CHICAGO - In older individuals, exercise is associated with an increase in the number of large-diameter vessels in the cerebral region of the brain and with an increase in blood flow in the three major cerebral arteries, researchers announced at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, which is being held here this week.

As the investigators noted, narrowing and loss of small vessels may contribute to cognitive decline. This area of the brain controls functions that include consciousness, memory, initiation of activity, emotional response, language and word associations.

A study of 12 healthy older adults, ages 60 to 80 years, was conducted by Feraz Rahman and colleagues at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Six subjects exercised over 3 hours a week in aerobic sports on a regular basis for 10 or more years, while the other six had exercised less than 1 hour a week during that period.

“The numbers are small because it is hard to find healthy older adults who can participate … especially inactive but still healthy older adults,” Rahman explained. Age and cognitive ability were similar in the two groups and both groups were relatively healthy, with no significant cardiovascular or psychological conditions, including depression.

Rahman’s team used MRI and other methods to visualize cerebral blood vessels and determine cerebral blood flow.

Active subjects had more small blood vessels and greater cerebral blood flow than inactive individuals, Rahman told meeting attendees.

The total number of vessels with a radius of 0.2 to 0.3 millimeters was approximately 150 in the active individuals and approximately 100 in the inactive group.

“We found that as the blood vessel radius went up, the blood flow went up in the active group, while an increase in radius correlated with a decrease in blood flow in the inactive group,” Rahman reported.

“We also found that a loss of small vessels is not an issue in active adults, because the average vessel size (more…)

Learn about a lesser-known benefit of exercise - exercise helps you detoxify your body. Walking, running, trampoline exercise, swimming and other types of exercises are described in terms of detoxification.Exercise detoxification is an effective method of cleansing many vital organs simultaneously and should become a regular part of your life. When was the last time you got some exercise?
In past generations, people had physically demanding jobs. Even the less demanding desk jobs required walking to do filing and going to meetings. With the progress of computers and telecommunications, many people can do their jobs today by sitting at their desk and using technology to do their filing and participate in meetings. Without benefit of exercise, this has made most of us much more sedentary. (more…)

First federal guidelines set minimum amount of activity adults need
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Get moving: The nation’s new exercise guidelines set a minimum sweat allotment for good health. For most adults, that’s 2 hours a week.

How much physical activity you need depends largely on age and level of fitness.

Moderate exercise adds up for sluggish adults. Rake leaves, take a quick walk around the block or suit up for the neighborhood softball game. More fit adults could pack in their week’s requirement in 75 minutes with vigorous exercise, such as jogging, hiking uphill, a bike race or speedy laps in the pool.

Children and teens need more - pretty brisk activities for at least an hour a day, say the government guidelines being released Tuesday. (more…)

By far the most important step in the elimination of belly fat is the cardio workout!

by Gail M. Davis

Excess belly fat can be attributed to many things including menopause, beer, and food consumption, but the health risks are the same, regardless of the cause. Breast cancer, heart disease, and diabetes are just three of the many health concerns attributed to too much belly fat. The worst part of this problem is not the visible fat but the deep fat surrounding the abdominal organs. The good news is that you can improve this problem by following some simple steps. Let’s look at a few of the now.

There is no substitute for eating healthy foods in healthy amounts! Make it a priority to learn about food pyramid recommendations, nutrition fact labels, and proper portion sizes. Study this information, commit it to memory, and practice it on a daily basis. (more…)

In the face of a growing obesity epidemic in the United States, researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have new study results that indicate that how much fat a person has is not as important as where that fat is located when assessing risk for cardiovascular events and metabolic disease.

“We are facing an obesity epidemic, which obviously affects many things – metabolic abnormalities, cardiovascular disease, etc.,” said Jingzhong Ding, M.D., lead researcher and an assistant professor of gerontology. “Now we are finding out that where the fat is distributed is of high importance.”

The findings of the study, funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Institutes of Health, will appear in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a publication of the American Society for Nutrition. (more…)

From a study published in the British Medical Journal reports.

University of Pavia researcher Luciano Bernardi and colleagues recorded 23 men and women reciting the Ave Maria in Latin and the yoga mantra om-mani-padme-om. They found that during recitation of the Ave Maria and yoga mantra, breathing was regular and slowed to a rate of about 6 breaths per minute compared to spontaneous breathing and random talking.

Slowing the breathing rate to 6 breaths per minute appears to synchronize breathing with cardiovascular rhythms that also have a 6 per minute cycle.

The results are enhanced heart rate variability and arterial baroflex sensitivity, both powerful and independent predictors of long term outcome in heart disease.

It seems remarkable that yoga mantras and rosary prayer, two culturally distinct practices, are similar in rate (6 breaths per minute), duration (mantras are usually repeated more than 100 times and the rosary, 150 times) and cardiovascular effects.

Bernardi and colleagues suggest that Tibetan monks adapted the mantras from yoga masters in India and from there it passed thorough the Middle East to the crusaders, who introduced the practice to Europe.
They propose that in the Christian culture of the Middle Ages where body consciousness was not encouraged, the rosary prayer may have taken hold because it was a method of slowing breathing, increasing concentration and, by synchronizing cardiovascular rhythms with breathing, inducing a sense of calm and well-being without actively focusing on breath and the body.

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - The major public health message delivered by all professionals today is that the average American has a great deal of control over their own-well being. They offer advice on how to minimize the risk of premature disease and death. The goal is to help people die young – at a very old age. But, the message is falling on deaf ears. Why?

In the mid-1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “I see one-third of the nation ill-housed, ill-clad, and ill-nourished.” If he looked at us today he’d see an over-caloried, under-exercised, air-conditioned, computerized, and highly mechanized population. Today: 66% of Americans are overweight; over 30% have high blood pressure; heart disease, cancer, and stroke are the 3 leading causes of death; 23.6 million have diabetes, and 17.6 million overuse alcohol and half of those suffer from alcoholism. Yet, as an individual, you have a great deal of control over the prevention and treatment of each of these conditions.
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Reuters - If trends of the past three decades continue, it’s possible that every American adult could be overweight 40 years from now, a government-funded study projects.

An allergic reaction occurs when the immune system misinterprets a normally nontoxic substance, such as grass, pollen, a detergent, or a certain food, as a harmful invader. The immune system then responds to this perceived threat, called an allergen, by releasing substances called histamines.

Histamines produce a wide range of bodily reactions, including respiratory and nasal congestion, increased mucus production, skin rashes and welts, and headache. In the case of an actual threat to the body, in the form of, say, a flu virus, these reactions would form an important line of defense against the invader, helping to trap it and expel it, and encouraging you to rest and recover. But during the false alarm of an allergic response, the body overreacts to a harmless agent. (more…)

Tori Cihla , NewsoftheNorth.Net

Q. As I’ve been getting older and slowing down a little, I’ve found I don’t get the same enjoyment out of things I used to. Recently I began a fitness program and I’ve noticed an improvement in my mood as well. I was just curious if that is something to do with the exercise? ~T.J., Lakeland

A. There are a lot of benefits that the right type and amount of exercise can give you. Lower cholesterol, lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, decreased body fat, improved bone density, as well as increased stamina and longevity just to name a few. (more…)