By Sarah
LoBisco, ND
Just
as many are confused about diet and nutrition, fitness and exercise can be just
as confounding.
My
home page blog discussed how technology overload can affect our brain and
health and gave some individualized solutions.
I’ve
written in the past about movement (see links below).
Recently,
a new study spurred my interest in the importance of movement:
Decreasing the Risk for Colon
Cancer and Re-occurrence with Walking
According
to an article in Medscape, patients with colon cancer needed a minimum of about
150 hours of recreational activity a week for benefit.
Dr.
Marshall explains:
So, I often
prescribe a dog for patients because they will have to walk their dog.
Insurance won’t cover that, by the way. We have tried.
If you engage in that much physical activity
before and after [a colon cancer diagnosis] the risk reduction [in all-cause
mortality] is 0.58. That is better than any chemotherapy we have ever given to
anyone. Physical activity after diagnosis, and certainly pre- and post-, is
better, but even if you just pick it up afterwards, you will have a significant
improvement in outcome. If you are a couch potato and do not
exercise, your risk goes the other way, to risk escalation, with a 1.36 hazard
ratio [for all-cause mortality].
Marshall,
J. Walking Improves Cancer Outcomes. Medscape Oncology > Marshall on
Oncology. March 15, 2013. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/780807_3
Furthermore,
exercise can affect your brain:
Exercise & Alzheimer’s
Medscape
News also reported on the connection of physical activity and those at risk for
Alzheimer’s through measurement of a risk factor, Apo-E.
“You
could look at these results and rightfully say physical exercise neutralizes
your risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease if you’re ApoE positive,” Dr.
Noordsy said.
…
But although
ApoE-positive individuals (n = 39) had values that were substantially higher,
the ApoE-positive patients who exercised (n = 13) had values similar to those
who did not carry the gene ( Arch Neurol 2012;69:636-643).
Mellvile,
N. Exercise Gains Momentum as Psychiatric Treatment. Medscape Medical News:
Psychiatry. 11/16/12. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/774639
Smart Moves
Dr.
Amen further supported the study above
with another report on the protective effect on exercise on Alzheimer’s:
If you want
to have a healthy brain and body, you’ve got to get off your butt and
move! Physical activity is the single
most important thing you can do to enhance brain function and keep your body
looking young.
In a study
out of UCLA, a friend and colleague of mine found that physical activity led to
5% more gray matter. The study looked at
876 elderly individuals from the Cardiovascular Health Study and measured the
number of kilocalories per week expended from a series of 15 physical
activities in an active lifestyle. The activities were: swimming, hiking, aerobics, jogging, tennis,
racquetball, walking, gardening, mowing, raking, golfing, bicycling, dancing,
calisthenics, and riding an exercise cycle.
Researchers then analyzed gray matter volume
based upon MRI scans of the brain of each of these subjects. Gray matter volume is an important metric of
brain health because it shrinks during neurodegenerative diseases like
Alzheimer’s and is larger in a healthier brain.
Amen
Clinics. An Active Lifestyle Builds a Better Brain. Dr. Amen’s Blog. January 2,
2013.
Note
on Alzheimer’s:
New
estimates suggest that there were 4.7 million individuals aged 65 years or
older with Alzheimer’s disease dementia in the US in 2010 and that this number
will triple to 13.8 million by 2050. These latest estimates, published online
February 6 in Neurology, were devised by a team from the Rush Institute for
Healthy Aging, Chicago, Illinois.
“These
are staggering numbers,” coauthor Jennifer Weuve, MPH, ScD, commented to
Medscape Medical News. “The ramifications for society and family
caregivers in particular are huge.”
Hughs,
S. Alzheimer’s Cases to Triple by 2050. Medscape Medical News > Neurology.
Feb 07, 2013. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/778941?src=wnl_edit_medn_wir&spon=34
What to Choose?
Below are some recent findings of
mine on the benefits of different types of movement.
The
bottom line is that all are good and a combination of a routine of stretching (such
as yoga) ,burst training, and strength training is optimal. Cardio alone may be
counter effective.
Benefits of Yoga
Type 2 Diabetes: Yoga has been found to reduce blood sugar and
drug requirements in patients with type 2 diabetes.[ii] [iii] Additional benefits for type 2 diabetics
include the reduction of oxidative stress,[iv] improved cognitive brain
function,[v] improving cardiovascular function,[vi] and reducing body mass
index, improved well-being and reduced anxiety.[vii]
Asthma: There are now four clinical studies
indicating that yoga practice improves the condition of those with bronchial
asthma.[viii] [ix] [x] [xi]
Elevated Cortisol (Stress): Yoga practice has been found to decrease
serum cortisol levels which have been correlated with alpha wave
activation.[xii] Yoga also compares
favorably in this respect to African dance, the latter of which raises
cortisol.[xiii] Women suffering from mental stress, including breast cancer
outpatients undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy, have been found to respond to
yoga intervention with lowered cortisol levels, as well as associated mental
stress and anxiety reduction.[xiv] [xv]
Fibromyalgia: There are three studies
indicating that yoga improves the condition of patients suffering from
fibromyalgia.[xvi] [xvii] [xviii]
High Blood Pressure: Yoga has been found to
reduce blood pressure in patients with prehypertension to stage 1
hypertension.[xix] Yoga has also been found to reduce blood pressure in more
severe conditions, such as HIV-infected adults with cardiovascular disease.[xx]
Yogic breathing is one of the most effective forms of yoga for this health
condition, with both fast and slow-breathing exercises having value.[xxi]
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Yoga has
been found to be efficacious in improving obsessive-compulsive
behavior.[xxii] [xxiii]
Computer Eye Strain: Yoga practice reduced
visual discomfort in professional computer users.[xxiv]
Ji,
S. Modern Science Confirms Yoga’s Many Health Benefits. 12/29/12.
GreenMedinfo.com. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/modern-science-confirms-yogas-many-health-benefits
Yoga and Heart Health
Yoga
training has always been thought of as a healthy activity, but now a study has
the scientific findings to prove it. In a first-of-its-kind study, doctors at
The University of Kansas Hospital evaluated the role of yoga in the management
of atrial fibrillation – a common heart rhythm disorder that is a leading cause
of stroke. The study, published in this week’s Journal of the American College
of Cardiology, found that rigorous
practice of yoga can help reduce episodes of irregular heartbeat and improve
the symptoms of anxiety and depression often associated with atrial
fibrillation. On average, yoga was found to cut patients’ episodes of
atrial fibrillation in half and significantly improve quality of life.
University
of Kanas Hosptial. First-Ever Yoga Study Published in the Journal of the
American College of Cardiology Finds Yoga to be a Safe, Effective Therapy for
Heart Patients. PR Newswire. January 30, 2013. (http://s.tt/1zaCz)
Weatherby,
C. Yoga as Heart Therapy. Vital Choice Newsletter. 2/14/13.
Strength-Training Exercise and
Heart Health with Anti-Aging Boost
According
to Tanner, strength training may be of particular benefit for those with heart
disease, and here’s why:
“Chronic congestive heart failure is the
inability of your heart to supply your body with a sufficient amount of
blood… [In one study] they put these individuals on a leg press [and]
inserted the central catheter to measure exactly what was going on, on a
moment-by-moment basis.
What they found was that at the highest
intensities on a leg press, over 80 percent of their one rep max… the more
the vascular system opened up and allowed for blood flow to occur.
Biomarkers
of aging are determinants of aging that you are capable of controlling. They’re
things that tell you how old you would be if you didn’t know how old you were.
This includes but is not limited to the following–all of which strength
training has a beneficial impact on: strength and muscle mass, body
composition, blood lipids, bone density, cardiorespiratory fitness, and gene
expression
Mercola,
J. How Strength Training Can Help You Live a Longer, Healthier Life.
Mercola.com. March 15, 2013
Tanner,
S. Strength Training and the Biomarkers of Aging. February 10, 2013. YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NFswpRSXxjA#!
Therefore,
today make a commitment to put down your smart or dumb phones for 30 minutes,
move your butt in a fun way, have a nice conversation with something other than
your thumbs, and your brain will thank you.
Helpful Links by Dr. Sarah:
Information Overload and Brain Effects. http://dr-lobisco.com/information-overload-and-brain-effects/. 3/21/13.
Releasing
Yourself From Movement Mania. http://dr-lobisco.com/215/.
1/11/12.
Whole Food, Whole Body, Whole Mind Stress Busting
Tips. http://dr-lobisco.com/whole-food-whole-body-whole-mind-stress-busting-tips/.
9/11/12.
