To Your Health
July, 2010 (Vol. 04, Issue 07) |
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At the end of the study, the team found statistically significant reductions in estradiol and free estradiol, as well as increases in SHBG, among the exercising women compared to controls. While these hormonal changes were modest, the researchers stated:
"This trial found that previously sedentary postmenopausal women can adhere to a moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise program that results in changes in estradiol and SHBG concentrations that are consistent with a lower risk for postmenopausal breast cancer."
Source: Friedenreich CM, et al. "Alberta Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Prevention Trial: Sex Hormone Changes in a Year-Long Exercise Intervention Among Postmenopausal Women." Journal of Clinical Oncology, Feb. 16, 2010.
4. Build Strong Bones
Wolfgang Kemmler, from Freidrich-Alexander University (Germany), and colleagues analyzed data on 246 older women who were enrolled in the Senior Fitness and Prevention (SEFIP) Study. The researchers found that women who exercised had higher bone density in their spine and hip, and also had a 66 percent reduced rate of falls. Fractures due to falls were twice as common in the controls versus the exercise group (12 vs. six incidents). The authors' conclusion: "Compared with a general wellness program, our 18-month exercise program significantly improved [bone mineral density] and fall risk."
Source: Wolfgang Kemmler W, et al. "Exercise Effects on Bone Mineral Density, Falls, Coronary Risk Factors, and Health Care Costs in Older Women: The Randomized Controlled Senior Fitness and Prevention (SEFIP) Study." Archives of Internal Medicine, January 2010.
5. Stress a Little Less
Anxiety often remains unrecognized or untreated among patients with a chronic illness, and may have deleterious consequences including declines in quality of life and lack of compliance with the treatment plan. Matthew P. Herring, from the University of Georgia, and colleagues analyzed the results of 40 randomized clinical trials involving nearly 3,000 patients with a variety of chronic medical conditions, including heart disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer and chronic pain from arthritis. The researchers found that, on average, patients who exercised regularly reported a 20 percent reduction in anxiety symptoms compared to those who did not exercise. "Exercise training programs lasting no more than 12 weeks, using session durations of at least 30 minutes, and an anxiety report time frame greater than the past week resulted in the largest anxiety improvements," said the researchers.
Source: Herring MP, et al. "The Effect of Exercise Training on Anxiety Symptoms Among Patients: A Systematic Review." Archives of Internal Medicine, 2010.
6. Defend Against Stroke
Jacob R. Sattelmair, from Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues examined the effects of a variety of leisure-time activities on stroke risk in women. Relying on data on 39,315 healthy American women, ages 45 years and over, enrolled in the Women's Health Study, the team investigated the subjects' physical activity at the study's start and at five points during a follow-up period of nearly 12 years, and tracked the incidence of stroke during the same time frame.
The researchers found that those women who engaged in moderately intense exercise during the study period were at a markedly lower risk of stroke; specifically, walking time and pace were inversely related to the risk of any stroke, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke (longer time, faster pace = lower stroke risk). Stroke risk declined by as much as 37 percent as the pace of walking increased from less than 2 to more than 3 miles/hour.
Source: Jacob R, et al. "Physical Activity and Risk of Stroke in Women." Stroke, April 2010.
