Exercise: Prevents Migraines and Eases Arthritis — It does more than get you in shape.
Good old exercise, it's not just to get you in shape and protect your heart.
Migraines: Research from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has now shown that exercise is just as effective as drugs for preventing migraines. There are a variety of ways to prevent migraines. On the pharmaceutical side, a drug based on the substance topiramate has proved effective, while non-drug treatments with well-documented effects include relaxation exercises. In a Swedish study of 91 migraine patients, a third of the participants were asked to exercise for 40 minutes three times a week, another third did relaxation exercises, and the final third took topiramate, a migraine-prevention drug. The study lasted three months, during which time the patients' migraine status, quality of life, aerobic capacity and level of physical activity were evaluated before, during and after treatment. Follow-ups were carried out after three and six months. The results showed that the number of migraines fell in all three groups. Interestingly, however, all three treatments were equally effective for prevention.
Arthritis: Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that physical activity improves arthritis symptoms even among obese mice that continue to chow down on a high-fat diet. The results suggest that excess weight alone isn't what causes the aches and pains of osteoarthritis, despite the long-held notion that carrying extra pounds strains the joints and leads to the inflammatory condition. In fact, exercise without substantial weight loss can also be beneficial. Yes, it would be best to lose weight, but this study shows that exercise alone can improve the health of your joints.
Men Gain Weight After Divorce. Woman Gain Weight After Marriage
For men, the risk of a significant weight gain increased most prominently after a divorce. But for women, the risk of significant weight gain was most likely after marriage. The researchers, professors of sociology at Ohio State University, used data on 10,071 people surveyed from 1986 to 2008 to determine weight gain in the two years following a marriage or divorce. “Married women often have a larger role around the house than men do, and they may have less time to exercise and stay fit than similar unmarried women,” say the researchers. “On the other hand, studies show that married men get a health benefit from marriage, and they lose that benefit once they get divorced, which may lead to their weight gain.”
Early to bed and early to rise — study suggests it's keeping kids leaner
According to research reported in the journal SLEEP, children who went to bed late and got up late were 1.5 times more likely to become obese than those who went to bed early and got up early. Furthermore, late-nighters were almost twice as likely to be physically inactive and 2.9 times more likely to sit in front of the TV and computer or play video games for more hours than guidelines recommend. Here are some additional findings from the researchers at the University of South Australia:
Early-bed/early-risers went to bed 70 to 90 minutes earlier, woke up 60 to 80 minutes earlier and accumulated 27 minutes more moderate to vigorous physical activity each day than late-risers.
Late-bed/late-risers watched TV, played video games or were online 48 minutes longer each day than early-bed/early-risers, primarily between 7 p.m. and midnight.
Only 12 percent of late-bed/late-risers had an average of two hours or less screen time per day, which is recommended for children and teens by the Australian Department of Health and Aging. In comparison, 28 percent of early-bed/early-risers met the recommendation for screen time.
On a broad scale, late-bed/late-risers replaced about 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity with 30 minutes of sedentary behavior each day, relative to the early-bed/early-risers group.
Body-mass index (BMI) scores were higher in late-risers than early-risers, and late-risers were more likely to be overweight or obese.
Late-bed/late-risers tended to have fewer siblings, live in major cities, come from lower income households and have a part-time job.
Feed the Brain, Resist High-Calorie Junk Food
According to a study led by researchers at Yale University and the University of Southern California, and appearing in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, when "glucose levels drop, an area of the brain known to regulate emotions and impulses loses the ability to dampen desire for high-calorie food...When glucose levels drop, an area of the brain called the hypothalamus senses the change. Other regions called the insula and striatum associated with reward are activated, inducing a desire to eat." And when glucose is lowered, the prefrontal cortex loses its ability to put the brakes on increasingly urgent signals to eat generated in the striatum. This weakened response was particularly striking in the obese when shown high-calorie foods.
The study authors believe that if you maintain glucose levels (e.g., by consuming 100 percent whole-grain foods), you will be more likely to have the ability to resist unhealthy foods.
Increase Your Likelihood of Eating Healthy Foods by Keeping a Neat Plate
Two studies by researchers at Montclair State University appearing in the journal Appetite found that the arrangement of food on a plate has a positive impact on liking the flavor of the food. Food that is neatly arranged on the plate is liked more than the same food presented in a messy manner. According to the researchers, "Neatness of the food presentation increases liking for the taste of the food by suggesting greater care on the part of the preparer."