A newly released study appearing in Clinical Cardiology examines the average fitness level of the morbidly obese (body mass indexes between 40.0 and 49.9). The findings show that the tested population was sedentary for more than 99 percent of the day and, on average, walked less than 2,500 steps per day - far below healthy living guidelines of 10,000 steps per day. The results provide important links between obesity, poor fitness and cardiovascular disease.

The study used a precise body sensor to continually measure physical activity, caloric expenditure and movement minute-by-minute over a 72-hour period within their home environments. Following collection of the data, structured cardiorespiratory fitness testing waccording toformed on each subject.

Most morbidly obese participants in the study were markedly sedentary. On average, 23 hours and 51.6 min per day were spent sleeping or engaged in sedentary activity and the remaining 8.4 minutes were spent in moderate activity. On average, subjects took 3,763 ± 2,223 steps.

The highest level of activity attained by any single individual during one 24-hour period was 28 minutes of moderate activity. No length of time was spent at a high level of activity for any of the individuals while under observation. Two individuals in this study spent the entire monitoring period in sedentary activity.

Obesity contributes to five of the top 10 diseases with the highest mortality rates: cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. Increasingly, new technologic advances encourage individuals to move less and expend fewer calories.

However, it has been shown that, despite being obese, individuals with moderate-to-high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness have cardiovascular death rates that are 71 percent lower than their unfit counterparts. Moreover, low cardiorespiratory fitness is an independent predictor of mortality in normal weight, overweight and obese individuals alike. Morbidly obese individuals, however, have severely reduced cardiorespiratory fitness that is similar to those with established systolic heart failure.

Despite the lack of moderate or vigorous physical activity in the studied population, lighter amounts of physical activity may yield significant health benefits. Even light walking in speeds of 1 to 2 miles per hour shows significant health benefits. Over time, increasing amounts of light physical activity may improve aerobic capacity and ultimately reduce mortality.

"Our findings have important implications for the relationship between obesity and physical activity," say authors Thomas Vanhecke, Barry Franklin,Wendy Miller, Adam deJong, Catherine Coleman and Peter McCullough of William Beaumont Hospital. "Our findings will add incentive to increase physical fitness in this population and increase the awareness of healthcare professionals of the need for recommending physical activity in their patients".


Posted by: Evelyn    Source

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Posted by: Evelyn    Source

When talking about green tea being so beneficial and healthy to drink, there are a few things that bother me:

What about green tea during pregnancy?
Is it safe for pregnant women to drink green tea?
Can you get pregnant if you are drinking green tea?

The answers to all these questions are NO. It is NOT safe to drink green tea while pregnant.

Even though green tea is still one of the best ways to lose weight, pregnant women should be very careful with it. Due to its unclear and still serious side effects it may cause to the baby.

Why taking folate during pregnancy is important?

All future mothers must take folate, at least during the first three months of their pregnancy, because it is very important in order to prevent neural tube defects that affect baby’s brain development.

Why Green Tea is not healthy for pregnant women and their babies?

The EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate - main active antioxidant compound of GT) is the reason why green tea must not be used by pregnant women, because it affects the way folate is absorbed by the baby’s organism, which may cause the above said defects.

How exactly Green Tea is not healthy?

EGCG affects the baby’s absorption of folate, by binding the enzyme GHFR and inactivating it. This enzyme is important because it is involved in folate absorption in baby’s organism. When this enzyme is deactivated the baby can’t absorb folate and the protection the folate affords to the neural system of the baby is highly reduced.

Why EGCG is acting like that?

Because it is chemically similar to a compound called methotrexate. This compound binds to DHFR enzyme (dihydrofolate reductase) and this way kills cancer cells.

Because of its chemical similarity to methotrexate, the EGCG also binds to the DHFR enzyme and deactivates it this way. And I said earlier when DHFR is deactivated the baby can’t use folate from mother’s organism.

Conclusion

Although Green Tea has shown great benefits for stopping cancer cells growth if taken on regular bases, it is not good to be taken by pregnant women. The good news is that you still will be able to take your favorite cup of coffee in the morning, but only if it’s not that strong as you have used to drink it before getting pregnant.

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Survivors of early-stage lung cancer who take part in regular physical activity have a better quality of life, as per a research studyin the recent issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, available online now. Patients who are more physically active report better mood, more vigor, and greater physical functioning, the study shows.

"The take-home message is that early-stage lung cancer survivors appears to benefit, both mentally and physically, from simple moderate exercise," says the paper's main author Elliot Coups, Ph.D., associate member of Fox Chase Cancer Center's faculty and a participant in the Fox Chase Keystone Program in Cancer Risk and Prevention. "Of course, we're generally not talking marathons here, but smaller, everyday forms of activity like going for a brisk walk several times a week".

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States, as per the American Cancer Society, and the disease tends to strike elderly adults who have a history of smoking. Coups and colleagues studied patients diagnosed with early-stage, non-small cell lung carcinomas. These individuals have a five-year survival rate of nearly 50 percent, in comparison to three percent for those diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer.

"With early detection and therapy, more people may live longer following surgery for early-stage lung cancer," Coups says. "For these individuals, the act of surviving cancer will follow them the rest of their days, and we are interested in understanding what we can do to promote their overall health and well-being".

Coups and colleagues at Fox Chase and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center followed 175 people who had completed surgical therapy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer within the prior six years. On average, patients were about 68 years old at the time of the study and did not currently have cancer. Patients were asked to estimate their level of physical activity six months before the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer, during the six months following surgery and their current activity levels. The survey included standardized questionnaires to assess quality of life in terms of a patient's physical, mental and social well-being.

Approximately one in four participants met physical activity guidelines, which call for about 60 minutes each week of strenuous activity, such as jogging, or 150 minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking briskly. Overall, the level of activity for survey participants was comparable to that of the population at large for their age group, Coups says.

Coups and colleagues also observed that those participants who met the guidelines reported fewer depressive symptoms, greater vitality, and less shortness of breath when in comparison to their more sedentary counterparts.

"Unfortunately, we see that most lung cancer survivors do not meet guidelines set for physical activity, particularly in the six months following surgery," Coups says. "While it is certainly understandable that people might not be able to exercise as vigorously as they had done before lung surgery, our study suggests that healthcare providers ought to discuss the potential benefits of moderate physical activity among early-stage lung cancer survivors as a means of increasing their quality of life".


Posted by: Evelyn    Source