder said. "We know that exercise causes an array of physiological responses, such as inflammation, metabolism and hormone fluctuation, but these measurements allowed us to characterize those changes in unprecedented detail."
It turns out that in the first two minutes post-exercise, the body experiences an intense flurry of molecular activity. In most participants, molecular markers of inflammation, tissue healing and oxidative stress, a natural byproduct of metabolism, spiked sharply shortly after hopping off the treadmill, as their bodies began to recover. Molecular markers of metabolism varied, Snyder said. At 2 minutes, blood samples revealed evidence that the body was metabolizing certain amino acids for energy, but it switched to metabolizing glucose, a type of sugar, around 15 minutes. "The body breaks down glycogen as part of its exercise recovery response, so that's why we see that spike a little later," Snyder said. Glycogen is a form of stored glucose.
As part of the study, Snyder also compared the molecular response in individuals who were insulin resistant, meaning they're unable to process glucose properly, with the response in individuals who could process glucose normally. "The main difference we see is that insulin resistant individuals have a dampened immune response post-exercise," he said.
Blood test for fitness
Although it wasn't the team's original intent, they noticed some consistencies in the baseline measurements of the participants who performed better on the peak VO2 test. In these individuals, the researchers saw a strong correlation between a set of molecules and an individual's level of aerobic fitness. They discovered a collection of thousands of molecules -- including markers of immunity, metabolism and muscle activity -- that correlate with a person's aerobic fitness. "At this point, we don't fully understand the connection between some of these markers and how they are related to better fitness," Snyder said. The researchers hope to unravel those connections in a future investigation.
Snyder said that because the molecular profiling done in the study was so thorough, it wouldn't be practical for doctors to use in their clinics; it would be expensive and provide more information than necessary. But his team is working on whittling down the biomarkers to those that are most representative of a person's fitness level in an effort to make the test practical for broader use. Already, the team is developing an algorithm to select a subset of these molecules that are highly correlative to peak VO2 results, Contrepois said. As the researchers continue to optimize the fitness test, they hope it can one day be a faster, cheaper and more convenient way for people to objectively measure aerobic fitness.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200528115826.htm
Replacing time spent sitting with sleep or light activity may improve your mood
May 20, 2020
Science Daily/Iowa State University
Moving more and sitting less was a challenge for many of us, even before states started issuing stay-at-home orders. Despite disruptions to our daily work and exercise routines, there are some subtle changes we can make at home to help improve our mental health.
New research, published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that substituting prolonged sedentary time with sleep was associated with lower stress, better mood and lower body mass index (BMI), and substituting light physical activity was associated with improved mood and lower BMI across the next year. Jacob Meyer, lead author and assistant professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University, says light activity can include walking around your home office while talking on the phone or standing while preparing dinner.
"People may not even think about some of these activities as physical activity," Meyer said. "Light activity is much lower intensity than going to the gym or walking to work, but taking these steps to break up long periods of sitting may have an impact."
Meyer and colleagues used data collected as part of the Energy Balance Study at the University of South Carolina. For 10 days, study participants, ranging in age from 21 to 35, wore an armband that tracked their energy expenditure. Meyer, director of the Wellbeing and Exercise Lab at Iowa State, says the data allowed researchers to objectively measure sleep, physical activity and sedentary time, rather than relying on self-reports.
In addition to the benefits of sleep and light physical activity, the researchers found moderate to vigorous activity was associated with lower body fat and BMI. Given the negative health effects of prolonged sedentary time, Meyer says the findings may encourage people to make small changes that are sustainable.
"It may be easier for people to change their behavior if they feel it's doable and doesn't require a major change," Meyer said. "Replacing sedentary time with housework or other light activities is something they may be able to do more consistently than going for an hour-long run."
Getting more sleep is another relatively simple change to make. Instead of staying up late watching TV, going to bed earlier and getting up at a consistent time provides multiple benefits and allows your body to recover, Meyer said. Sleeping is also unique in that it is time you're not engaging in other potentially problematic behaviors, such as eating junk food while sitting in front of a screen.
Something we can control
Making these subtle changes was associated with better current mood, but light physical activity also provided benefits for up to a year, the study found. While the research was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Meyer says the results are timely given the growing mental health concerns during this time of physical distancing.
"With everything happening right now, this is one thing we can control or manage and it has the potential to help our mental health," Meyer said.
As states start to ease stay-at-home restrictions, Meyer is looking at changes in physical activity and sitting time with potentially interesting results for those who regularly worked out prior to the pandemic. Preliminary data from a separate study show a 32% reduction in physical activity. The question he and colleagues hope to answer is how current changes in activity interact with mental health and how our behaviors will continue to change over time.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200520124958.htm
Exercise improves memory, boosts blood flow to brain
Study: 1-year workout program shows benefits for older people at risk of dementia
May 20, 2020
Science Daily/UT Southwestern Medical Center
Scientists have collected plenty of evidence linking exercise to brain health, with some research suggesting fitness may even improve memory. But what happens during exercise to trigger these benefits? New UT Southwestern research that mapped brain changes after one year of aerobic workouts has uncovered a potentially critical process: Exercise boosts blood flow into two key regions of the brain associated with memory. Notably, the study showed this blood flow can help even older people with memory issues improve cognition, a finding that scientists say could guide future Alzheimer's disease research.
"Perhaps we can one day develop a drug or procedure that safely targets blood flow into these brain regions," says Binu Thomas, Ph.D., a UT Southwestern senior research scientist in neuroimaging. "But we're just getting started with exploring the right combination of strategies to help prevent or delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. There's much more to understand about the brain and aging."
Blood flow and memory
The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, documented changes in long-term memory and cerebral blood flow in 30 participants, each of them 60 or older with memory problems. Half of them underwent 12 months of aerobic exercise training; the rest did only stretching.
The exercise group showed 47 percent improvement in memory scores after one year compared with minimal change in the stretch participants. Brain imaging of the exercise group, taken while they were at rest at the beginning and end of the study, showed increased blood flow into the anterior cingulate cortex and the hippocampus -- neural regions that play important roles in memory function.
Other studies have documented benefits for cognitively normal adults on an exercise program, including previous research from Thomas that showed aging athletes have better blood flow into the cortex than sedentary older adults. But the new research is significant because it plots improvement over a longer period in adults at high risk to develop Alzheimer's disease.
"We've shown that even when your memory starts to fade, you can still do something about it by adding aerobic exercise to your lifestyle," Thomas says.
Mounting evidence
The search for dementia interventions is becoming increasingly pressing: More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, and the number is expected to triple by 2050.
Recent research has helped scientists gain a greater understanding of the molecular genesis of the disease, including a 2018 discovery from UT Southwestern's Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute that is guiding efforts to detect the condition before symptoms arise. Yet the billions of dollars spent on researching how to prevent or slow dementia have yielded no proven treatments that would make an early diagnosis actionable for patients.
UT Southwestern scientists are among many teams across the world trying to determine if exercise may be the first such intervention. Evidence is mounting that it could at least play a small role in delaying or reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
For example, a 2018 study showed that people with lower fitness levels experienced faster deterioration of vital nerve fibers in the brain called white matter. A study published last year showed exercise correlated with slower deterioration of the hippocampus.
Regarding the importance of blood flow, Thomas says it may someday be used in combination with other strategies to preserve brain function in people with mild cognitive impairment.
"Cerebral blood flow is a part of the puzzle, and we need to continue piecing it together," Thomas says. "But we've seen enough data to know that starting a fitness program can have lifelong benefits for our brains as well as our hearts."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200520084123.htm
Aerobics may be a smart workout for your brain at any age
May 13, 2020
Science Daily/American Academy of Neurology
It's never too late to lace up some sneakers and work up a sweat for brain health, according to a study published in the May 13, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study suggests older adults, even couch potatoes, may perform better on certain thinking and memory tests after just six months of aerobic exercise.
"As we all find out eventually, we lose a bit mentally and physically as we age. But even if you start an exercise program later in life, the benefit to your brain may be immense," said study author Marc J. Poulin, Ph.D., D.Phil., from the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. "Sure, aerobic exercise gets blood moving through your body. As our study found, it may also get blood moving to your brain, particularly in areas responsible for verbal fluency and executive functions. Our finding may be important, especially for older adults at risk for Alzheimer's and other dementias and brain disease."
The study involved 206 adults who prior to starting the six-month exercise intervention worked out no more than four days per week at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes or less, or no more than two days per week a high intensity for 20 minutes or less per day. They had an average age of 66 and no history of heart or memory problems. Participants were given thinking and memory tests at the start of the study, as well as an ultrasound to measure blood flow in the brain. Physical testing was repeated at three months, and thinking and physical testing repeated at the end of the six months.
Participants were enrolled in a supervised aerobic exercise program held three days a week. As they progressed through the program, they increased their workout from an average of 20 minutes a day to an average of at least 40 minutes. In addition, people were asked to work out on their own once a week.
Researchers found that after six months of exercise, participants improved by 5.7% on tests of executive function, which includes mental flexibility and self-correction. Verbal fluency, which tests how quickly you can retrieve information, increased by 2.4%.
"This change in verbal fluency is what you'd expect to see in someone five years younger," Poulin said.
Before and after six months of aerobic activity, the participants' average peak blood flow to the brain was measured using ultrasound. Blood flow rose from an average of 51.3 centimeters per second (cm/sec) to an average of 52.7 cm/sec, a 2.8% increase. The increase in blood flow with exercise was associated with a number of modest but significant improvements in aspects of thinking that usually decline as we age, Poulin said.
"Our study showed that six months' worth of vigorous exercise may pump blood to regions of the brain that specifically improve your verbal skills as well as memory and mental sharpness," said Poulin. "At a time when these results would be expected to be decreasing due to normal aging, to have these types of increases is exciting."
A limitation of the study was that the people doing the exercise were not compared to a similar group of people who were not exercising, so the results may have been due to other factors, although the researchers tried to control for this by testing participants twice over six months before the start of the program. In addition, some of the exercise was unsupervised, so the amount reported may be unreliable.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200513171130.htm
Exercise boosts motor skill learning via changes in brain's transmitters
Researchers find switch in chemical messaging is key prelude to motor skill acquisition
May 4, 2020
Science Daily/University of California - San Diego
Comparing the brains of mice that exercised with those that did not, researchers found that specific neurotransmitters switched following sustained exercise, leading to improved learning for motor-skill acquisition. Underscoring the critical benefits of exercise, even in a time of a global pandemic, the researchers found that mice that exercised acquired several demanding motor skills such as staying on a rotating rod or crossing a balance beam more rapidly than a non-exercised group.
Doctors have relentlessly impressed upon us the many benefits of exercise. Energy, mood, sleep and motor skills all improve with a regular fitness regimen that includes activities such as running. This has become of particular interest in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But what happens in the brain during these improved states of health? The underlying neurological changes that open the door to these benefits have been unclear.
Now, Assistant Project Scientist Hui-quan Li and Distinguished Professor Nick Spitzer of the University of California San Diego have identified key neurological modifications following sustained exercise. Comparing the brains of mice that exercised with those that did not, Li and Spitzer found that specific neurons switched their chemical signals, called neurotransmitters, following exercise, leading to improved learning for motor-skill acquisition.
"This study provides new insight into how we get good at things that require motor skills and provides information about how these skills are actually learned," said Spitzer, the Atkinson Family Chair in the Biological Sciences Section of Neurobiology and a director of the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind.
The study's results are published May 4 in Nature Communications.
Spitzer's laboratory discovered neurotransmitter switching in the adult mammalian brain and has led groundbreaking research on the ability of neurons to change their transmitter identity in response to sustained stimuli, typically leading to changes in behavior. After carrying out research that described neurotransmitter switching in depression, Spitzer and his colleagues began to turn their attention to how such switching might be involved in healthy conditions.
Li says the results underscore the importance of exercise, even at home during the current pandemic quarantine situation.
"This study shows that it's good for the brain to add more plasticity," said Li. "For people who would like to enhance their motor skill learning, it may be useful to do some exercise to promote this form of plasticity to benefit the brain. For example, if you hope to learn and enjoy challenging sports such as surfing or rock climbing when we're no longer sheltering at home, it can be good to routinely run on a treadmill or maintain a yoga practice at home now."
During the new study, Li and Spitzer compared mice that completed a week's worth of exercise on running wheels with mice that had no access to running wheels. They found that the exercised group acquired several demanding motor skills such as staying on a rotating rod or crossing a balance beam more rapidly than the non-exercised group.
When the brains of the running mice were examined, a group of neurons in the brain region known as the caudal pedunculopontine nucleus (cPPN) that regulates motor coordination was discovered to have switched neurotransmitters from acetylcholine to GABA.
To confirm their findings, the researchers used molecular tools to block the newly identified transmitter switch resulting from exercise. They found that the enhancement of motor skill learning in these mice was prevented. Based on their findings, the researchers propose a new model in which conversion of cPPN excitatory cholinergic neurons to inhibitory GABAergic neurons provides feedback control regulating motor coordination and skill learning.
The researchers say the discovery could lead to further findings where neurotransmitter switching leads to key motor skill changes. The researchers say they'd like to test ideas such as whether neurotransmitters could be deliberately switched to benefit motor skills, even without exercise. They also plan to conduct research on whether exercise similarly triggers benefits of motor skill learning in those with neurological disorders.
"We suggest that neurotransmitter switching provides the basis by which sustained running benefits motor skill learning, presenting a target for clinical treatment of movement disorders," the authors conclude in the paper.
Says Spitzer: "With an understanding of this mechanism comes the opportunity to manipulate and to harness it for further beneficial purposes. In the injured or diseased individual, it could be a way of turning things around... to give the nervous system a further boost."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200504074712.htm
'Make physical activity part of children's routine' during lockdown
April 29, 2020
Science Daily/University of Strathclyde
Parents and carers should ensure that physical activity is part of the routine for children and families during the COVID-19 lockdown, according to an international study involving the University of Strathclyde.
The study, detailed in a comment article published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, covers 15 nations. It found that time spent in places such as parks, beaches and community gardens reduced by nearly a third between the week ending 23 February -- before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a COVID-19 pandemic -- and the week ending 5 April.
Travel by public transport was down by more than half -- 59% -- over the same period.
While these and other restrictions are in keeping with the global effort to halt the spread of COVID-19, the researchers found that they were having the effect of reducing still further what were often already low levels of physical activity in children.
The researchers make a number of recommendations to families, health professionals, teachers and policy-makers on promoting healthy activity, including:
taking the opportunity to go outdoors, while observing distancing regulations
incorporating physical activity into children's daily routines -- supported by use of electronic media -- and breaking up extended sedentary periods every 30 to 60 minutes; families should also be encouraged to join in while observing distancing regulations
keeping children's bedtime and rising time consistent, keeping screens out of the rooms where they sleep and avoiding screen use before bedtime
health professionals recommending current guidelines to parents, family members and caregivers
promotion by governments of healthy movement behaviours in children as part of response strategies and public messages
regular media messages promoting physical activity
Children advocating for their right to a healthy, active life within the COVID-19 restrictions.
Professor John Reilly, of Strathclyde's School of Psychological Sciences & Health, is the sole UK participant in the study.
He said: "The measures against COVID-19 are in place for a very good reason but this reduction in physical activity could be seen as an unintended consequence. Even before the lockdown measures, it was a major problem; our previous research has found that, in Scotland alone, fewer than 20% of children were meeting physical activity guidelines.
"It's important that people make whatever use of their environment they can and take the opportunities they can to keep physical activity going. The vast majority of children have access to outdoor spaces they can still use.
"While we have been fortunate with the weather during lockdown, even screen time can also incorporate activity resources, such as online fitness sessions. Breaks in screen time are also important but one reason physical activity is most needed just now is that school is the place where children most often have it.
"We have found that they are much less active on the non-school days of weekends and holidays; our concern is that they are missing out not only in education but also in activity."
Along with the UK, countries participating in the study were: China; Australia; Chile; South Africa; Morocco; Brazil; Mexico; United States; Russia; Sweden; South Korea; Netherlands, India and Canada.
The study reflects Good Health and Wellbeing, which is among the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The University of Strathclyde is a signatory to the Goals, which the UN has set to pursue justice, peace, good health, responsible use of resources and the eradication of poverty and hunger.
Professor Reilly was also a member of an expert panel which produced WHO guidelines, published in 2019, on childhood physical activity.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200429191851.htm
After a heart attack, physical activity makes you feel better
April 24, 2020
Science Daily/European Society of Cardiology
Heart attack patients who take part in a lifestyle improvement programme feel better -- especially when they do additional physical activity. That's the finding of a large study presented today on ACVC Essentials 4 You, a scientific platform of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
"Exercise improves fitness, which has both physical and mental health benefits," said study author Dr. Ben Hurdus of the University of Leeds, UK. "If you're more able to participate in activities that bring you happiness, then you're more likely to have a better quality of life."
Heart attack patients are typically offered lifestyle classes -- called cardiac rehabilitation -- unless they have a particular reason why it's not suitable for them. Classes include exercise, smoking cessation, advice on diet and stress management, and the importance of taking medications.
This study investigated the impact of those classes on how heart attack patients feel about their physical and mental health (collectively termed 'health-related quality of life'). Heart attacks have a detrimental effect on quality of life, including problems with mobility, self-care, and daily activities which many people take for granted such as work and leisure.
Previous research has shown a link between cardiac rehabilitation and improved quality of life in heart attack patients. However, most of these studies were conducted prior to modern drugs and procedures such as statins to lower 'bad' cholesterol and stents to open clogged arteries.
The EMMACE-3 study recruited 4,570 patients who were admitted to 48 hospitals across England with suspected heart attack in 2011 to 2013. Patients completed a questionnaire while in hospital and then at 1, 6, and 12 months after discharge. Questions included whether they attended cardiac rehabilitation, their perceived quality of life, and their physical activity levels.
Patients who attended cardiac rehabilitation had a higher quality of life at all time points compared to those who did not. Patients who went to cardiac rehabilitation and exercised 150 minutes or more per week had even higher quality of life scores compared to those who did neither.
Dr. Hurdus said: "Cardiac rehabilitation involves not only exercise but also advice on lifestyle and medications which likely all contribute to making people feel better. There are also the added social benefits such as being around other people in a similar situation and having that shared sense of community. People who also do more than the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of activity per week report even higher quality of life."
Professor Chris Gale, senior author from the University of Leeds concluded: "All heart attack patients should be referred for cardiac rehabilitation unless their healthcare professional advises against it. If it isn't discussed, speak to your local healthcare professional to see if is suitable for you."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200424093602.htm
Slow, steady increase in exercise intensity is best for heart health
February 26, 2020
Science Daily/American Heart Association
For most people, the benefits of aerobic exercise far outweigh the risks, however, extreme endurance exercise -- such as participation in marathons and triathlons for people who aren't accustomed to high-intensity exercise -- can raise the risk of sudden cardiac arrest, atrial fibrillation (a heart rhythm disorder) or heart attacks, according to a new Scientific Statement "Exercise-Related Acute Cardiovascular Events and Potential Deleterious Adaptations Following Long-Term Exercise Training: Placing the Risks Into Perspective-An Update from the American Heart Association," published today in the Association's premier journal Circulation.
Aerobic exercises are activities in which the large muscles move in a rhythmic manner for a sustained time. They can be done at low intensity or high intensity and include walking, brisk walking, running, bicycling, swimming and many others.
"Exercise is medicine, and there is no question that moderate to vigorous physical activity is beneficial to overall cardiovascular health. However, like medicine, it is possible to underdose and overdose on exercise -- more is not always better and can lead to cardiac events, particularly when performed by inactive, unfit, individuals with known or undiagnosed heart disease," said Barry A. Franklin, Ph.D., chair of the writing committee for the new Scientific Statement, director of preventive cardiology and cardiac rehabilitation at Beaumont Health in Royal Oak, Michigan, professor of internal medicine at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, Michigan.
"More people are running marathons, participating in triathlons and doing high-intensity interval training. The purpose of this statement is to put the benefits and risks of these vigorous exercise programs in perspective," said Franklin.
After reviewing more than 300 scientific studies, the writing committee found that, for the vast majority of people, the benefits of exercise and improving physical fitness outweigh the risks. Physically active people, such as regular walkers, have up to a 50% lower risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death. However, the committee also identified potential risks with intense exercise training.
The writing group also reviewed a small study that concluded the risk of sudden cardiac death or heart attack is low among people participating in high-intensity exercise such as marathons and triathlons. However, over time, the risk of heart attack or sudden cardiac death among male marathon participants has risen, suggesting that these events are attracting higher risk participants (those who may have an underlying or undiagnosed cardiovascular condition such as heart rhythm abnormalities or a prior heart attack). For women, who comprised only 15% of the study population, the occurrence of sudden cardiac death was 3.5-fold less than in men.
Among participants in triathlons almost 40% of cardiac events occurred in first-time participants, indicating that inadequate training or underlying heart problems may be involved. The writing group also found that:
Half of cardiac events occur in the last mile of a marathon or half-marathon, so maintaining a steady pace rather than sprinting is advised;
The risk of cardiac events is greater at high altitudes, but can be decreased by spending at least one day acclimating to the elevation prior to strenuous activity;; and
Risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common heart arrhythmia that raises the risk of stroke, is beneficially reduced with moderate exercise volumes but is highest in people who are sedentary and almost as high in people who are engaged in very high volumes of exercise training, that is, high-intensity training (such as running 60-80 miles a week).
For people who want to become more active, the Association suggests that most people can start a light program of exercise and build up slowly to a moderate to vigorous exercise regimen without seeing a physician first, unless they have physical symptoms such as chest pain, chest pressure or severe shortness of breath while exercising. "It is important to start exercising -- but go slow, even if you were an athlete in high school," said Franklin.
In addition, people with known heart disease (such as a previous heart attack, bypass surgery or angioplasty) should get their doctor's approval prior to starting an exercise program.
For currently inactive/sedentary people, the Association also suggests checking with your doctor before engaging in any strenuous activities such as shoveling snow or racquet sports, which create rapid increases in heart rate and blood pressure and greatly increase the strain on the heart.
To implement a healthy physical activity program:
Warm up before exercise by doing the planned activity -- such as walking -- at a slower pace to let your heart rate rise gradually;
Walk on a level surface for 6-8 weeks, progressing to walking up hills, jogging or taking part in more vigorous activities as long as no symptoms occur such as shortness of breath, lightheadedness, chest pain or chest pressure;
Increase the amount of time spent on exercise incrementally from five to ten minutes at the beginning and build up slowly to the desired time;
Lower the intensity of your exercise when environmental conditions place a greater strain on the heart, such as high humidity or high altitude to which you are not accustomed;
Cool down after exercise by walking at a slow pace to let your heart rate return to normal; and
Stop and seek medical evaluation if you experience any heart-related symptoms such as lightheadedness, shortness of breath, or chest pain or pressure.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200226072108.htm