Car Commuters Gain More Weight

Last Updated: 2013-01-25 15:59:08 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Kathryn Doyle

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People driving to work every day are packing on more pounds than their colleagues on trains, buses and bikes, according to a new study from Australia.

"Even if you are efficiently active during leisure time, if you use a car for commuting daily then that has an impact on weight gain," lead author Takemi Sugiyama of the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne told Reuters Health.

Exercise Tied to Better Colon Cancer Survival Odds

colorectal cancer (Photo credit: istolethetv)

Last Updated: 2013-01-24 14:25:26 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Genevra Pittman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with colon cancer who spend more time walking and fewer hours on the couch are less likely to die over the seven to eight years after being diagnosed, a new study suggests.

The findings don't prove exercise itself boosts a person's survival chances, researchers said. But the pattern held even after the study team took into account how advanced patients' cancers were, their age and other aspects of their diet, lifestyle and health.

Diabetics Underuse Special Footwear

Ulcus bei Diabetes mellitus (Photo credit: rosmary)

Diabetics Found to Underuse Special Footwear

Last Updated: 2013-01-24 13:35:26 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Trevor Stokes

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Diabetic patients too often walk without wearing their custom-made shoes designed to prevent foot sores that can lead to infections and amputations, new research finds.

"It's very important that patients wear prescribed footwear as much as possible," said senior author, Sicco Bus, staff scientist with the Academic Medical Centre at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. "High-risk patients are too low in their adherence, and that needs to be improved."

Platelets, Steroids May Not Aid Tennis Elbow

English: Tennis Elbow (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Updated: 2013-01-22 16:35:23 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Genevra Pittman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Over a few months, neither steroids nor platelet injections are any better than injections of inactive salt water when it comes to treating tennis elbow, according to new research.

Despite its name, tennis elbow - which is caused by overuse of tendons in the elbow - often affects people with strenuous jobs, not just athletes.

Doonya Classes Offer Fitness as Bollywood Dance Party

Hemalayaa performing a Bollywood dance. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Updated: 2013-01-21 11:16:12 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Dorene Internicola

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Doonya, which combines high-energy aerobics and conditioning with the hip-swaying, arm-swirling exuberance of Indian folk, pop and classical dance, is a Bollywood-based workout that experts say can be fun and effective.

Named for the Hindi word for world, Doonya is the brainchild of two fitness instructors who tapped their heritage for inspiration. It draws on the infectious song and dance numbers popularized by the prolific Hindi-film industry based in Mumbai, nicknamed Bollywood, where movies usually feature intricate love sagas and plot twists.

Acupuncture May Ease Cancer-Related Fatigue

English: Acupuncture (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Updated: 2012-10-29 16:00:28 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Genevra Pittman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Acupuncture may help relieve fatigue in women who've had breast cancer, a new UK study suggests.

Researchers found that women who attended six weekly acupuncture sessions had greater improvements in fatigue as well as anxiety, depression and quality of life, compared to those who only received educational materials.

Winter Heart-Related Deaths Rise No Matter the Climate

Last Updated: 2012-11-06 16:00:29 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Deena Beasley

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Retiring to a warm climate like Arizona does not change the fact that a person is more likely to die from a heart-related problem in winter than in summer, according to a study released on Tuesday.

Researchers at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles analyzed 2005-2008 death certificate data from seven U.S. regions with varying climates: Los Angeles County, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, western Washington state, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

Slimmer Future for Heavy Kids Who Get Help Early

Last Updated: 2012-10-29 16:00:59 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Frederik Joelving

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Weight-loss programs can help even very young children slim down, and it appears that acting early may improve the odds of success, according to a pair of new studies.

"What they are showing is a pretty consistent trend that if we were to intervene early, we could really have an effect on changing the trajectory of weight gain in children," said Dr. Elsie Taveras, a pediatrician at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, who co-wrote an editorial on the findings.

Pedometers Play Up Every Step You Take

Pedometer (Photo credit: Matti Mattila)

Last Updated: 2012-11-12 11:55:17 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Dorene Internicola

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pedometers have ticked off many miles since Leonardo da Vinci sketched his version, essentially a pendulum for walkers, in the 15th century.

While step counting will never be a magic fitness pill, experts say this most pedestrian of gadgets can put extra spring in an ambulatory routine.

Study Links Relaxation Method to Reduced Hot Flashes

A gray-haired old woman from the United Kingdom (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Updated: 2012-11-30 14:35:14 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Kathleen Raven

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although studies of the effects of relaxation techniques on menopause symptoms have yielded mixed results so far, a new report from Sweden comes down in favor of the approach as an alternative to hormone therapy.

Postmenopausal women trained to relax before and during the onset of hot flashes cut the frequency of those events in half during the three-month trial, researchers say. Women in a comparison group that got no treatments experienced little change in their symptoms. 

Diabetes Remission Possible With Diet, Exercise

English: Diagram shows insulin release from the Pancreas and how this lowers blood sugar leves. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Updated: 2012-12-18 16:00:12 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Genevra Pittman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - One in nine people with diabetes saw their blood sugar levels dip back to a normal or "pre-diabetes" level after a year on an intensive diet and exercise program, in a new study.

Complete remission of type 2 diabetes is still very rare, researchers said. But they added that the new study can give people with the disease hope that through lifestyle changes, they could end up getting off medication and likely lowering their risk of diabetes-related complications. 

Can Exercise Detoxify the Body? Experts Skeptical

A yoga class. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Updated: 2012-12-17 10:55:31 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Dorene Internicola

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The word "detoxification" is flung around the fitness community as frequently as kettlebells are swung.

Yoga teachers regularly speak of detoxifying twists, aerobics instructors of detoxifying sweat, dieters of detoxifying fasts. But health professionals are skeptical.

Spending on Food Advertising to Kids Fell in '09

The Apex Building, headquarters of the Federal Trade Commission, on Constitution Avenue and 17th Streets in Washington, D.C.. The building was designed by Edward H. Bennett under the purview of Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon, and was completed in 1938 at a cost of $125 million. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Updated: 2012-12-21 15:25:13 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Diane Bartz

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Food companies spent considerably less to advertise to children in 2009 than they did in 2006 as they shifted to the Internet, and products pitched to kids got slightly healthier, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said in a report on Friday.

Cereal makers, fast food restaurants and other food companies spent $1.79 billion to advertise to children aged 2 to 17 in 2009, down almost 20 percent, on an inflation-adjusted basis, from $2.1 billion three years earlier, the FTC said.

Exercise Shows Opposing Effects on Appetite

Funny Smile You Are Losing Weight Fitness Center Sign (Photo credits: www.mydoorsign.com)

Last Updated: 2009-11-25 9:00:25 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Exercise seems to simultaneously make people hungrier, yet more readily satisfied by a meal -- and differences in these responses from person to person may help explain why some exercisers shed pounds more easily than others, researchers say.

In a study of 58 overweight and obese adults who started an exercise regimen, researchers found that exercise tended to boost participants' hunger before a meal, compared with their sedentary days.
On the other hand, they were also more easily satisfied by their morning meal than they had been before becoming active.

Anti-Doping Agency Not Part of Armstrong Inquiry

Lance Armstrong finishing 3rd in Sète, taking over the Yellow Jersey at Grand Prix Midi Libre 2002 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Updated: 2013-01-16 16:00:34 -0400 (Reuters Health)

(Reuters) - Friction between anti-doping chiefs and the UCI escalated on Tuesday as WADA decided not to partake in an inquiry set up by cycling's governing body to look into allegations of widespread doping, saying it was too focused on Lance Armstrong.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said in a statement it had a number of serious concerns as to the commission's terms of reference and its ability to carry out its role without undue influence.

Fitness DVDs Remain Hale and Hardly Over the Hill

Last Updated: 2012-02-27 10:30:12 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Dorene Internicola

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Despite the brave new workout world of streaming videos and smart phone exercise apps, the old-fangled fitness DVD has never been in better shape.

As people seek to live healthier, it remains the go-to workout aid for many who like their exercise accessible, inexpensive and private, according to a recent report.

"Consumers are getting more and more advice from doctors to exercise," said Agata Kaczanowska, industry analyst for IBIS, which conducted a market research study of the $264 million-dollar fitness DVD industry.

Short and Social Workouts Led Fitness Trends in 2012

English: July 2007 CrossFit Trainer certification, Santa Cruz, CA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Dorene Internicola

NEW YORK (Reuters) - From mud races to sweat parties to CrossFit competitions, workouts turned smarter, shorter and more social in 2012, experts say, as fitness was sweetened with a little help from smart phones and friends.

"Everything is about making fitness fun," said Jenna Autuori-Dedic, senior fitness editor at Fitness Magazine.

Even those grueling indoor cycling classes were a chance to mingle.

Vitamin D May Not Relieve Arthritis Pain

this is becoming a big problem these days (Photo credit: Malingering)

Last Updated: 2013-01-08 16:00:06 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Genevra Pittman

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Taking daily vitamin D doesn't keep knee pain from getting worse or slow the loss of cartilage for people with osteoarthritis, according to a new study.

Previous research suggested that among people with the joint disorder, those with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood tended to have a slower progression of symptoms. But whether that meant taking more in supplement form would also have a protective effect was unclear.

Racing to Om - Fitness Class Combines Spinning and Yoga

A yoga class. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last Updated: 2013-01-14 12:00:15 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Dorene Internicola

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pairing indoor cycling's intense, calorie-busting cardio workout with yoga, the mind-body practice of stretching into inner peace, may seem like a mismatch but fitness experts say it works.

Whether it is called Yoga Ride, Spin to Ride or Cycle Yoga, the two very different activities complement each other to improve fitness and flexibility.