Exercise

Is the FDA Negligent?

Over the last twenty years, Americans appetite for prescription drugs has exploded.  One need only to turn on the TV to see ad after ad  suggesting that there is a pill to satisfy any pain, discomfort or ailment that you may encounter.  The message seems to be: “No need to work hard at anything or modify the way you live because we have a pill for it; whatever it is”.  But with the FDA looking out for the public welfare, isn’t that a safe proposition?

Well, let’s look at the facts.  Last year over half a million Americans suffered adverse events due to prescription medications.[1]  Almost 100,000 people die yearly as a result of complications from pharmaceutical drugs.[2]  Read the rest of this entry »

Are You Losing Muscle Mass?

“Normal” aging is typically accompanied by easier weight gain and, along with declining hormones and decreased physical activity can reduce muscle mass, lead to frailty and a higher prevalence of metabolic disorders.  This insidious, age-related loss of muscle mass is called sarcopenia.

In many respects, sarcopenia is to muscle what osteoporosis is to bone.  The typical American gains one pound of fat and loses a half pound of muscle yearly between age 30 and 60.  Deterioration of muscle and loss of muscular strength is a major reason elderly lose mobility and cannot remain living independently.   Read the rest of this entry »

Why Do We Age?

Incredible scientific discoveries that will change the way we look at aging and disease have been unfolding during the early 21^st century.  The secrets for healthy, youthful aging, while clearly influenced by our behavior, appear to be rooted in mechanisms at the molecular level of our cells.  In 1990, the journal Nature published a ground­breaking article based on something called the telomere. It changed forever our under­standing of the aging process.  Last year, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to scientists for their discoveries of the role of telomeres, and the enzyme telomerase, in aging, cancer and chronic diseases.  But are telomeres the whole story? Read the rest of this entry »

Diabetes Can Be Prevented

Over the last 20 years, there has been a frightening increase in the number of Americans that are obese or overweight.  Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), has tracked the rise in obese and overweight adults since 1999.   Using BMI, or Body mass Index, the survey found that 32% of men and 35% of women were classified as obese; having BMI’s exceeding 30.  Read the rest of this entry »

Lifestyle Changes for Fat Loss – Exercise

Starting an exercise program is a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle change.  Granted, this is no major revelation.  Burning more calories than you eat is a fairly obvious recipe for weight loss.  The question then becomes: How should you exercise for maximal fat loss and optimal long term changes in body composition? Read the rest of this entry »

Start Growing Younger

Since the days of Cleopatra and Ponce de León, if not before, people have been seeking the elusive Fountain of Youth. Until recently, such pursuits were the realm of quacks and charlatans. To be sure, there is no shortage of dubious promises and untested remedies to increase longevity that are available for the naïve or ill-informed. But recent scientific discoveries are bringing respectability to the field, unraveling the secrets of aging on a cellular level and looking for ways to slow it down.  It is, afterall, the workings of the cellular machinery that determines the overall health and functioning of the whole person. Read the rest of this entry »

Endurance vs Interval Training

For decades, most experts and public health agencies have advocated moderate intensity, long duration exercise to improve health and maintain body weight.  Despite that, more Americans are overweight or obese than ever.  And, cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of Americans.  Recently the Institutes of Medicine issued new recommendations urging all Americans to increase the duration of their exercise to at least one hour every day. Read the rest of this entry »

Surprising Health Benefits of Sex

I don’t imagine there are very many people who need convincing that sex is a good thing, or that would need coaxing to engage in more sex.  Sex is extremely pleasurable and that should be sufficient reason to vigorously pursue it.  The one caveat is to avoid risky, indiscriminate sex that could potentially create very unhealthy situations, such as STD’s, AIDS or unwanted pregnancies.

What specifically constitutes “good sex”  is as variable as there are different tastes in clothing or food.   There has been quite a bit of study on this topic, though not all of it would pass rigorous scientific scrutiny.   Read the rest of this entry »

Breast Cancer Risk is Influenced by Lifestyle Choices

Diet and Exercise are Cancers’ Adversaries Excluding cancer of the skin, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women.  According to the American Cancer Society’s Surveillance and Health Policy Research, an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the US during 2009; about 1,910 new cases are expected among men.  Read the rest of this entry »

Telomere Testing Revelas a Window to Your Biological Age

Telomeres are the end caps on your chromosomes that protect the genetic material during cell division, ensuring a faithful replication.  Each time the cell divides, the telomere shortens until it reaches a critical lenth signaling cell sensence or cell death.   Recently, this years Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three researchers that spent the last 20 years detailing the role and function of telomeres in aging and potentially in future cancer treatments. Read the rest of this entry »