Physical activity

Diabetes :: Weight Loss Improves Bladder Control in Women with Prediabetes

Losing a modest amount of weight through dietary changes and increased physical activity reduces the occurrence of urinary incontinence (UI) in women with prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet diabetic. This finding comes from a new study, published in the February issue of Diabetes Care, of women who participated in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a landmark clinical study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Diet :: How much fiber does one need?

While the American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes type 2 consume about 25 grams of fiber per day, Dr. Anderson, whose research helped establish fiber’s role in controlling diabetes, suggests a higher intake of as much as 50 grams of dietary fiber per day, derived from a variety of foods and high fiber diet.

Heart Disease :: Having a Sibling with Heart Disease

Having a sibling with a history of cardiovascular disease carries the same or greater risk as having a parent with a history of the disease, according to a new report from the long-standing Framingham Heart Study conducted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Personal risk of having a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease, may be raised by as much as 45 percent in middle-aged people whose brother or sister has had such an event.

Obesity :: Overeating, Low Activity May Raise Lymphoma Risk

People who overeat or who aren’t physically active face a higher risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), a type of cancer involving the body’s lymphatic system, according to a report by Canadian researchers in the American Journal of Epidemiology. “Physical activity, obesity, and (calorie) intake are modifiable lifestyle factors,” Dr. Sai Yi Pan from Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control, Ottawa, told Reuters Health. “Our findings support the adoption of a healthy lifestyle to prevent the development of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.” Pan and colleagues examined the influence of recreational physical activity, obesity, and calorie intake on the risk of NHL using data from Canada’s National Enhanced Cancer Surveillance System. More than 1000 NHL patients and 3000 comparison subjects were involved. Individuals with NHL tended to have higher total calorie intakes and were more likely to be obese than individuals without NHL, the authors report.

Weight Loss :: Lifestyle modification plus medication effective for Weight Loss

A new study shows that treatment with a lifestyle modification program of diet, exercise and behavioral therapy when used in combination with the weight loss medication sibutramine (Meridia?) resulted in significantly greater weight loss among obese adults than treatment with the medication alone.